cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Attachment of reporter groups to specific, selected cytidine residues in RNA using a bisulfitecatalyzed transamination reaction

Abstract Bisulfite catalyzes transamination of cytidine at the N4 position; the suitability of this reaction for attaching reporter groups to selected cytidine residues in RNA molecules has been investigated. Poly(C) is nearly quantitatively converted to the poly (N4 aminoethyl-C) derivative after 3 hrs at 42 degrees C with ethylene diamine (pK1 = 7.6) and bisulfite. This derivative reacts quantitatively with N-hydroxysuccinimide esters; the linkage of a fluorescent dye, nitrobenzofurazan, to cytidine by this reaction is demonstrated. To direct the bisulfite reaction to selected cytidines within a large RNA molecule, the RNA is hybridized to complementary DNA containing a deletion. Only the cytidines in the single strand RNA loop (corresponding to the DNA deletion) are reactive. Two cytidines in the middle of a 340 base RNA fragment from 16S ribosomal RNA have been modified by this technique.
Tumor Necrosis Factor-Mediated Hypoalbuminemia in Rabbits

The serum albumin concentration is used clinically as an indicator of nutritional status and as a prognostic indicator. Critically ill patients, who display many aspects of the acute phase response, frequently have low serum albumin levels upon hospitalization. Cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF), mediate many aspects of the acute phase response. One purpose of this study was to determine if TNF administration to healthy well-nourished rabbits could produce hypoalbuminemia. After intravenous administration of saline or TNF, the TNF-treated rabbits experienced significant hypoalbuminemia which was most prominent at 24 h and was partially corrected by 48 h. A second purpose was to evaluate the effects of TNF treatment on transendothelial movement of albumin using an in vitro porcine pulmonary artery-endothelial cell system. Exposure to TNF for 24 h resulted in a dose dependent increase in transendothelial passage of albumin. These data suggest that the mechanisms of hypoalbuminemia frequently observed in critically ill patients can be explained in part by cytokine (TNF)-induced endothelial cell injury, which results in enhanced endothelial permeability to albumin. The hypoalbuminemia observed in many critically ill patients thus may be unrelated to nutritional status, but rather may be related to the patient's underlying disease state.
Testing Cardiovascular Drug Safety and Efficacy in Randomized Trials

Randomized trials provide the gold standard evidence on which rests the decision to approve novel therapeutics for clinical use. They are large and expensive and provide average but unbiased estimates of efficacy and risk. Concern has been expressed about how unrepresentative populations and conditions that pertain in randomized trials might be of the real world, including concerns about the homogeneity of the biomedical and adherence characteristics of volunteers entered into such trials, the dose and constancy of drug administration and the mixture of additional medications that are restricted in such trials but might influence outcome in practice. A distinction has been drawn between trials that establish efficacy and those that demonstrate effectiveness, drugs that patients actually consume in the real world for clinical benefit. However, randomized controlled trials remain the gold standard for establishing efficacy and the testing of effectiveness with less rigorous approaches is a secondary, albeit important consideration. Despite this, there is an appreciation that average results may conceal considerable interindividual variation in drug response, leading to a failure to appreciate clinical value or risk in subsets of patients. Thus, attempts are now being made to individualize risk estimates by modulating those derived from large randomized trials with the individual baseline risk estimates based on demographic and biological criteria-the individual Numbers Needed to Treat to obtain a benefit, such as a life saved. Here, I will consider some reasons why large phase 3 trials-by far the most expensive element of drug development-may fail to address the unmet medical needs, which should justify such effort and investment.
Theoretical electronic transition probabilities of heteronuclear diatomic molecules

Dipole strengths of various heteronuclear diatomic molecules are calculated for high and low energy transitions of one spectral type, 1Σ-1Σ, σ-σ. Through the use of increasingly accurate ground state wavefunctions it is possible to display the sensitivity of the transition probabilities to known approximations in the wavefunction. Selfconsistent field and configuration interaction effects are compared and contrasted.
Towards fluoroscopic respiratory gating for lung tumours without radiopaque markers

Due to the risk of pneumothorax, many clinicians are reluctant to implant radiopaque markers within patients' lungs for the purpose of radiographic or fluoroscopic tumour localization. We propose a method of gated therapy using fluoroscopic information without the implantation of radiopaque markers. The method presented here does not rely on any external motion signal either. Breathing phase information is found by analysing the fluoroscopic intensity fluctuations in the lung. As the lungs fill/empty, the radiological pathlength through them shortens/lengthens, giving brighter/darker fluoroscopic intensities. The phase information is combined with motion-enhanced template matching to turn the beam on when the tumour is in the desired location. A study based on patient data is presented to demonstrate the feasibility of this procedure. The resulting beam-on pattern is similar to that produced by an external gating system. The only discrepancies occur briefly and at the gate edges.
Strategies for the prevention of recurrent hepatitis B virus infection after liver transplantation.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is an international public health concern, and chronic infection can lead to the devel- opment of cirrhosis, liver failure, or hepatocellular carcinoma as well as the need for liver transplantation. The recurrence of HBV infection following liver transplantation was disproportionately high prior to the introduction of proper prophylactic treatment. Risk factors associated with the recurrence of HBV infection post- transplant include hepatitis B e antigen positivity, high levels of serum HBV DNA, and the presence of an antiviral drug-resistant strain prior to transplantation. The prevention of HBV recurrence began with the introduction of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) in the early 1990s. Nucleos(t)ide analog (NA) antiviral drugs were next to be introduced and, in combination with HBIG, are consid- ered to be extremely effective for the prevention of recurrence. Because of concerns with HBIG, whether HBIG can be used for a short time or discontinued altogether is under debate. All of the NA antiviral drugs have been proven to be effective against HBV, at least in the pretransplant setting, and can be used safely posttransplant. Further investigation is still needed to standardize treatment in the posttransplant setting.
Modification of Carcinogen Metabolism by Indolylic Autolysis Products of Brassica Oleraceae

Cruciferous plant foods contain large quantities of secondary plant metabolites that have been shown to inhibit chemically induced carcinogenesis in animals. One mechanism by which these chemicals may inhibit carcinogenesis is through the induction of enoymes, such as cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenases, glutathione S-transferases (GST) or epoxide hydrolases (EH), which metabolize carcinogens to more polar and excretable forms. Cruciferous vegetables of the Brasaica genus (e. g. Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli) contain μg/g levels of an indolylmethyl glucosinolate commonly known as glucobrassicin. Upon disruption of the plant material, as in food preparation or chewing, a thioglucosidase-mediated autolytic process ensues generating indole-3-carbinol (I3C), glucose, and thiocyanate ion. At acid pH comparable to that found in the stomach, I3C forms a wide variety of condensation products ranging from linear and cyclic dimers, trimers and tetramera to extended heterocyclic compounds such as indolocarbazoles. Experiments reviewed here indicate that these indole-condensation products are the compounds responsible for some of the alterations in carcinogen metabolism observed in animals fed either I3C or any of several Brassica plant foods.
“The Tears I Shed at the Songs of Thy Church”: Seventeenth-Century Musical Piety in the English Atlantic World

Abstract This essay reconsiders the role of seventeenth-century psalmody in Puritans9 religious lives, drawing on a rich yet little-discussed cache of writings about music from New and Old England to show that, contrary to popular belief, Puritans were deeply invested in the affective power of psalm singing as an expression of personal piety. Importantly, treatises about music circulated transatlantically, thus imbricating psalmody in a broader Atlantic-world discourse about the significance of sacred singing. The essay first examines the nature of Puritans9 personal piety, an interior and individual experience of faith and communion with God. Then it delves into the theological justification for singing psalms and the method for selecting tunes. Attuning to the importance of individual affective experience brings about a reevaluation of the significance of early American psalmody9s “decline” in the early eighteenth century. By tracing the contours of puritan musical thought on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, this essay also puts forth “Atlantic musicology” as an illuminating approach to early modern music and ultimately challenges the historiographical tendency to view psalmody as the departure point for an exceptional American music history.
Effective User Authentications Using Keystroke Dynamics Based on Feature Selections

Efficient keystroke authentication systems should have the ability to capture and build the user's pattern in minimal time. These systems also should be able to achieve quickest detection while maintaining good detection accuracy. However, maintaining high detection accuracy and minimal detection delay are conflicting requirements that need to be balanced. A possible approach to tackle this problem is reducing the number of features that need to be learned by a classifier and thereby decreasing the processing time. A wrapper based feature subset selection approach is presented in this paper with the objective of reducing the dimensionality of the user data through identifying a smaller subset of features that represent the most discriminating features in keystrokes dynamic. Several features selection techniques such as genetic and greedy algorithms, best first search Algorithms, and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) are used to search for the best subset features. These selection techniques are integrated (Wrapped) with different machine learning classifiers namely Support Vector Machine (SVM), Naive Bayesian (NB), and K Nearest Neighbors (KNN) for feature subset selection procedure that can automatically select the most appropriate and representative subset of features.
Electrical Burn of the Abdominal Wall as A Complication of Fallopian Tube Cautery

A case of electrical burn of the abdominal wall in 1 patient following laparoscopic sterilization is reported. Electrical burns are of 2 types flash and penetrating tissue burn. This case was the latter caused by the metal trocar sleeve coming in contact with the conductive portion of the coagulating forceps. If an electrical burn occurs excision of the devitalized tissue should wait at least 5 days or until the area of necrosis delineates itself. Antibiotics should be given during early wound healing. The patient should receive nothing by mouth for 72 hours until intestinal injury is ruled out. It is recommended that the trocar sleeve be non-conductive and that minimal voltage and a shielded petal be used at all times.
Western diet enhances benzo(a)pyrene-induced colon tumorigenesis in a polyposis in rat coli (PIRC) rat model of colon cancer.

// Kelly L. Harris 1 , Stephanie R. Pulliam 1 , Emmanuel Okoro 2 , Zhongmao Guo 2 , Mary K. Washington 3 , Samuel E. Adunyah 1 , James M. Amos-Landgraf 4 , Aramandla Ramesh 1 1 Department of Biochemistry and Cancer Biology, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208, USA 2 Department of Physiology, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208, USA 3 Department of Pathology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA 4 Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA Correspondence to: Aramandla Ramesh, email: aramesh@mmc.edu Keywords: benzo(a)pyrene, colon cancer, PIRC rat, western diet, polyp Received: January 20, 2016 Accepted: February 15, 2016 Published: March 3, 2016 ABSTRACT Consumption of Western diet (WD), contaminated with environmental toxicants, has been implicated as one of the risk factors for sporadic colon cancer. Our earlier studies using a mouse model revealed that compared to unsaturated dietary fat, the saturated dietary fat exacerbated the development of colon tumors caused by B(a)P. The objective of this study was to study how WD potentiates B(a)P-induced colon carcinogenesis in the adult male rats that carry a mutation in the Apc locus - the polyposis in the rat colon (PIRC) rats. Groups of PIRC rats were fed with AIN-76A standard diet (RD) or Western diet (WD) and received 25, 50, or 100 μg B(a)P/kg body weight (wt) via oral gavage for 60 days. Subsequent to exposure, rats were euthanized; colons were retrieved and preserved in 10% formalin for counting the polyp numbers, measuring the polyp size, and histological analyses. Blood samples were collected and concentrations of cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, insulin and leptin were measured. Rats that received WD + B(a)P showed increased levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and leptin in comparison to RD + B(a)P groups or controls. The colon tumor numbers showed a B(a)P dose-response relationship. Adenomas with high grade dysplasia were prominent in B(a)P + WD rats compared to B(a)P + RD rats and controls (p < 0.05). The larger rat model system used in this study allows for studying more advanced tumor phenotypes over a longer duration and delineating the role of diet - toxicant interactions in sporadic colon tumor development.
Optical Cloaking Using Dielectrics

We report an experimental realization of a dielectric optical cloak that conceals an object under a curved reflecting surface. The carpet cloak consists only of isotropic dielectric materials which enables broadband and low-loss invisibility.
Risk factors for pneumococcal disease in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients.

To identify risk factors for pneumococcal infection among human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients, a nested case-control study was done in an urban university human immunodeficiency virus clinic. Subjects with pneumococcal illness seen between 1 January 1990 and 1 July 1994 (n=85) were randomly matched to controls from the same population. Patients with pneumococcal disease were more likely than controls to be African Americans (adjusted odds ratio [OR]=3.92), have 200 CD4 cells/mm3 (adjusted OR=0.22) were less common in cases than in controls. Similar results were found when only cases with infections of usually sterile sites were analyzed. Pneumococcal vaccine may be most protective when it is administered before advanced immunodeficiency develops.
Search, reading, and the rise of database

Over the past decade large, searchable collections of primary texts have been embraced by virtually all literary scholars and this has led to changes in how scholarship is conducted. This article offers a partial history of the introduction of search to large collections of primary texts, and explores its effects. It did not come automatically or easily, but when it did search broke down barriers to access (no longer requiring background knowledge in history and bibliography), offering a new means of discovering and selecting texts to read. This change was more than a convenience. It was transformative. Database represents a new form of textuality, and scholars have come to rely on database's affordances to develop new ways of reading. In addition to content analysis of claims made about database in various fora, modest bibliometric analysis of two journals ( American Literature and English Literary History ) suggests trends: more and more diverse primary texts are being read and cited. Interviews with authors of journal articles and journal editors are used to characterize how the databases are used and the effect on scholarship.
Facsimiles of Flesh

Ed Gein was a serial killer, grave robber, and body snatcher who made a lampshade from human skin. Now consider the detective who found that lampshade. Let's suppose that he would never want to own it; however, he does find that he wants a synthetic one just like it – a perfect replica. We assume that there is something morally problematic about the detective having such a replica. We then argue that, given as much, we can reach the surprising conclusion that it's morally problematic to consume realistic fake-meat products. After explaining why we might the detective's replica lampshade morally problematic, we clarify the analogy between the replica and fake meat products. Then, we defend it against a number of objections, the most notable one being we can sever any association between fake meat and the real stuff without moral cost. We conclude by pointing out that our argument generalises: if it works, then there is something morally problematic about many fake animal products, including fake leather and fur.
HyperDepth: Learning Depth from Structured Light without Matching

Structured light sensors are popular due to their robustness to untextured scenes and multipath. These systems triangulate depth by solving a correspondence problem between each camera and projector pixel. This is often framed as a local stereo matching task, correlating patches of pixels in the observed and reference image. However, this is computationally intensive, leading to reduced depth accuracy and framerate. We contribute an algorithm for solving this correspondence problem efficiently, without compromising depth accuracy. For the first time, this problem is cast as a classification-regression task, which we solve extremely efficiently using an ensemble of cascaded random forests. Our algorithm scales in number of disparities, and each pixel can be processed independently, and in parallel. No matching or even access to the corresponding reference pattern is required at runtime, and regressed labels are directly mapped to depth. Our GPU-based algorithm runs at a 1KHz for 1.3MP input/output images, with disparity error of 0.1 subpixels. We show a prototype high framerate depth camera running at 375Hz, useful for solving tracking-related problems. We demonstrate our algorithmic performance, creating high resolution real-time depth maps that surpass the quality of current state of the art depth technologies, highlighting quantization-free results with reduced holes, edge fattening and other stereo-based depth artifacts.
Effect of Antihypertensive Medications on the Severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Study Objectives:Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an independent risk factor for hypertension (HTN). Increasing evidence from animal and human studies suggests that HTN exacerbates OSA. We performe...
Changing forests—changing streams: riparian forest stand development and ecosystem function in temperate headwaters

Light availability influences temperature, primary production, nutrient dynamics, and secondary production in aquatic ecosystems. In forested freshwater ecosystems, shading by streamside (riparian) vegetation is a dominant control on light flux and represents an important interaction at the aquatic–terrestrial interface. Changes in forest structure over time, particularly tree mortality processes that gradually increase light penetration through maturing forest canopies, are likely to influence stream light fluxes and associated ecosystem functions. We provide a set of conceptual models describing how stream light dynamics change with the development of complex canopy structure and how changes in light availability are likely to affect stream ecosystem processes. Shortly after a stand-replacing event, light flux to the stream is high, but light fluxes decline as canopies reestablish and close. Tree density, the degree of understory growth, patterns of tree mortality, and small-scale disturbances interact as drivers of multiple pathways of forest structural development. Changes in canopy structure will, in turn, influence stream light, which is expected to impact primary production and stream nutrient dynamics as well as the amount of autochthonous carbon supporting aquatic food webs. Ultimately, these conceptual models stress the importance of recovery from historic forest disturbances as well as future forest change as important factors influencing the long-term trajectories of ecosystem processes in headwaters.
Mutant IDH1 and thrombosis in gliomas

Mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) is common in gliomas, and produces D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D-2-HG). The full effects of IDH1 mutations on glioma biology and tumor microenvironment are unknown. We analyzed a discovery cohort of 169 World Health Organization (WHO) grade II–IV gliomas, followed by a validation cohort of 148 cases, for IDH1 mutations, intratumoral microthrombi, and venous thromboemboli (VTE). 430 gliomas from The Cancer Genome Atlas were analyzed for mRNAs associated with coagulation, and 95 gliomas in a tissue microarray were assessed for tissue factor (TF) protein. In vitro and in vivo assays evaluated platelet aggregation and clotting time in the presence of mutant IDH1 or D-2-HG. VTE occurred in 26–30 % of patients with wild-type IDH1 gliomas, but not in patients with mutant IDH1 gliomas (0 %). IDH1 mutation status was the most powerful predictive marker for VTE, independent of variables such as GBM diagnosis and prolonged hospital stay. Microthrombi were far less common within mutant IDH1 gliomas regardless of WHO grade (85–90 % in wild-type versus 2–6 % in mutant), and were an independent predictor of IDH1 wild-type status. Among all 35 coagulation-associated genes, F3 mRNA, encoding TF, showed the strongest inverse relationship with IDH1 mutations. Mutant IDH1 gliomas had F3 gene promoter hypermethylation, with lower TF protein expression. D-2-HG rapidly inhibited platelet aggregation and blood clotting via a novel calcium-dependent, methylation-independent mechanism. Mutant IDH1 glioma engraftment in mice significantly prolonged bleeding time. Our data suggest that mutant IDH1 has potent antithrombotic activity within gliomas and throughout the peripheral circulation. These findings have implications for the pathologic evaluation of gliomas, the effect of altered isocitrate metabolism on tumor microenvironment, and risk assessment of glioma patients for VTE.
On designing a better operator assistant for emergency control in power systems

Why don't power system operators use current emergency control algorithms when dealing with emergencies? The algorithms should assist the operator but what they do differs from what a human assistant would do. This paper develops the desirable characteristics of an ideal assistant from the human model, and uses these characteristics to design an emergency control module for a power system operator assistant (OA). The most desirable characteristic of an assistant-understanding and predicting the needs and actions of the operator-leads to the development of an operator-centered system state classification and a generic OA structure. The emergency control module of the OA employs intelligent methods like embedded heuristics, rules and fuzzy logic. The key features of the methodology are: solutions the operator can understand and implement intelligent problem characterization, selection among several heterogenous control action tools (CATs), and computation time constrained by the nature of emergency.
The Role of Dyadic Confidence on Engagement in Heart Failure Care Behaviors.

Background and Objectives Increasingly, older adults and their families are expected to manage complex conditions with little support. In the case of heart failure (HF), symptom monitoring and management are critical in preventing acute exacerbations and poor clinical outcomes. The current study examined the role of dyadic confidence on engagement in HF care behaviors by patients and their spouses. Research Design and Methods A cross-sectional design was used to examine 60 couples living with HF. Three dyadic confidence variables were created to represent average level of confidence, gap in confidence, and direction of gap within each couple. A series of multilevel models were used to examine dyadic engagement in HF maintenance, management, and consulting behaviors and the role of dyadic confidence. Results Patients were significantly more engaged in HF maintenance behaviors than spouses; couples were more collaborative in their engagement in HF management and consulting behaviors. Average level of confidence in the dyad was significantly associated with patient engagement in all three HF behaviors. Spouse engagement was associated with more congruence in confidence and having higher levels of confidence than their partners with HF. Women were significantly more engaged in HF behaviors than men, regardless of role. Discussion and Implications The study employed a dyadic approach to HF care and a novel approach to confidence. Findings confirm the social nature of confidence and its important role in HF. Clinicians have opportunities to optimize patient outcomes by fostering greater collaboration within couples.
Scout: A GPU-Aware System for Interactive Spatio-temporal Data Visualization

This demo presents Scout; a full-fledged interactive data visualization system with native support for spatio-temporal data. Scout utilizes computing power of GPUs to achieve real-time query performance. The key idea behind Scout is a GPU-aware multi-version spatio-temporal index. The indexing and query processing modules of Scout are designed to complement the GPU hardware characteristics. Front end of Scout provides a user interface to submit queries and view results. Scout supports a variety of spatio-temporal queriesrange, k-NN, and join. We use real data sets to demonstrate scalability and important features of Scout.
Butchers of the Beltway: Anatomy of “Legitimated Violence”

This chapter analyzes major topics of conflict in regard to American policy: if drone assassination symbolizes and confirms American foreign policy, the gun, and the disposition to violence it creates, symbolizes and confirms American domestic policy. The author hypothesizes that violence, its readiness for use or its potential, firms up confidence on the national and individual levels, conveying a sense of moral rightness in the exercise of, or capacity for, strength.
Virtually shared displays and user input devices

This paper proposes making displays and input devices as first-class citizens in a networked system environment for collaborative applications. The paper describes a virtually shared model that enables users to use remote displays as extensions of their local displays and to allow multiple users to use multiple cursors and keyboards to input and control shared applications and their windows simultaneously. We have implemented a prototype system and deployed it to three DOE Fusion control rooms. The implementation performs well on today's hardware and our user feedbacks show that such a paradigm can substantially improve information sharing.
Scaling and Structural Similarity Under Uncertainty

Fiber reinforced composite structures require extensive experimental evaluation for validation due to their heterogeneous properties and manufacturing variability. A scaled model replicating the structural characteristics of its full-scale parent structure facilitates and expedites the assessment of the mechanical performance of large composite structures. This study primarily investigates the problems associated with the design of a scaled model and its similarity to its full-scale parent structure when there is uncertainty in the design parameters. A successful design should be robust to its assumptions and the sources of uncertainty. In this study, scaled-down composite I-beams are designed from their reference full-scale I-beam representing the spar caps and the shear web structure inside a utility-scale wind turbine blade. Similitude analysis is used in conjunction with Info-Gap theory to design scaled composite I-beams under uncertainty in the design parameters. The scaling laws for the strain field of the composite I-beam are derived and used as a metric to design scaled models that are robust to the uncertainties in the design parameters. The range of influence of uncertainty in different design parameters is investigated. The effect of uncertainty on accuracy of the scaled model in predicting the strain field of the full-scale structure is studied under uncertainty in all design parameters and the strain field of the full-scale I-beam is predicated using that of the scaled model for the worst-case scenario.
HAMPER: high-performance adaptive mobile security enhancement against malicious speech and image recognition

Recently, the machine learning technologies have been widely used in cognitive applications such as Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) and Image Recognition (IR). Unfortunately, these techniques have been massively used in unauthorized audio/image data analysis, causing serious privacy leakage. To address this issue, we propose HAMPER in this work, which is a data encryption framework that protects the audio/image data from unauthorized ASR/IR analysis. Leveraging machine learning models' vulnerability to adversarial examples, HAMPER encrypt the audio/image data with adversarial noises to perturb the recognition results of ASR/IR systems. To deploy the proposed framework in extensive platforms (e.g. mobile devices), HAMPER also take into consideration of computation efficiency, perturbation transferability, as well as data attribute configuration. Therefore, rather than focusing on the high-level machine learning models, HAMPER generates adversarial examples from the low-level features. Taking advantage of the light computation load, fundamental impact, and direct configurability of the low-level features, the generated adversarial examples can efficiently and effectively affect the whole ASR/IR systems. Experiment results show that, HAMPER can effectively perturb the unauthorized ASR/IR analysis with 85% Word-Error-Rate (WER) and 83% Image-Error-Rate (IER) respectively. Also, HAMPER achieves faster processing speed with 1.5X speedup for image encryption and even 26X in audio, comparing to the state-of-the-art methods. Moreover, HAMPER achieves strong transferability and configures adversarial examples with desired attributes for better scenario adaptation.
Bioinspired oil-water separation approaches for oil spill clean-up and water purification

Water contamination is one of the major environmental and natural resource concerns in the twenty-first century. Oil contamination can occur during operation of machinery, oil exploration and transportation, and due to operating environment. Oil spills occasionally occur during oil exploration and transportation. Water contamination with various chemicals is a major concern with growing population and unsafe industrial practices of waste disposal. Commonly used oil-water separation techniques are either time consuming, energy intensive and/or environmentally unfriendly. Bioinspired superhydrophobic/superoleophobic and superoleophobic/superhydrophilic surfaces have been developed which are sustainable and environmentally friendly. Bioinspired oil-water separation techniques can be used to remove oil contaminants from both immiscible oil-water mixtures and oil-water emulsions. Coated porous surfaces with an affinity to water and repellency to oil and vice versa are commonly used. The former combination of affinity to water and repellency to oil is preferred to avoid oil contamination of the porous substrate. Oil-water emulsions require porous materials with a fine pore size. Recommended porous materials include steel mesh and cotton fabric for immiscible oil-water mixtures and cotton for oil-water emulsions. A review of various approaches is presented in this paper. This article is part of the theme issue 'Bioinspired materials and surfaces for green science and technology (part 2)'.
Effect of vitamin D supplementation on serum lipid profiles: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

CONTEXT Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent across the world. The existing evidence suggests vitamin D may have beneficial effects on serum lipid profiles and thus cardiovascular health. OBJECTIVE The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the effect of vitamin D supplementation on serum lipid profiles. DATA SOURCE Original randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the effect of vitamin D supplementation on serum lipid profiles and published before July 2018 were identified by searching online databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect, using a combination of relevant keywords. DATA EXTRACTION Data on study characteristics, effect size, measure of variation, type of vitamin D supplementation, and duration of follow-up were extracted by the author. DATA ANALYSIS PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews were followed. Random effects (DerSimonian and Laird [D-V)] models were used to pool standardized mean differences in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides between the active and the placebo arms of RCT studies. Between-study heterogeneities were assessed using Cochrane Q and I2, and publication bias was assessed using Begg's test, Egger's test, and funnel plot. RESULTS A total of 41 RCTs comprising 3434 participants (n = 1699 in the vitamin D supplementation arm and n = 1735 in the placebo arm) were identified and included in the meta-analysis. Approximately 63.4% of study participants were women, with 14 studies conducted entirely among women. Approximately 24% of the trials had follow-up duration >6 months, whereas the remaining 76% had follow-up duration of <6 months. The standardized mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for comparing the change from baseline to follow-up between the vitamin D supplementation arm and the placebo (control) arm were as follows: total cholesterol = -0.17 (-0.28 to -0.06); LDL cholesterol = -0.12 (-0.23 to -0.01); triglycerides = -0.12 (-0.25 to 0.01); and HDL cholesterol = -0.19 (-0.44 to 0.06). After removing a trial that was an outlier based on the magnitude of the effect size, the SMD for triglycerides was -0.15 (-0.24 to -0.06) and that for HDL cholesterol was -0.10 (-0.28 to 0.09). The improvements in total cholesterol and triglycerides were more pronounced in participants with baseline vitamin D deficiency. CONCLUSIONS Vitamin D supplementation appeared to have a beneficial effect on reducing serum total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels but not HDL cholesterol levels. Vitamin D supplementation may be useful in hypercholesterolemia patients with vitamin D insufficiency who are at high risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Who errs? Algorithm aversion, the source of judicial error, and public support for self-help behaviors

People often turn to self-help behaviors when formal processes of the state deteriorate, becoming inaccessible or ineffective. This deterioration can often include real or alleged inaccuracies in t...
Animal models of autoimmune thyroiditis: recent advances

Since the last review in this series in 1986, which focused on the induced model of murine experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT) for Hashimoto’s thyroidities (HT) [1], there have been major advances in our understanding of the pathogenic and regulatory mechanisms in autoimmune thyroid disease. These advances have stemmed from new knowledge at the cellular and molecular level of T cell development and interactions with other cell types, and techniques applied to gene cloning and sequencing of thyroid autoantigens. In the interim 10 years, there have been several extensive reviews on EAT induced with thyroid antigens, usually thyroglobulin (TG), and spontaneous autoimmune thyroiditis (SAT), arising from selective breeding in chicken and in rodent colonies exhibiting autoimmune diabetes [2–8]. Some recent papers also correlated findings between both animal and human autoimmune thyroid disease [4–6]. This review will concentrate on studies in the last 6–7 years, primarily in the mouse and rat, where major developments have advanced our understanding of autoimmune diseases.
Atrial Septal Defect

Atrial septal defects are common congenital heart defects, characterized by insufficient/absent tissue at the interatrial septum. An unrepaired defect may be associated with right heart volume overload, atrial arrhythmia or pulmonary arterial hypertension. The 3 major types of atrial septal defect are: ostium secundum defect, ostium primum defect, and sinus venosus. Characteristic physical findings include a midsystolic pulmonary flow or ejection murmur, accompanied by a fixed split-second heart sound. Small defects may spontaneously close; larger defects may persist and result in hemodynamic and clinical sequelae requiring percutaneous or surgical intervention. Severe pulmonary arterial hypertension is a contraindication to closure.
Using streaming data and Apache Flink to infer energy consumption

This paper entails the technical details of an approach to the challenge presented by the DEBS 2020 committee [5], regarding Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM) and its relevance in the area of data streaming. Our project highlights how the open source project Apache Flink can provide an efficient solution for processing large data-sets. Furthermore, we implement a version of DBSCAN, a data clustering algorithm, and we present an effective approach for handling out of order events in a data stream. We observe that our approach strikes a balance between optimization, usability, and accuracy with room for future work. We propose a complete solution that is capable of detecting appliance power events and energy consumption by using a stream of voltage and current data.
Cluster analysis of occupancy schedules in residential buildings in the United States

Abstract The energy performance of residential buildings significantly depends on the building occupants’ behavior, which can be highly variable. When the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system is controlled based on the presence or absence of occupants in a building, occupant behavior is of even further importance to its energy performance. In current practice, building energy simulation tools generally use a single occupancy profile to represent the building’s occupancy schedule, the schedule of which is considered to be the same, regardless of the type of household being modeled. Thus, there is significant potential for improvement to allow for more flexibility and accuracy in calculation of occupancy. The objective of this study is to assess the variations in the typical types of occupancy schedules followed by the U.S. population using cluster analysis. American Time Use Survey data, which statically represents the overall U.S. population’s activities, across 12 years (2006–2017), is used. The ATUS data is segregated into smaller groups based on age and weekday/weekend, then divided into activities that are considered “at home” and “away from home”, which are mapped to the presence or non-presence of occupants in the home. Cluster analysis is then used to identify common types of occupancy schedule patterns for each age group. Three main types of patterns are obtained from cluster analysis for each age group, which together represent approximately 88% of people in the United States. The output of the cluster analysis is further analyzed to evaluate the variation in characteristics, including the number of times leaving home, time of day when leaving the home, and the timespan of absence from the home. The results of this study provide detailed insights on how typical occupants in the United States spend their time in residential spaces which can be used to create occupancy profiles for residential buildings. These occupancy profiles could be utilized inform an assessment of the energy use impact of occupancy-based controls of energy consuming systems and technologies.
Factors influencing attitudes toward xenotransplantation clinical trials: A report of focus group studies.

BACKGROUND Clinical trials of xenotransplantation (XTx, ie, cross-species transplantation, specifically the transplantation of genetically engineered pig organs into human recipients) are due to start within a few years. METHODS Five focus groups were conducted in April-May 2019, among local religious leaders (N = 10), organ procurement staff/administrators (N = 5), patients and parents of patients who may need an organ transplant or are transplant recipients (N = 9), and local businesspersons in the community (N = 3). Groups were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed with NVivo software to identify themes of participants' thoughts to XTx. RESULTS An overall Cohen's kappa statistic of 0.71 was established. In general, there was wide agreement among participants that XTx is an exciting and acceptable option to explore as an organ alternative. Concerns were expressed primarily regarding issues of animal ethics, stigma regarding how pigs are viewed in society, organ allocation logistics, quality of life after receiving a xenograft, and how XTx would be accepted by certain theological traditions. CONCLUSION Overall, various stakeholders accepted XTx as a clinical option. However, there were ethical, social, and physical concerns raised. Future studies exploring the development of education strategies that may help alleviate concerns related to XTx before it becomes a clinical alternative are needed among the general public, potential XTx candidates, and their family members.
In vivo analysis of endocanalicular light pipe transillumination in endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy: Anatomic considerations and cautions for the transitioning.

Purpose: Localization of the lacrimal sac is a critical step during endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (endo-DCR). A "light pipe" can be used to transilluminate the lacrimal sac endonasally. We hypothesized that this may misguide the surgeon learning endo-DCR to create an osteotomy mostly posterior to the maxillary line if only the bone overlying the transillumination was to be removed, as the thinner lacrimal bone will transmit light more readily than the thicker maxillary bone of the frontal process of the maxilla that forms the anterior lacrimal sac fossa.Methods: The charts of 32 patients with primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction in whom a lighted system was used during endo-DCR at Massachusetts Eye and Ear from April 2015 through October 2016 were reviewed. Patients with prior history of lacrimal surgery or trauma directly to the lacrimal sac fossa were excluded. Location of the maximal point of transillumination in relation to the maxillary line was observed and noted intraoperatively.Results: Of a total of 39 endo-DCR surgeries performed, the intraoperative transillumination point was entirely posterior to the maxillary line in 32 instances (82%).Conclusions: Use of an endocanalicular light pipe preferentially illuminates posterior to the maxillary line endonasally. The anterior lacrimal sac fossa (maxillary line and anterior as visualized endonasally) is rarely transilluminated, likely due to thicker bone in that region. Surgeons learning how to perform endo-DCR using a light pipe should be aware of this phenomenon.
Histamine

Histamine is a potent mediator of immediate hypersensitivity reactions, and is stored primarily in mast cells and basophils. It exerts its pharmacologic effects through interactions with Hi and H2 cell surface receptors, which promote changes in vascular permeability, levels of cyclic nucleotides, neutrophil and eosinophil chemokinesis and chemotaxis, gastrointestinal secretion, and smooth muscle contraction. H1 and H2 antihistamines have been utilized to interfere with these responses and have proven clinically useful in the treatment of some types of rhinoconjunctivitis, urticaria, and peptic ulcer disease. Several types of biochemical assays have been developed to assess histamine release from mast cells and basophils as well as to measure blood, urine, and tissue levels of histamine. The guinea pig ileum bioassay, fluorometric assay, and radioenzyme assay, each with certain modifications and limitations, have provided useful information concerning the function of histamine in health and disease.
Third doses of COVID-19 vaccines reduce infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and could prevent future surges in some populations

Summary Background Vaccines have greatly reduced the impact of COVID-19 globally. Unfortunately, evidence indicates that immunity wanes following vaccination, especially with the Delta variant (B.1.617.2). Protection against severe disease and death remain high, but protection against milder disease and infection have dropped significantly. A third “booster” dose of two-dose vaccines has been approved in several countries to individuals at higher risk of severe disease to protect those individuals, but the benefit to boosting immunity in younger healthy individuals and the effects on transmission are less clear. Methods Here we use relationships between neutralizing antibody titers and vaccine protection against infection and transmission, combined with data on waning and boosting of neutralizing antibody titers to examine the impact of a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine on infection and transmission and its impact on the pathogen effective reproductive number Rt. Findings Eight months of waning reduced protection of the Pfizer vaccine against all infections from 80.0% (95% CI: 77% to 83%) to 60.4% (95% CI: 53% to 67%); a third dose (which increased neutralizing antibody titers 25.9-fold relative to levels after 8 months of waning) increased protection to 87.2% (95% CI: 83% to 91%). Increased protection against infection and transmission from third doses reduced Rt by 21% to 66% depending on vaccine coverage and previous infection and reduced Rt below 1 when vaccination coverage was high or contact rates were well below pre-pandemic levels. Interpretation A third dose of the Pfizer vaccine could reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2, which would reduce infection in unvaccinated individuals and breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals. While vaccination of unvaccinated individuals, especially in developing countries, would be more effective for reducing disease than providing a third dose to vaccinated individuals, the benefit of a third dose in reducing transmission is sizeable and increases with vaccine coverage and contact rates among individuals. Funding California Department of Health, National Science Foundation