cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Combined Endo-Laparoscopic Surgery (CELS)

Colonoscopic polypectomy is the treatment of choice for diagnosing and removing most colon polyps. Large polyps or those in an anatomically difficult location can be very challenging to remove by endoscopic techniques alone. Traditionally, the most common recommendation for these patients has been to undergo a subsequent colon resection. Although the laparoscopic approach has reduced the morbidity of an abdominal operation, it still poses potential morbidities related to bowel resection. A combined approach using both laparoscopy and colonoscopy (combined endo-laparoscopic surgery, CELS) has more recently been described as an alternative to bowel resection in select patients with polyps that cannot be removed endoscopically. This procedure allows laparoscopic manipulation of the colon wall adjacent to the polyp to facilitate polypectomy. Furthermore, it enables prompt diagnosis and treatment of full-thickness defects of the colon and provides an opportunity to proceed with a standard oncological resection in lesions that are not amenable or suitable for this CELS. In this chapter, we will review this technique including key points for success.
Side Effects of 131I for Ablation and Treatment of Well-Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma

The use of radioactive iodine (131I) in the ablation and treatment of well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma may be associated with side effects in numerous organ systems (Table 1). Although many articles address the side effects of radioiodine, the characterizations of these effects vary widely because of a host of different factors (Table 2). This chapter attempts to consolidate the literature by presenting, where appropriate, (1) the spectrum of signs and symptoms, as well as the frequency and severity of side effects, (2) a review of selected articles, (3) a discussion of preventive measures to lessen the frequency and severity of side effects, and/or (4) a discussion of the medical management when the side effect occurs.
Students’ Perceptions of the Value of Using Videos as a Pre-class Learning Experience in the Flipped Classroom

The flipped classroom is an instructional model in which students viewed the learning content before class through instructor-provided video lectures or other pre-class learning materials, and in-class time is used for student-centered active learning. Video is widely utilized as a typical pre-class learning material in the flipped classroom. This paper reports the findings from a survey about students’ attitudes and preferences regarding the pre-class learning experiences in an undergraduate science course that utilized a flipped classroom model. Findings demonstrate that students had positive attitudes towards using pre-class videos in the flipped classroom. Students had different perceptions towards the four types of pre-class learning materials used in this course, including three types of videos and text-formatted materials. Students’ attitudes and preferences on pre-class learning materials did not differ across class levels, major fields, or previous experience of learning via videos. Students suggested that pre-class videos should be kept short and engaging.
The relation between body-length and body-weight in the human embryo and fetus.

It has been generally assumed that the weight of the body in prenatal life may be represented by a cube of a fraction of the total or crown-heel length. In a study of the lengths and deadweights of 2202 embryos and fetuses we have found that this relation can be more accurately expressed by the formulae:In these expressions W is the weight in grams, and L is the total or crown-heel length in centimeters. These formulae are satisfactory from 5 to 55 cm. body-length but do not hold good above the latter limit and, probably, not below the former. The following graph shows the relation between the observed values and the calculated curve of weight increase, in respect to length; and the accompanying table gives the observed and calculated mean weights for each 5 cm. range of body-length, and the absolute and percentage differences between these values.The live and dead-weights of fetuses of the same body-length are quite different, the former being distinctly the greater. Therefore the majority of the publish...
Immunology for the Practicing Otolaryngologist

Educational objectives: To become familiar with basic concepts of hypersensitivity reactions in human host and to relate clinical disease and use of pharmacotherapeutic regimens to control symptoms produced by allergic disorders.
Efficacy of a novel schedule of decitabine in previously untreated AML, age 60 or older

7010 Background: We established an optimal daily dose of decitabine in AML at 20mg/m2/day based on re-expression of epigenetically silenced genes, with promising clinical activity seen in poor risk older patients (pts) (Blum, J Clin Oncol. 2007). Methods: We designed a phase II study of decitabine for untreated AML pts of age≥60 who were not candidates for intensive chemotherapy (or who refused it). PS was ECOG <3. All pts received induction with decitabine at 20mg/m2 IV on days 1–10 of 4 week cycles. Pts with persistent AML at the end of a cycle received a repeat of the 10 day course, but responding pts received maintenance with abbreviated courses of 3–5 days depending on degree and duration of neutropenia. Results: 33 pts had median age of 74 years (range, 60–83). 15 pts had either secondary or t-AML. Median WBC count was 2400/μL (range, 400–58,800/μL) with marrow blasts of 44% (range, 21–92%). 13 pts had complex karyotype (≥3 abnormalities); 13 had normal karyotype; one pt had t(8;21). 31/33 pts had a...
Reactivity to high risk situations and smoking cessation outcome.

Smokers' reactions to a laboratory assessment that simulated high-risk-for-smoking-relapse situations were monitored prior to and at the end of treatment for smoking cessation. Measures included self-reported urges to smoke, efficacy, anxiety, behaviorally rated coping effectiveness, and heart rate. Observed pretreatment responses were unrelated to smoking outcome at the end of treatment. Univariate analyses indicated that decreased efficacy and coping effectiveness and increased urges at the end of treatment were related to relapse during 6-month follow-up. However, multivariate analysis demonstrated that these relationships were a function of the end-of-treatment smoking level. When endof-treatment smoking rate was controlled for statistically, only increased heart rate response during the assessment predicted smoking status at 6 months. The theoretical significance of the findings is discussed.
The racialized construction of exceptionality: Experimental evidence of race/ethnicity effects on teachers' interventions.

Abstract Scholars, policy-makers, and practitioners have long argued that students of color are over-represented in special education and under-represented in gifted education, arguing that educators make racially/ethnically biased decisions to refer and qualify students with disabilities and giftedness. Recent research has called this into question, focusing on the role of confounders of race/ethnicity. However, the role of educator decisions in the disproportionality is still unclear. In this study, I examine the role of student race/ethnicity in teachers' categorization of student needs as “exceptional” and in need of special or gifted education services. I use an original survey experiment in which teachers read case studies of fictional male students in which the race/ethnicity, English Language Learner status, and exceptionality characteristics were experimentally manipulated. The teachers are then asked whether they would refer the student for exceptionality testing. My findings suggest a complex intersection of race/ethnicity and exceptionality, in which white boys are more likely to be suspected of having exceptionalities when they exhibit academic challenges, while boys of color are more likely to be suspected when they exhibit behavioral challenges. This suggests that the racialized construction of exceptionalities reflects differential academic expectations and interpretations of behavior by race/ethnicity, with implications for the subjectivity of exceptionality identification and for the exacerbation of racial/ethnic inequalities in education.
α Actinin 4 (ACTN4) Regulates Glucocorticoid Receptor-mediated Transactivation and Transrepression in Podocytes.

Glucocorticoids are a general class of steroids that possess renoprotective activity in glomeruli through their interaction with the glucocorticoid receptor. However, the mechanisms by which glucocorticoids ameliorate proteinuria and glomerular disease are not well understood. In this study, we demonstrated that α actinin 4 (ACTN4), an actin-cross-linking protein known to coordinate cytoskeletal organization, interacts with the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in the nucleus of human podocytes (HPCs), a key cell type in the glomerulus critical for kidney filtration function. The GR-ACTN4 complex enhances glucocorticoid response element (GRE)-driven reporter activity. Stable knockdown of ACTN4 by shRNA in HPCs significantly reduces dexamethasone-mediated induction of GR target genes and GRE-driven reporter activity without disrupting dexamethasone-induced nuclear translocation of GR. Synonymous mutations or protein expression losses in ACTN4 are associated with kidney diseases, including focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, characterized by proteinuria and podocyte injury. We found that focal segmental glomerulosclerosis-linked ACTN4 mutants lose their ability to bind liganded GR and support GRE-mediated transcriptional activity. Mechanistically, GR and ACTN4 interact in the nucleus of HPCs. Furthermore, disruption of the LXXLL nuclear receptor-interacting motif present in ACTN4 results in reduced GR interaction and dexamethasone-mediated transactivation of a GRE reporter while still maintaining its actin-binding activity. In contrast, an ACTN4 isoform, ACTN4 (Iso), that loses its actin-binding domain is still capable of potentiating a GRE reporter. Dexamethasone induces the recruitment of ACTN4 and GR to putative GREs in dexamethasone-transactivated promoters, SERPINE1, ANGPLT4, CCL20, and SAA1 as well as the NF-κB (p65) binding sites on GR-transrepressed promoters such as IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8. Taken together, our data establish ACTN4 as a transcriptional co-regulator that modulates both dexamethasone-transactivated and -transrepressed genes in podocytes.
RMS Comes of Age 1709–1755: The Hodgson Era

Early in 1709 James Hodgson was appointed master of RMS, and he remained in that position until his death in 1755. The Hodgson era was a time when, against the odds, Christ’s Hospital was able to provide a regular supply of graduates ready for gainful apprenticeship and service in the Royal Navy or the merchant marine. This success was especially evident in the early years of Hodgson’s tenure as a result of his inspirational teaching and strong knowledge of both mathematics and navigation. Somehow, too, Hodgson, Fellow of the Royal Society, always managed to find time to be an able researcher, and he was a regular contributor to the Royal Society’s journal. In the early 1720s he managed to write and have published a massive two-volume textbook, written especially for RMS students, which took account of all aspects of the RMS program. Between 1748 and 1755 an ageing Hodgson was assisted in RMS work by John Robertson, and, in 1755 Robertson succeeded Hodgson as RMS master. This chapter will draw attention to the serious lack of attention given to the Hodgson era by those who have written histories of Christ’s Hospital. It is argued that this has led to a distortion of the history and significance of the influence of RMS in the eighteenth century.
IDE-3D: Predicting Indoor Depth Utilizing Geometric and Monocular Cues

Depth estimation and spatial awareness given a single monocular image is a challenging task for a computer as depth information is not retained when the 3D world is projected onto a 2D plane. Therefore, we must combine our prior knowledge with other monocular cues present in the image, such as occlusion, texture variations, and shadows to understand the depth of the image. In this paper, we present IDE-3D (Indoor Depth Estimation 3D), a tool designed to generate a box model depth map of an indoor environment. The program combines a variety of input from the image, including 3D geometric shape estimation utilizing local and global scene structures, pixel analysis, and outlier removal, to produce a depthmap of the image with acceptable results. We generate a box model of the room and apply our best fit algorithm to calculate the predicted depth of the room by analyzing the horizontal plane and apply a depthmap gradient to it. The current application shows a successful implementation of our best fit algorithm in the controlled experiment by incorporating a box model and texture gradient approach. Future work will include estimating the same depth using an object's shift relative to the focus.
A comparison of existing and novel communication responses used during functional communication training

Functional communication training (FCT) is a procedure used to teach a communicative response that results in the same reinforcer found to maintain problem behavior. Previous research has demonstrated that high levels of problem behavior may be observed during FCT when reinforcing an existing response due to a history of reinforcement for both existing responses and problem behavior. This study compared the effects of reinforcing an existing and novel communicative response during FCT on the rate of problem behavior for two children diagnosed with autism. Additionally, we assessed preference for either the existing or novel response using a concurrent schedules arrangement. The results demonstrated that the existing and novel communication responses were associated with low levels of problem behavior for both participants. Also, both participants preferred the novel response. We conclude with a discussion of practical applications of the analysis and avenues for future research.
Linear Response Theory for Water Transport Through Dry Nanopores

Porous two-dimensional crystals like graphene have the potential to revolutionize reverse-osmosis membrane technology. The permeability is a common figure of merit that describes the ease with which water flows through a membrane. For two-dimensional crystals, the permeability can be orders of magnitude higher than it is in conventional reverse-osmosis membranes. We apply our Gaussian Dynamics nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulation method to very hydrophobic two-dimensional membranes and find that the current–pressure drop relationship becomes nonlinear. In this regime, the conventional permeability is an inadequate descriptor of the passage process, and the transport mechanism becomes a two-step one. The backing pressure first causes the pore to wet, and after it reaches a threshold pressure, water transport takes place from the wet state. We recover a simple description of the transport process by applying linear response theory with respect to the wet reference state rather than the dry one. A ma...
The Conservation Research Laboratory and Conservation of Artifacts from the Mardi Gras Shipwreck Project

Conservation of artifacts from underwater archaeological sites is vital, and the role of the Conservation Research Laboratory (CRL) is to ensure the artifacts’ long-term stabilization. Conservation serves several purposes, not the least of which is protecting the tangible remnants of a particular site. These artifacts aid in identification of the site, provide details of the activities of the people inhabiting the site, and also provide the archaeologist, and ultimately the public, with a connection between the past and the present.
Observing Surface Meteorology and Air-Sea Fluxes

The focus of this chapter is on unattended observations of surface meteorology made from surface buoys. Also discussed is the computation of the air-sea fluxes of heat, freshwater, and momentum from the surface meteorological data obtained from surface buoys. The computation of these fluxes requires measurements of wind speed and direction, air temperature and humidity, barometric pressure, incoming shortwave radiation, incoming longwave radiation, sea surface temperature and salinity, and surface currents. Progress has been made in recent years in developing low power, robust, and accurate instrumentation. The present state of the sensors and related hardware is summarized. Typical buoy installations are described, and a summary of where these observations have been made is presented. The accuracies of the observations of surface meteorology are discussed. These accuracies are used together with the bulk formulae and intercomparisons to estimate the uncertainties in the flux observations. In many cases, it is now possible to make measurements of the mean net air–sea heat flux to an accuracy of 8 W m−2. Challenges remain, and these challenges are also discussed.
Initial Clinical Evaluation of the Modular Prosthetic Limb.

The Modular Prosthetic Limb (MPL) was examined for its feasibility and usability as an advanced, dexterous upper extremity prosthesis with surface electromyography (sEMG) control in with two individuals with below-elbow amputations. Compared to currently marketed prostheses, the MPL has a greater number of sequential and simultaneous degrees of motion, as well as wrist modularity, haptic feedback, and individual digit control. The MPL was successfully fit to a 33-year-old with a trans-radial amputation (TR01) and a 30-year-old with a wrist-disarticulation amputation (TR02). To preserve anatomical limb length, we adjusted the powered DOF of wrist motion between users. Motor training began with practicing sEMG and pattern recognition control within the Virtual Integration Environment (VIE). Prosthetic training sessions then allowed participants to complete a variety of Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) with the MPL. Training and Motion Control Accuracy scores quantified their ability to consistently train and execute unique muscle-to-motion contraction patterns. Each user also completed one prosthetic functional metric – the Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure (SHAP) for TR01 and the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JHFT) for TR02. Haptic feedback capabilities were integrated for TR01. TR01 achieved 95% accuracy at 84% of his VIE sessions. He demonstrated improved scores over a year of prosthetic training sessions, ultimately achieving simultaneous control of 13 of the 17 (76%) attempted motions. His performance on the SHAP improved from baseline to final assessment with an increase in number of tasks achieved. TR01 also used vibrotactile sensors to successfully discriminate between hard and soft objects being grasped by the MPL hand. TR02 demonstrated 95% accuracy at 79% of his VIE sessions. He demonstrated improved scores over months of prosthetic training sessions, however there was a significant drop in scores initially following a mid-study pause in testing. He ultimately achieved simultaneous control of all 13 attempted powered motions, and both attempted passive motions. He completed 5 of the 7 (71%) JHFT tasks within the testing time limit. These case studies confirm that it is possible to use non-invasive motor control to increase functional outcomes with individuals with below-elbow amputation and will help to guide future myoelectric prosthetic studies.
Adding Value to Total Joint Arthroplasty Care in an Academic Environment: The Utah Experience.

Abstract Background Adding value in a university-based academic health care system provides unique challenges when compared to other health care delivery models. Herein, we describe our experience in adding value to joint arthroplasty care at the University of Utah, where the concept of value-based health care reform has become an embraced and driving force. Methods To improve the value, new resources were needed for care redesign, physician leadership, and engagement in alternative payment models. The changes that occurred at our institution are described. Results Real-time data and knowledgeable personnel working behind the scenes, while physicians provide clinical care, help move clinical pathway redesigns. Engaged physicians are essential to the successful implementation of value creation and care pathway redesign that can lead to improvements in value. An investment of money and resources toward added infrastructure and personnel is often needed to realize large-scale improvements. Alignment of providers, payers, and hospital administration, including by means of gainsharing programs, can lead to improvements. Conclusion Although significant care pathway redesign efforts may realize substantial initial cost savings, savings may be asymptotic in nature, which calls into question the likely sustainability of programs that incentivize or penalize payments based on historical targets.
New options for national population surveys: The implications of internet and smartphone coverage

Challenges to survey data collection have increased the costs of social research via face-to-face surveys so much that it may become extremely difficult for social scientists to continue using these methods. A key drawback to less expensive Internet-based alternatives is the threat of biased results from coverage errors in survey data. The rise of Internet-enabled smartphones presents an opportunity to re-examine the issue of Internet coverage for surveys and its implications for coverage bias. Two questions (on Internet access and smartphone ownership) were added to the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), a U.S. national probability survey of women and men age 15-44, using a continuous sample design. We examine 16 quarters (4 years) of data, from September 2012 to August 2016. Overall, we estimate that 82.9% of the target NSFG population has Internet access, and 81.6% has a smartphone. Combined, this means that about 90.7% of U.S. residents age 15-44 have Internet access, via either traditional devices or a smartphone. We find some evidence of compensatory coverage when looking at key race/ethnicity and age subgroups. For instance, while Black teens (15-18) have the lowest estimated rate of Internet access (81.9%) and the lowest rate of smartphone usage (72.6%), an estimated 88.0% of this subgroup has some form of Internet access. We also examine the socio-demographic correlates of Internet and smartphone coverage, separately and combined, as indicators of technology access in this population. In addition, we look at the effect of differential coverage on key estimates produced by the NSFG, related to fertility, family formation, and sexual activity. While this does not address nonresponse or measurement biases that may differ for alternative modes, our paper has implications for possible coverage biases that may arise when switching to a Web-based mode of data collection, either for follow-up surveys or to replace the main face-to-face data collection.
Intent-to-treat analysis of a simultaneous multisite telehealth diabetes prevention program.

Objective Determine the effectiveness of a 16-week modified diabetes prevention program (DPP) administered simultaneously to multiple rural communities from a single urban site, as compared with a similar face-to-face intervention. A 12-week intervention was evaluated to consider minimization of staff costs in communities where resources are limited. Research design and methods A prospective cohort study compared DPP interventions implemented in rural (via telehealth technology) and urban (face-to-face) communities using an intent-to-treat analysis. Primary outcome measures included 5% and 7% body weight loss. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine predictors of intervention success and included a variable for treatment effect. Results Between 2010 and 2015, up to 667 participants were enrolled in the study representing one urban and 15 rural communities across Montana. The 16-week urban and rural interventions were comparable; 33.5% and 34.6% of participants lost 7% body weight, respectively; 50% and 47% lost 5% (p=0.22). Participants who were male (OR=2.41; 95% CI 1.32 to 4.40), had lower baseline body mass index (OR=1.03; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.07), attended more sessions (OR=1.33; 95% CI 1.11 to 1.58), and more frequently reported (OR=3.84; 95% CI 1.05 to 14.13) and met daily fat gram (OR=4.26; 95% CI 1.7 to 10.6) and weekly activity goals (OR=2.46; 95% CI 1.06 to 5.71) were more likely to meet their 7% weight loss goal. Predictors of meeting weight loss goals were similar for participants enrolled in the 12-week intervention. Conclusions Using telehealth technology to administer a modified DPP to multiple rural communities simultaneously demonstrated weight loss results comparable to those in a face-to-face intervention. Given the limitation of resources, linking rural areas to urban centers using telemedicine may increase access to much needed services to prevent or delay progression to diabetes.
Calabi-Futaki invariants

In this section, we will introduce a holomorphic invariant for Kahler manifolds, which was first done by Futaki for manifolds with positive first Chern class and then by Calabi and Futaki for general Kahler manifolds. We will take a slightly different approach from the original one taken.
Detection of Infection by Human Papillomavirus in Genital Condylomata: A Comparison Study Using Immunocytochemistry and In Situ Nucleic Acid Hybridization

One hundred eighty exophytic genital lesions clinically suspicious for infection by human papillomavirus (HPV) were analyzed by hematoxylin and eosin light microscopy, immunocytochemistry for HPV capsid antigen; and in situ nucleic acid hybridization for HPV messenger RNA (mRNA). Of 96 cases morphologically consistent with infection by HPV, 53% were antigen-positive, and 83% were mRNA positive (P less than 0.01). Of 55 cases suggestive but not diagnostic of HPV infection, 13% were antigen-positive and 26% were mRNA positive. Negative results were obtained in all lesions not believed to be indicative of HPV infection by morphologic criteria. In mRNA positive diagnostic cases, two thirds were of HPV type 6 and one third were HPV type 11. Two cases of coinfection with HPV types 6 and 16 were found. The study concludes that in situ hybridization for HPV mRNA is a more sensitive indicator of HPV infection, and in addition, provides HPV type, which may have prognostic significance.
Neurons in the rat ventral lateral preoptic area are essential for the warm-evoked inhibition of brown adipose tissue and shivering thermogenesis.

Aim To determine the role of neurons in the ventral part of the lateral preoptic area (vLPO) in CNS thermoregulation. Methods In vivo electrophysiological and neuropharmacological were used to evaluate the contribution of neurons in the vLPO to the regulation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis and muscle shivering in urethane/chloralose-anaesthetized rats. Results Nanoinjections of NMDA targeting the medial preoptic area (MPA) and the vLPO suppressed the cold-evoked BAT sympathetic activity (SNA), reduced the BAT temperature (TBAT ), expired CO2 , mean arterial pressure (MAP), and heart rate. Inhibition of vLPO neurons with muscimol or AP5/CNQX elicited increases in BAT SNA, TBAT , tachycardia, and small elevations in MAP. The BAT thermogenesis evoked by AP5/CNQX in vLPO was inhibited by the activation of MPA neurons. The inhibition of BAT SNA by vLPO neurons does not require a GABAergic input to dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH), but MPA provides a GABAergic input to DMH. The activation of vLPO neurons inhibits the BAT thermogenesis evoked by NMDA in the rostral raphe pallidus (rRPa), but not that after bicuculline in rRPa. The BAT thermogenesis elicited by vLPO inhibition is dependent on glutamatergic inputs to DMH and rRPa, but these excitatory inputs do not arise from MnPO neurons. The activation of neurons in the vLPO also inhibits cold- and prostaglandin-evoked muscle shivering, and vLPO inhibition is sufficient to evoke shivering. Conclusion The vLPO contains neurons that are required for the warm ambient-evoked inhibition of muscle shivering and of BAT thermogenesis, mediated through a direct or indirect GABAergic input to rRPa from vLPO.
Efficacy of carbidopa-levodopa extended-release capsules (IPX066) in the treatment of Parkinson Disease

Introduction: Levodopa is the most efficacious and best-tolerated drug for treating Parkinson's disease (PD). To improve the treatment of PD, recent research initiatives have aimed to optimize the pharmacokinetic plasma behavior of L-dopa. Areas covered: This non-systematic, narrative drug evaluation brings the therapeutic value of IPX066 up for discussion. IPX066 is an orally applied levodopa/carbidopa containing formulation with modified drug release. It is rapidly absorbed, similar to conventional immediate-release levodopa preparations. The IPX066 capsule continuously releases levodopa during its passage through the gastrointestinal tract. Expert opinion: IPX066 provides more constant therapeutic levodopa plasma concentrations over longer periods. Furthermore, the IPX066 study program showed superior efficacy of IPX066 than conventional oral levodopa/carbidopa preparations for the treatment of motor complications, particularly with OFF intervals. IPX066 also reduced the frequency of oral levodopa intake. IPX066 may also improve the patient´s compliance due to its simplified drug regimen. The marketing of IPX066 outside the US is complex since in countries like Germany, health-care payers only consider innovation in terms of mode of action whereas innovation of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties is disregarded.
Lipopolysaccharide-Dependent Membrane Permeation and Lipid Clustering Caused by Cyclic Lipopeptide Colistin

Polyanionic lipopolysaccharides (LPS) play an important role in regulating the permeability of the outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria. Impairment of the LPS-enriched OM is essential in initiating the bactericidal activity of polymyxins. We are interested in how colistin (polymyxin E) affects the membrane permeability of LPS/phospholipid bilayers. Our vesicle leakage experiment showed that colistin binding enhanced bilayer permeability; the maximum increase in the bilayer permeability was positively correlated with the LPS fraction. Addition of magnesium ions abolished the effect of LPS in enhancing bilayer permeabilization. To describe the vesicle leakage behavior from a structural perspective, we performed liquid atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements on planar lipid bilayers. We found that colistin caused the formation of nano- and macroclusters that protruded from the bilayer by ∼2 nm. Moreover, cluster development was promoted by increasing the fraction of LPS or colistin concentration but inhibited by magnesium ions. To explain our experimental data, we proposed a lipid clustering model where colistin binds to LPS to form large-scale complexes segregated from zwitterionic phospholipids. The discontinuity (and thickness mismatch) at the edge of LPS-colistin clusters will create a passage that allows solutes to permeate through. The proposed model is consistent with all data obtained from our leakage and AFM experiments. Our results of LPS-dependent membrane restructuring provided useful insights into the mechanism that could be used by polymyxins in impairing the permeability barrier of the OM of Gram-negative bacteria.
A Novel Experimental Approach for Evaluating Residual Capacity of Fire Damaged Concrete Members

Reinforced concrete structures exposed to fire retain significant residual capacity due to better fire resistance properties of concrete, and future re-use of the structure is generally possible. Nonetheless, fire induced degradation can result in a permanent loss of strength and serviceability. An accurate evaluation of residual capacity is necessary for taking informed decisions on future use and need for repairs in fire damaged concrete structures. This paper proposes a novel three-stage experimental approach for evaluating residual capacity of fire damaged concrete members. The approach comprises of evaluating response in three sequential stages, namely, during pre-fire exposure condition; during fire exposure comprising of heating and cooling phases of fire, followed by complete cool down of the member to ambient temperature; and then finally during post-fire exposure condition. This approach is applied to evaluate residual capacity of four concrete beams subject to different fire scenarios and load levels. Results indicate that fire damaged concrete beams retain significant residual capacity even after exposure to heating duration lasting beyond their prescriptive fire rating. Furthermore, decay (cooling) rate of fire exposure impacts extent of post-fire residual capacity retained in reinforced concrete beams. Also, increasing load level present prior to, and during fire exposure (including extended cool down) lead to a greater reduction in stiffness than residual capacity of fire damaged concrete beams. Finally, relatively large post-fire deflections occur in fire damaged concrete beams which adversely impact their serviceability limit state. The proposed approach can form the basis to conduct standardized tests for determining residual capacity of fire damaged concrete members.
1986 Evolution of Darwin’s finches

Abstract Rosemary and Peter Grant (Grant, 1986; Grant and Grant, 1989 ) devoted their careers to the study of the ecology and evolution of Darwin's finches. During these studies they have carefully documented ecological causes and phenotypic responses to natural selection in detail seldom available.
Computational Mirrors: Blind Inverse Light Transport by Deep Matrix Factorization

We recover a video of the motion taking place in a hidden scene by observing changes in indirect illumination in a nearby uncalibrated visible region. We solve this problem by factoring the observed video into a matrix product between the unknown hidden scene video and an unknown light transport matrix. This task is extremely ill-posed, as any non-negative factorization will satisfy the data. Inspired by recent work on the Deep Image Prior, we parameterize the factor matrices using randomly initialized convolutional neural networks trained in a one-off manner, and show that this results in decompositions that reflect the true motion in the hidden scene.
Consumer knowledge and behaviors regarding food date labels and food waste

Abstract Food date labels are commonly used by the food industry despite not being well understood by consumers. Consumers may mistakenly believe that food label dates are meant to convey information about a food's safety, but in many instances label dates are set by the food producer to indicate quality or freshness. Label date confusion may, therefore, contribute to household food waste, a growing social, economic, and environmental problem. Limited research has examined the impact food date labels may have on consumer food waste. The objective of this research was to determine consumer knowledge regarding three common food date labels and their meanings, and whether knowledge was related to food waste behaviors. An online survey of 1042 adults in the U.S. determined their use and knowledge of food date labels as well as their propensity to waste food as defined by disposing of food which would likely still be safe for consumption. The majority of respondents (81.6%) reported using food date labels. Only 57.4%, however, correctly identified what “best by, use by” meant, while 68.1% and 79.7% correctly identified the definitions of “expiration date” and “sell by date”, respectively. Respondents who correctly defined “best buy, use by” were less likely to throw food away if it had passed its “use by” date or was a shelf stable food without a visible date and were more likely to identify the “expiration date” as the only reason to throw away a food. The findings indicate that consumer education around the least understood food date label, “best by, use by” may help to reduce consumer food waste.
IL36 Cooperates With Anti-CTLA-4 mAbs to Facilitate Antitumor Immune Responses.

Despite the great impact on long-term survival of some cancer patients, the immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy is limited by its low response rates for most cancers. There is a pressing need for novel combination immunotherapies that overcome the resistance to current ICB therapies. Cytokines play a pivotal role in tumor immunotherapy by helping initiating and driving antitumor immune responses. Here, we demonstrated that, besides conventional CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, IL36 surprisingly increased the number of tumor-infiltrating regulatory T (Treg) cells in vivo and enhanced proliferation of Tregs in vitro. Administration of CTLA-4 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) strongly enhanced IL36-stimulated antitumor activities through depletion of Tregs. In addition, a cancer gene therapy using the IL36-loaded nanoparticles in combination with CTLA-4 mAbs synergistically reduced lung metastasis of breast tumor cells. We further showed that the combined therapy of CTLA-4 mAbs and IL36 led to an increase in proliferation and IFN-γ production by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells when compared to single therapy with CTLA-4 mAbs or IL36. Collectively, our findings demonstrated a new combination therapy that could improve the clinical response to ICB immunotherapy for cancer.
Parallel manipulator dynamics embedded in singularity free domains of functionality

Ordinary differential equations of motion for a broad spectrum of parallel manipulators are derived and implemented in manipulator input coordinates for system simulation and controller design. Equ...
Untangling the Concept of Adversarial Legalism

The concept of adversarial legalism has been widely used by scholars of law, public administration, public policy, political science, sociology, and Law and Society, but the varying ways in which t...
Reinforcing Effects of the Synthetic Cathinone α-Pyrrolidinopropiophenone (α-PPP) in a Repeated Extended Access Binge Paradigm.

Synthetic cathinones are designer psychostimulants that are derivatives of the natural alkaloid cathinone, and produce effects similar to more traditional illicit stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamine. The pyrovalerone cathinones methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and α-pyrrolidinopropiophenone (α-PPP) exert their effects via inhibition of presynaptic dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake transporters. While the reinforcing effects of MDPV in rodents are well-established, very few studies have examined self-administration patterns of α-PPP. Users of synthetic cathinones often engage in repeated binge episodes of drug intake that last several days. We therefore sought to determine the reinforcing effects of three doses of α-PPP (0.05, 0.1 and 0.32 mg/kg/infusion) under conditions of prolonged binge-like access conditions, with three 96-hr periods of drug access interspersed with 72 hr of abstinence. MDPV (0.05 mg/kg/infusion) was used as a comparison drug. Our results show that both MDPV and the high (0.32 mg/kg/infusion) dose of α-PPP are is readily self-administered at high levels across all three extended access periods, whereas lower doses of α-PPP produce variable and less robust levels of self-administration. These results indicate that higher doses of α-PPP have reinforcing effects under conditions of extended access, suggesting the potential for abuse and a need for consideration in drug control policies.
PIANO: Perfusion Imaging via Advection-Diffusion

Perfusion imaging (PI) is clinically used to assess strokes and brain tumors. Commonly used PI approaches based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or X-ray computed tomography (CT) measure the effect of a contrast agent moving through blood vessels and into tissue. Contrast-agent free approaches, for example, based on intravoxel incoherent motion, also exist, but are not routinely used clinically. MR or CT perfusion imaging based on contrast agents relies on the estimation of the arterial input function (AIF) to approximately model tissue perfusion, neglecting spatial dependencies. Reliably estimating the AIF is also non-trivial, leading to difficulties with standardizing perfusion measures. In this work we propose a data-assimilation approach (PIANO) which estimates the velocity and diffusion fields of an advection-diffusion model best explaining the contrast dynamics. PIANO accounts for spatial dependencies and neither requires estimating the AIF nor relies on a particular contrast agent bolus shape. Specifically, we propose a convenient parameterization of the estimation problem, a numerical estimation approach, and extensively evaluate PIANO. We demonstrate that PIANO can successfully resolve velocity and diffusion field ambiguities and results in sensitive measures for the assessment of stroke, comparing favorably to conventional measures of perfusion.
Management of chronic myeloid leukemia during pregnancy among patients treated with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor: a single-Center experience

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are teratogenic. Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is increasingly identified in younger patients who wish to conceive, the management of CML during pregnancy is chal...
Predicting Kinase-Substrate Interactions in Medulloblastoma Subtypes

Medulloblastoma (MB), the most common malignant pediatric brain cancer, has four subtypes based on genomics profiling: Wingless (WNT), Sonic Hedgehog (SHH), Group 3, and Group 4. However, subtype heterogeneity and low mutation rates hinder the identification of actionable molecular targets within each group. Studies thus suggest a phosphoproteomics (study of protein phosphorylation), instead of a genomics approach, to better distinguish the MB subgroups. Thus, this research will measure MB’s irregular protein activity via protein phosphorylation patterns. Protein kinases phosphorylate proteins on specific amino acids, also known as substrates, to regulate their functions. Given that less than 5% of substrates have annotated kinase associations, it is difficult to identify the kinases in MB which irregularly phosphorylate their substrates in order to determine the most effective kinases for drugs to target. As a result, the publicly-available tool NetworKIN was employed to predict novel kinase-substrate interactions in this study to expand the currently limited annotated interactions. For a given dataset of substrates, NetworKIN will output kinasesubstrate predictions, each receiving a confidence score (higher score $=$ higher confidence) ranging from zero to the hundreds. To identify a score threshold for high confidence predictions, NetworKIN was run on the substrates in the Human PhosphoSite Plus Database (PSP), the largest curated database of experimentally verified kinase-substrate interactions in humans. Three statistical thresholding methods were tested and the optimal cutoff score was determined to lie at 5.88. This threshold was applied to the predictions for the MB dataset, resulting in 774 novel high confidence kinase-substrate interactions. To understand how these interactions altered the enriched kinases across the MB subgroups, kinase activity scores before and after adding the predictions were calculated for all 20 samples using the tool Inference of Kinase Activities from Phosphoproteomics. Subgroup classification based on these activity scores revealed that, with the addition of high-confidence interactions to PSP, there are two smaller subgroups of Group 3 and one of those subgroups more closely resembled the Group 4 samples. The alignment of these findings with current literature increases our confidence in the prediction algorithm and elucidates novel phosphorylation patterns to more accurately portray the phosphosignaling pathways driving MB tumorigenesis. Future cancer phosphoproteomics studies can also employ this robust prediction tool to continue expanding our understanding of aberrant kinase-substrate interactions in human diseases.
Histological Correlation for Radiofrequency and Microwave Ablation in the Local Control of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) before Liver Transplantation: A Comprehensive Review

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA) are the most widely studied and applied ablation techniques for treating primary and secondary liver tumors. These techniques are considered curative for small hepatic tumors, with post-ablation outcomes most commonly assessed by an imaging follow up. However, there is increasing evidence of a discrepancy between radiological and pathological findings when ablated lesions are evaluated following liver resection or liver transplantation. A comprehensive review of the available literature reporting the complete pathological response (cPR) following RFA and MWA was performed to estimate the success rate and identify the factors associated with treatment failure. Following RFA, cPR is reported in 26-96% of tumors compared to 57-95% with MWA. Larger tumor size and vessels larger than 3 mm adjacent to the treated tumor are the most important factors identified by previous studies associated with viable residual tumors after RFA. Correlating post-ablation radiological studies with pathological findings shows that computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have low sensitivity but high specificity for detecting residual viable or recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors. There are promising recent reports combining multiprobe ablation techniques with three-dimensional treatment planning software and stereotactic-aiming instrumentation to achieve more than 90% cPR in both small and large HCC tumors. In conclusion, the reported success for achieving cPR in HCC following RFA and MWA is highly variable in different studies and decreases with increasing lesion size and unfavorable tumor characteristics. Very few studies have reported a high rate of cPR. As these studies are single-center and retrospective, they need to be further validated and reproduced in other clinical settings.
Photonic probing of structural alterations in DNA specific mass density fluctuations in nuclei due to total body irradiation (TBI) via confocal imaging

Abnormalities within cells result in intracellular structural alterations ranging from nano to submicron scales. Accidental or deliberate exposure to total body irradiation has adverse effects on the nuclear DNAs of cells. Here, we study the molecular specific DNA spatial mass density fluctuations of chromatin of mice gut cell nuclei caused by the exposure to standard doses of 4-Gy total body irradiation, using the light localization technique called inverse participation ratio via confocal imaging. Results show radiation suppresses DNA spatial mass density fluctuations. And hence, the reduction and saturation in DNA mass density fluctuations are observed on different durations of post-irradiation.
Diffusion of social conventions across polarized communities: an empirical study

Social media environments often foster the formation of communities promoted by users’ tendencies toward homophily. These tendencies of connecting with similar users are solidified by the social media companies’ algorithmic and business practices, leading to polarized networks, where communities of different interests rarely interact. This paper investigates via simulations the adoption of a new convention promoted by a persistent minority in a network polarized into two communities. We perform experiments on two real-world networks and various synthetic networks with controlled properties. We discover that the position of the persistent minority has a greater impact on spreading new conventions than its relative size. We also show that although diffusion becomes harder as network polarization increases, a persistent minority can increase its effectiveness in promoting new conventions by targeting low-influence users from the opposite community.
Biophysical Characterization of a Novel Tri-Layer Placental Allograft Membrane.

Objective: Placental tissues, including membranes composed of amnion and chorion, are promising options for the treatment of chronic wounds. Amnion and chorion contain multiple extracellular matrix...