cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multimodal nanoprobes with pharmacokinetic and radiometal tunablity for SPECT or PET imaging

272 Objectives We demonstrate PEG-like Nanoprobes (PN’s) offer PEG tunable pharmacokinetics and can be used with 89Zr and PET/CT or 111In and SPECT/CT for imaging the tumor enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Methods PN’s feature a chelator (DFO or DOTA) and variable PEG’s (5 kDa or 30 kDa) attached to a core Lys-Cys(Fluorochrome) dipeptide, DFO=deferoxamine. Using the bi-exponential, two-compartment pharmacokinetic (PK) model for drugs, serum fluorescence versus time was measured, and kinetic constants obtained for 4 PN’s (5 and 30 kDa PEG, DFO and DOTA chelators). PN’s were used to image tumor EPR effects in HT-29 mouse tumor model by SPECT or PET. Results The PN’s with the 5 kDa PEG (DOTA or DFO) had diameters of 4.3 nm (smaller than albumin) and fast PK. PN’s with the 30 kDa PEG (DOTA or DFO) had diameters of 10 nm (larger than albumin), long circulation times, and slow PK. Using 89Zr or 111In-PN’s (30 kDa PEG, 10 nm), %ID/organ data were obtained by dissection and the tumor enhanced permeability retention (EPR) effect was imaged by PET or SPECT. PN’s had low liver and kidney retention and excellent whole body elimination even when they were bigger than albumin. Conclusions PN’s are PEG-based, pharmacokinetically tunable probes for determining the tumor EPR effect by SPECT or PET. PN’s maybe useful for predicting the efficacy of long-circulating nanomedicines exploiting EPR. By circulating at variable, PEG-determined sizes, PN’s may also be useful for determining the size dependence of the enhanced endothelial permeability of tumors, brain, and with the vasculature of diabetic patients. Research Support NIH 1R01EB009691 (Josephson) and 1R01EB011996 (Josephson)
Liquidity Risk and Expect Stock Returns

This study investigates whether marketwide liquidity is a state variable important for asset pricing. We find that expected stock returns are related cross-sectionally to the sensitivities of returns to fluctuations in aggregate liquidity. Our monthly liquidity measure, an average of individual-stock measures estimated with daily data, relies on the principle that order flow induces greater return reversals when liquidity is lower. From 1966 through 1999, the average return on stocks with high sensitivities to liquidity exceeds that for stocks with low sensitivities by 7.5 percent annually, adjusted for exposures to the market return as well as size, value, and momentum factors. Furthermore, a liquidity risk factor accounts for half of the profits to a momentum strategy over the same 34-year period.
Fuzzy Cost/Benefit Analysis

A model is developed for a cost/benefit analysis using fuzzy metrics. The costs and benefits are described in linguistic rather than numerical terms. The system to be analyzed is viewed structurally as two top down charts, one consisting of cost items and the other of benefit items. Estimates are made for the reliability or degree of certainty of each estimate and the relative proportion that each item contributes to the total cost or benefit. All estimates are made using fuzzy descriptors. Algorithms to combine these estimates and produce a cost/benefit ratio are presented and justified. The use of the method is discussed and an example is given.
Heart disease presenting in the first week of life: implications of advances in diagnosis and management since 1973.

Abstract The spectra of congenital heart diseases presenting in the first week of life — diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis — were analyzed in a recent series and compared with a series 9 years earlier. Eighty percent of all infants aged 0 to 7 days referred to the pediatric cardiology service in these series had actual cardiovascular defects; 42% had critical cardiovascular disease. Use of echocardiography in the neonate with suspected congenital heart disease increased from 0 to 82% in the 9-year period, whereas, frequency of cardiac catheterization decreased. Treatment with prostaglandin E1and catecholamine-derived pressor agents increased. Surgical mortality in critical neonatal heart disease fell from 58 to 18%, whereas, early cardiac deaths fell from 49 to 24%. These findings illustrate a favorable trend in the care of the neonate with congenital heart disease based on less hazardous diagnostic methods, more effective medical stabilization, and advances in surgical technique.
Dissemination of Evidence-Based Practices: A New Role for Substance Abuse Treatment Organizations

Organizations treating behavioral health problems have been particularly responsive to medicine’s evidence-based practice (EBP) movement. A neglected aspect of the EBP movement is dissemination act...
Detecting Terrestrial Nutrient Limitation: A Global Meta-Analysis of Foliar Nutrient Concentrations after Fertilization

Examining foliar nutrient concentrations after fertilization provides an alternative method for detecting nutrient limitation of ecosystems, which is logistically simpler to measure than biomass change. We present a meta-analysis of response ratios of foliar nitrogen and phosphorus (RRN, RRP) after addition of fertilizer of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), or the two elements in combination, in relation to climate, ecosystem type, life form, family, and methodological factors. Results support other meta-analyses using biomass, and demonstrate there is strong evidence for nutrient limitation in natural communities. However, because N fertilization experiments greatly outnumber P fertilization trials, it is difficult to discern the absolute importance of N vs. P vs. co-limitation across ecosystems. Despite these caveats, it is striking that results did not follow “conventional wisdom” that temperate ecosystems are N-limited and tropical ones are P-limited. In addition, the use of ratios of N-to-P rather than response ratios also are a useful index of nutrient limitation, but due to large overlap in values, there are unlikely to be universal cutoff values for delimiting N vs. P limitation. Differences in RRN and RRP were most significant across ecosystem types, plant families, life forms, and between competitive environments, but not across climatic variables.
Evidence for a Functional Role for Active (REM) Sleep in Infancy

Roffwarg et al. have proposed two complementary hypotheses to account for the finding that rapid eye movement (REM), or Active, Sleep occurs in large quantities in infancy and then drops off as the organism matures. The first assumes that the immature nervous system lacks inhibitory control and that the diminution of REM sleep reflects the maturation of the CNS. The second hypothesis postulates that REM sleep also serves a functional role, namely, to stimulate the central nervous system, thereby facilitating growth and maturation. A set of deductions, derived from the second hypothesis, was tested by analyzing the sleep-wake data of 22 normal infants. These were confirmed. The key findings were that the behavioral state of Quiet Alert correlated -0.82 with the state of Active Sleep and that this correlation was independent of maturational changes in the infants.
HIV and the lung.

The spectrum of HIV-related respiratory diseases has evolved since initial years of the epidemic. With changes in the definition of AIDS, shifts in demographic and behavior risk factors for HIV infection, and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) prophylaxis, the incidence of bacterial pneumonia has matched that of PCP. Combination antiretroviral therapy with protease inhibitors has been a major contributor to a recent decline in HIV-related opportunistic infections. These advances will almost certainly affect the rates of PCP, bacterial pneumonia, and other pulmonary opportunistic infections associated with HIV disease. Over the last year, progress has been made in assessment of risk factors, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of several HIV-related pulmonary infections including PCP, cytomegalovirus pneumonia, mycobacterial infections, and fungal pneumonias. More information has become available regarding HIV-related airway disease, and rarer complications including primary pulmonary hypertension and primary lung cancer.
Source apportionment of PM2.5 chemically speciated mass and particle number concentrations in New York City

Abstract The major sources of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in New York City (NYC) were apportioned by applying positive matrix factorization (PMF) to two different sets of particle characteristics: mass concentrations using chemical speciation data and particle number concentrations (PNC) using number size distribution, continuously monitored gases, and PM2.5 data. Post-processing was applied to the PMF results to: (i) match with meteorological data, (ii) use wind data to detect the likely locations of the local sources, and (iii) use concentration weighted trajectory models to assess the strength of potential regional/transboundary sources. Nine sources of PM2.5 mass were apportioned and identified as: secondary ammonium sulfate, secondary ammonium nitrate, road traffic exhaust, crustal dust, fresh sea-salt, aged sea-salt, biomass burning, residual oil/domestic heating and zinc. The sources of PNC were investigated using hourly average number concentrations in six size bins, gaseous air pollutants, mass concentrations of PM2.5, particulate sulfate, OC, and EC. These data were divided into 3 periods indicative of different seasonal conditions. Five sources were resolved for each period: secondary particles, road traffic, NYC background pollution (traffic and oil heating largely in Manhattan), nucleation and O3-rich aerosol. Although traffic does not account for large amounts of PM2.5 mass, it was the main source of particles advected from heavily trafficked zones. The use of residual oil had limited impacts on PM2.5 mass but dominates PNC in cold periods.
Public Presidential Appeals and Congressional Floor Votes: Reassessing the Constitutional Threat

The assertion that public appeals by presidents can create electoral threats to noncompliant members of Congress is central to arguments about the value of "going public" as a legislative strategy. Although recent scholarship suggests a link between popular presidential rhetoric and the likelihood of bill passage, researchers have yet to examine the impact of public presidential appeals on individual legislators. This study examines the logic of electoral threats imposed by going public. We test whether a president's going public with increased intensity leads individual members of Congress to increase their support for presidential preferences on congressional floor votes. We employ several measures to assess the intensity of presidents' public appeals, including domestic speeches, nationally televised addresses, and speeches in legislators' home states. Several logistic regression models are tested to determine whether congressional support for presidential preferences on the floor is influenced by the ...
Never-Dried Cotton Fibers Part IV: Shrinkage on Mercerization

Longitudinal shrinkage of never-dried cotton fibers is ultimately about twice as high as that in normal once-dried fibers at full mercerization with sodium hydroxide. This is considered to be due to the high accessibility and mobility of the cellulose fibrils in never-dried cotton.
BILIARY METABOLITES OF BENZO(a)PYRENE 4,5-OXIDE IN THE RAT

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the biliary metabolites of benzo(a)pyrene (BP). The initial step in the metabolic activation of BP is the conversion to arene oxides, which may be further metabolized to ultimate carcinogens, such as diol epoxides, or to non-carcinogenic metabolites. The biotransformation pathways for intermediate arene oxides are, therefore, important in determining whether activation or detoxication occurs. The interest in the fate of reactive metabolites and the role of the glutathione 5-transferases in their detoxication led to investigate the biliary metabolites of benzo(a)pyrene 4, 5-oxide (BPO) in the rat. Previous studies of BP metabolism have focused on the solvent-extractable metabolites such as phenols, quinones, and dihydrodiols. However, the water-soluble metabolites have been less extensively investigated. As thioether conjugates arising from the reaction of arene oxides with glutathione are indicative of detoxication, more attention should be paid to the compounds of this type.
Colonial Gaze: Native Bodies

Hatem N. Akil attempts in “Colonial Gaze—Native Bodies” to establish a historical framework for the question of the representation and perception of the image of the Muslim in Western culture by analyzing a state of visual divide where photographic evidence is posited against an ethnographic reality and exemplified in the nineteenth-century French postcards of nude and semi-nude Algerian Muslim women. This act of looking at an image and seeing (or embedding) the opposite of its empirical meaning has been connected to a chain of visual oppositions that place Western superiority as the primary and constantly irreverent (and inconspicuous) subject of the image. These oppositions continue to be witnessed today in the cartoons of Charlie Hebdo and the photographs of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo detainees.
Contingent technocracy: bureaucratic independence in developing countries

This study investigates the effects of formal bureaucratic independence under varying democratic conditions. Conventional accounts predict that greater formal independence of technocratic agencies facilitates policy implementation, but those claims rest on observations of industrialised, high-income countries that are also established democracies. On the basis of research in developing countries, we argue that the effects of agency independence depend on the political context in which the agency operates. Our empirical subjects are privatisation agencies and their efforts to privatise state-owned enterprises in Africa. We predict that greater independence leads to more thorough privatisation under authoritarian regimes, but that the effect of independence declines as a country becomes more democratic. Using an original data set, we examine the relationship between formal agency independence and privatisation in Africa from 1990 to 2007. Our results modify the conventional wisdom on bureaucratic independence and culminate in a more nuanced theory of “contingent technocracy”.
Superradiance in inverted multilevel atomic clouds

This work examines superradiance in initially inverted clouds of multilevel atoms. We develop a set of equations that can approximately calculate the temporal evolution of $N$ coupled atoms. This allows us to simulate clouds containing hundreds of multilevel atoms while eschewing the assumption and/or approximation of symmetric dipole-dipole interactions. This treatment is used to explore the effects that dephasing causes by elastic dipole-dipole interactions and that competition between multiple transitions has on superradiance. Both of these mechanisms place strong parametrical restrictions on a given transition's ability to superradiate. These results are likely important to recent experiments that probe superradiance in Rydberg atoms.
Thrombolysis in submassive pulmonary embolism: Finding the balance.

In massive pulmonary embolism, thrombolytic therapy is usually indicated; in submassive cases the decision is not so clear.
Mourning María Pantalones: Military Rule and the Politics of Race, Citizenship, and Nostalgia in Panama

This essay examines public reactions to the 2013 death of Maud Catherine Carter, or “Maria Pantalones.” Carter became a public figure during the military government (1968–1989) as a popular leader in Panama City. Carter notoriously attired herself in pants or shorts and combined charity work for poor children with organizing for the Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD), the party of Panama’s military government. After the U.S. invasion of 1989, Carter’s political fortunes waned. The essay discusses how her death provided a brief reprieve from the public amnesia that shrouds the military era, allowing for expressions of nostalgia for the gains made by some working-class people in the military years as well as ambivalence about the current era of neoliberalism.
Accumulated evidence on Helicobacter pylori infection and the risk of asthma: A meta-analysis.

Abstract Background Helicobacter pylori ( H pylori ) infection has been suggested to be related to a decreased risk of asthma, but findings in the literature are inconsistent. Objective To quantitatively summarize the existing evidence on the association between H pylori infection and asthma risk. Methods The PubMed database was searched for observational studies of H pylori infection in relation to the risk of asthma published in English through May 2017. Measurements of association were pooled using a meta-analytic approach and expressed as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Results Twenty-four studies were identified in this meta-analysis, including 8 case-control studies composed of 1,247 cases and 2,410 controls, and 16 cross-sectional studies composed of 50,290 participants (4,185 cases and 46,105 noncases). The average H pylori infection rates were 40.01% and 48.74% in case-control and cross-sectional studies, respectively. Five studies subcategorized H pylori infection according to CagA status, in which 59.37% of H pylori –infected participants were identified as having CagA positivity. Helicobacter pylori infection was significantly inversely associated with the risk of asthma in case-control studies (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.71–0.98) but was borderline significant in cross-sectional studies (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.76–1.02). The observed inverse association persisted for CagA-positive H pylori infection (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.63–0.93, P for interaction = .03) but not for CagA-negative strains (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.66–1.78). No significant difference was observed across age or region subgroups. Conclusion The accumulated evidence supports that H pylori infection, especially CagA-positive H pylori infection, is inversely associated with the risk of asthma.
Exponential Stabilization of Uncertain Nonlinear Systems by a Reduced-order Compensator

Abstract This paper first introduces an exponentially convergent reduced-order observer for state reconstruction of uncertain nonlinear systems. Then, the state estimates obtained arc used in a dynamical compensation scheme for exponential stabilization of the controlled system. The nonlinear gains utilized in the observer and controller are similar to those of the variable structure designs but continuous in nature and result in simpler convergence analysis.
Career Planning Confidence Among Facebook Users: Contributions of Adult Attachment Security and Authenticity

As a highly popular social networking site (SNS) for exchanging information about their personal activities, values, goals, and accomplishments with their online “friends,” Facebook (FB)© enables s...
Now You See Me, But You Don't Know: Consumer Processing of Native Advertisements in Online News Sites

Native advertising has become a growing trend in news outlets to break through the clutter of advertisements to reach consumers. This exploratory study investigates consumers' cognitive processing ...
A Change of Heart? Why Individual-Level Public Opinion Shifted Against Trump’s “Muslim Ban”

Public opinion research suggests that rapid and significant individual-level fluctuations in opinions toward various policies is fairly unexpected absent methodological artifacts. While this may generally be the case, some political actions can and do face tremendous backlash, potentially impacting public evaluations. Leveraging broadcast and newspaper transcripts as well as a unique two-wave panel study we demonstrate that a non-random, rapid shift in opinions occurred shortly after President Donald Trump signed executive order 13769 into law, which barred individuals from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States for 90 days. The ban set off a fury of protests across U.S. cities and airports, garnering tremendous media attention and discussion. Drawing insights from literature on priming, we claim that an influx of new information portraying the “Muslim Ban” at odds with inclusive elements of American identity prompted some citizens to shift their attitudes. Our study highlights the potential broad political effects of mass movements and protests as it pertains to policies that impact racialized minority groups, and suggests that preferences can shift quickly in response to changing political circumstances.
Reducing threading dislocation density in GaSb photovoltaic devices on GaAs by using AlSb dislocation filtering layers

Abstract GaSb based photovoltaic devices have been demonstrated on GaAs substrates by inducing interfacial array of 90° misfit dislocations. Despite the beneficial qualities of the highly stable 90° misfit dislocation, there is a significant density of residual threading dislocations in the GaSb layer, resulting in the degradation of the electrical performance of such photovoltaic cells compared to lattice matched devices. We aim to reduce threading dislocation density by optimizing growth temperature and by using an AlSb dislocation filtering layer. The growth temperature optimization results in a reduction of the threading dislocation density to 1.3 × 108 cm−2. Adding an AlSb dislocation filtering layer further improves the electrical performance of the GaSb solar cells by reducing the threading dislocation density to 4 × 107 cm−2. A comparison between the experimental data and theoretical calculation confirms that the recombination in dislocation centers is a dominant loss mechanism in GaSb solar cell grown on GaAs substrate.
Abstract CT159: Olaparib combinations (OLAPCO)for homology-directed DNA repairdefects (HDR)

INTRODUCTION: Genetic profiling of tumors used to identify treatment choices for cancer patients focus on kinase mutations and well-defined translocations; multiple clinical trials have been initiated for specific kinase-targeted agents. About 15-20% of patients have actionable mutations. HDR have been found in ~ 20 % of patient tumors molecularly profiled at the Yale Cancer Center. Mutations in HDR related genes often occur in addition to other mutations in signaling pathways. Specific targeted treatment options for these patients are limited, as breast and ovarian cancer mutations are the only indication for the HDR pathway targeted PARP inhibitors. Additional drugs are in development, but few clinical studies based on HDR other than BRCA1/2 mutations are open. METHODS : The OLAPCO study targets HDR in patients irrespective of tumor origin. The protocol includes four arms to which patients can be enrolled based on tumor profiling results: olaparib monotherapy (PARP inhibitor) for HDR; olaparib & AZD5363 ( AKT inhibitor) for PIK3CA/AKT/PTEN pathway dysregulation and ARID1A mutations; olaparib & AZD1775 ( wee 1 inhibitor) for TP53 mutations and olaparib & AZD6738 (ATR inhibitor) for HDR and olaparib pre-treated patients. The clinical endpoints are to determine tumor overall response rate (ORR) and clinical benefit rate (CBR) by RECIST after 16 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: Arms a and b are open to patient accrual. Together, 34 pts have been treated, 12 remain on treatment, with no new or > Gr 2 (CTCAE4) treatment-related toxicities. DISCUSSION : HDR defects are actionable mutations, increasing the number of patients for whom tumor profiling can identify a therapeutic option. This exploratory trial is expanding the therapeutic spectrum of olaparib alone and in combination, to include heretofore non-canonical alterations in HDR, beyond BRCA1/2. This trial design allows additional molecular targets, agents & combinations to be rapidly evaluated. AstraZeneca support is gratefully acknowledged. Citation Format: Joseph P. Eder, Geoffrey I. Shapiro, James M. Cleary, Vickie L. Keedy, Vickie L. Keedy, Ranjit Bindra, Brian Shuch, Jeffrey Sklar, Khanh Do, Juliane Juergensmeier. Olaparib combinations (OLAPCO)for homology-directed DNA repairdefects (HDR) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr CT159.
Experimental determination of zirconium hydride precipitation and dissolution in zirconium alloy

Abstract Synchrotron X-Ray transmission diffraction experiments were performed to study hydride precipitation and dissolution in the zirconium/zirconium-hydride system while it occurs. Evidence was found that the hysteresis between the terminal solid solubility for precipitation and dissolution is not observed when hydride particles are already present at the beginning of sample cooldown. Furthermore, experimental results show that, during a temperature hold, the concentration of hydrogen in solid solution becomes lower than the terminal solid solubility for hydride precipitation and eventually reaches the terminal solid solubility for hydride dissolution, indicating that the latter is the actual thermodynamic solubility limit.
Materials processing in space - An overview of studies in the U.S.A.

The paper reviews the evolution of the U.S. Materials Processing In Space Program, current materials processing in space program, and future programs. The discussion covers a summary of significant findings from previous flight experiments, a current assessment of the attractive areas for future experimentation, and a synopsis of the experiments accepted for future Space Processing Application Rocket (SPAR) and Spacelab flights. The ultimate goal is to develop a viable commercial interest in using space (1) to perform research for improving industrial technology or developing new products; (2) to prepare research quantities of material to serve as paradigms for comparing current earth-based technologies; (3) to manufacture limited quantities of a unique product to test market potential, or to fulfill a limited but compelling need; and (4) to produce materials in space of adequate quantity and value to be economically self-sufficient.
Development History of Fe/KClO{sub 4} Heat Powders at Sandia and Related Aging Issues for Thermal Batteries

Pelletized pyrotechnic discs (“heat pellet”) are used in thermally activated (“thermal”) batteries for nuclear weapons for the Department of Energy (DOE) as well as in a large variety of missiles for the Department of Defense. Thermal batteries provide the primary power for these applications and depend on a molten-salt electrolyte. The batteries deliver power upon melting of the electrolyte caused by the heat released during burning of heat pellets in the battery stack. Prior to the use of heat pellets, a heat paper based on Zr/BaCrO4 was used as the heat source in thermal batteries. This material had a number of disadvantages, including static and shock sensitivity and forming highly resistive reaction products that would not allow for intercell connection of cells in a stack. This report describes the history of the development of pelletized pyrotechnics at Sandia National Laboratories for the DOE’s nuclear weapons. The final chemistry selected was Fe/KClO4, since it met all of the desired qualities for the anticipated applications. This report also provides relevant historical aging data for this material, as well as related data generated as part of a stockpile surveillance program.
Constraints or Complaints? Business Climate and Firm Performance Perceptions in Uganda

This paper identifies the business constraints that are most binding for firm performance. Using panel methods on novel quarterly Ugandan business climate data, we exploit perceived changes in busi...
Laryngotracheal Abnormalities in Esophageal Atresia Patients: A Hidden Entity

Importance: Presence of laryngotracheal abnormalities is associated with increased morbidity and higher mortality rate in esophageal atresia patients. Objective: Determine the prevalence of laryngotracheal abnormalities (LTA) in a prospectively collected cohort of patients treated for esophageal atresia and/or tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF). Analysis of the impact of those airway anomalies in early post-operative outcomes was performed. Patients and Methods: This was a review of a prospectively collected database, including patients from January 2008 to December 2017. Patients enrolled in the present study were treated in a high-volume referral center. Present study included all newborn-infants consecutively treated for EA/TEF. All patients were evaluated by flexible laryngotracheoscopy performed under local anesthesia in spontaneous breathing. In case of airway malformation suspected during flexible endoscopy, a rigid endoscopy was performed to complete airway assessment. If post-operative respiratory symptoms (noisy breathing, respiratory difficulty, failure to extubate, or difficulty feeding) were noted, a second laryngotracheoscopy was performed. Primary study outcome was to evaluate the prevalence of LTA in EA/TEF infants, characterizing of LTA, and their impact on early post-operative outcomes. Those primary study outcomes were planned before data collection began. Results: During the study period 207 patients with EA/TEF were treated. LTA had a period prevalence of 40.1% (83/207). Although no differences were recorded in terms of demographics and clinical presentation, LTA+ infants more frequently required tracheostomy (12/52, 23% vs. 0/124, 0%; p 0.0001) and were at increased risk of death (12/83, 14% vs. 5/124, 4%; p 0.009) in comparison with EA/TEF without LTA. Conclusions: Present data suggest a high prevalence of congenital LTA in patients affected by EA. Most of the abnormalities are congenital and a high proportion of patients with LTA require a tracheostomy. Mortality significantly correlates with the presence of LTA. Systematic airway endoscopic preoperative evaluation has to be pushed forward to minimize LTA-related morbidity and mortality.
DNA damage repair alterations are frequent in prostatic adenocarcinomas with focal pleomorphic giant-cell features.

Aims Prostatic adenocarcinomas with focal pleomorphic giant-cell features constitute a rare tumour subtype with abysmal clinical outcomes. More than one-third of patients with this histology die within a year of the initial diagnosis of prostate cancer. We aimed to perform molecular profiling of these tumors to identify potential therapeutic targets. Methods and results Here, we performed next-generation sequencing with a highly validated targeted panel (UW-OncoPlex) on somatic tumour DNA extracted from eight cases of prostatic adenocarcinoma with focal pleomorphic giant-cell features, including cases with and without prior treatment for prostate cancer. We found that DNA damage repair mutations are common in this rare subset of prostate tumours, with two of eight having bi-allelic pathogenic mutations in homologous DNA repair genes (including BRCA2 and NBN) and two of eight having bi-allelic pathogenic mutations in mismatch repair genes (including MSH2 and MLH1). Conclusion These data are consistent with emerging data showing that DNA repair alterations are enriched among castration-resistant prostate cancer and aggressive subsets of primary tumours. Given that these patients are potential candidates for poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor and/or immune checkpoint blockade, and have a poor prognosis with standard therapy, we recommend that tumour and germline DNA sequencing with or without mismatch repair protein immunohistochemistry be considered for all prostatic adenocarcinomas with focal pleomorphic giant-cell features.
Testicular function in cultured postnatal mouse testis fragments is similar to that of animals during the first wave of spermatogenesis

Background Previously, we evaluated optimal organ culture conditions to produce elongated spermatids in an in vitro mouse testis culture system. However, differences in testicular function between the cultured testis fragments and animal testis have not been determined. Methods To examine how closely cultured testis fragments in vitro approximates what typically occurs during the first wave of spermatogenesis in vivo, C57BL/6J mouse testis fragments obtained on postnatal day (PND) 5 were cultured in AlbuMAX™ I/ α-Minimal Essential Medium for 15, 23, 30, 35, 42, and 49 days, and compared to mouse testes obtained at PND 5, 14, 20, 24, 28, 30, 35, and 40. At the specified days of culture or PND of mice, the following analyses were conducted: histology, flow cytometry for haploid cell detection, qPCR for spermatid markers, and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry for testosterone levels. Results Round spermatids were initially observed at 23 days, and their percentage of the total number of cells continued to increase with culture time, as did gene expression of the spermatid markers and haploid cell percentage in the cultured testis fragments. These results were similar in temporal sequence to those in animals. Testosterone levels in the testis fragments reached a maximum at Day 49. Conclusion These findings show this in vitro mouse testis organ culture model may be a useful and convenient tool for mechanistic studies. However, because germ cell differentiation in all seminiferous tubules was not observed, improvements in the system/methods are needed to more closely replicate spermatogenesis as observed in animals.
6α-Acet­oxy-4,5α-ep­oxy-3-meth­oxy-17-meth­ylmorphin-7-ene

Crystals of the title compound, which is also commonly known as 6-O-acetyl­codeine, C20H23NO4, were obtained by acetyl­ation of codeine and subsequent crystallization of the product from eth­yl acetate. The atoms of the benzene ring are nearly coplanar, whereas the five-memberedring is distorted. The ethanamine ring has a typical chair form conformation, while the cyclohexene ring is in a twisted boat form.
Effects of Early Alcohol Exposure on Functional Organization and Microstructure of a Visual-Tactile Integrative Circuit.

Background Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) often have deficits associated with multisensory processing. Because ethanol (EtOH) disrupts activity-dependent neuronal plasticity, a process that is essential for refining connections during cortical development, we hypothesize that early alcohol exposure results in alterations in multisensory cortical networks, which could explain the multisensory processing deficits seen in FASD. Here, we use a gyrencephalic animal model to test the prediction that early alcohol exposure alters the functional connectivity and microstructural features of the rostral posterior parietal cortex (PPr), a visual-tactile integrative area. Methods Ferrets were exposed to moderate doses of EtOH during the brain growth spurt period. Functional connectivity and microstructural features were assessed using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and ex vivo diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), respectively, when the animals reached juvenile age and adulthood, respectively. Results While the whole brain volume was smaller in alcohol-treated animals, the relative size of the frontal brain area was larger when compared to control animals. Altered functional connectivity was observed in alcohol-treated animals, where increased connectivity was observed between PPr and the region that provides its major visual inputs (the caudal portion of the parietal cortex), but not with the region that provides its major somatosensory inputs (tertiary somatosensory cortex). DKI revealed reduced microstructural tissue complexity in all investigated sensory areas of alcohol-treated animals. Conclusions In this study, we observed alterations in cortical functional connectivity and microstructural integrity in a cortical area involved in multisensory processing in a ferret FASD model. These findings indicate an alteration in cortical networks that may be related to the multisensory processing deficiencies observed in FASD.
Fly Feature Detectors Show Contrast Invariance, Omni-Directionality, Velocity Constancy, and Octopaminergic Loss of Background Motion Suppression

Motion vision circuits of the fly are organized into parallel ON and OFF pathways tuned to the direction and speed of motion. Directionally selective small-field columnar neurons innervate the third optic ganglion, the lobula plate, where their outputs are integrated by large dendritic fields that encode wide-field background motion. Wide-field lobula plate cells, in turn, coordinate gaze stabilization. By contrast, behavioral responses to visual features is believed to begin within the circuits of the fourth optic ganglion, the lobula. We investigated 19 lobula columnar neurons (LCs) with stimuli that are behaviorally salient to the fly. A comprehensive analysis of receptive field properties showed that LC15 encodes moving bars, whereas LC12 is relatively agnostic to object dimensions. Neither responds to optic flow, rather object responses in both LCs are suppressed by background motion. Further contrasting neurons of the motion pathway, LC12 and LC15 are both small-field cells indifferent to ON-OFF contrast polarity. LC15 responds equally to four directions of motion, whereas LC12 is selective for motion in the horizontal plane. Both are equally sensitive to object speeds ranging from 22 to 132° per second. Small objects strongly stimulate presynaptic fibers of lobula layer 2, which corresponds to the postsynaptic domains of object-detecting LCs. Finally, in direct contrast to the entire motion pathway, we were surprised to find that octopamine nullifies the inhibition of object responses generated by background motion; LC12 and LC15 remain sensitive to objects appearing against a moving background.
When Increase in Serum Creatinine Doesn't Imply Kidney Damage.

Short-term increases in serum creatinine predict adverse outcomes including mortality, but this does not mean that the association is causal or even that all changes in creatinine are problematic. AKI can increase the risk of CKD through a number of mechanisms that lead to tubulointerstitial damage
The Myth at Play: The Oh So Suitable Environment

Despite appearances the media system in the United States is far more commercial, consolidated in ownership, with content-driven advertising, and which is far more pervasive and penetrative than many realize or are made aware. It is a media environment designed specifically for the purposes of propaganda and, therefore, most suited to that function. The myth of buying power relies heavily on this media environment and thrives accordingly as a result. This point will be demonstrated via the coverage/promotion of buying power, and related subjects, conducted since 2009.
Quality and Safety in Acute Pain Management

Despite the remarkable amount of research and development looking to advance the treatment options for the human experience of pain, evidence is mounting that pain continues to be poorly managed in health care (reference needed). There is a lack of coordination and clinical integration of evidence-based practice in delivering effective pain management to the bedside by health care professionals, resulting in unnecessary physical, psychological, and emotional negative consequences to patients (Czarnecki ML, Turner HN, Collins PM, Doellman D, Wrona S, Reynolds J. Pain Manag Nurs. 2011;12(2):95–111). Regulatory agencies, such as the Joint Commission, and oversight agencies, such as the World Health Organization, have unanimously declared that appropriate pain management is an essential part of excellence in patient care (Apfelbaum JL, Chen C, Mehta S, Gan T. Anesth Analg. 2003;97(2):234–540). In this chapter, we highlight the challenges in defining what is “high quality” in pain management and call out many of the challenges in safely treating acute pain in the peri-operative hospital setting.
Jet Lag Sleep Disorder

Jet lag disorder results from circadian misalignment that occurs after traveling across two or more time zones rapidly such that the body’s biologic clock does not have enough time to adjust to the external environment. Jet lag disorder is characterized by nighttime insomnia, daytime sleepiness, depressed mood, and somatic symptoms such as gastrointestinal disturbances. The severity of symptoms depends on individual factors, the direction of travel, and the number of time zones crossed. Eastward travel is typically more difficult to adapt to than westward travel. Jet lag disorder is generally a self-limited and benign condition, with resolution of symptoms noted within a few days and up to 1 week. The main principle of treatment of jet lag disorder is to accelerate realignment of the circadian clock to the environment through timed bright light exposure and exogenous ingestion of melatonin.
Diderot Reconsidered: Visual Impairment and Auditory Compensation:

Two general models for auditory compensation attending visual loss, structural and strategic, are discussed in the light of available research. It is suggested that previous dismissals of structura...
Who Is Better at Investment Decisions: Man or Machine?

We conducted a simulated “contest” of the returns of a noted human adviser’s constructed portfolio against the portfolio constructed by a top-rated robo-adviser over a 22-month period (a 17-month backtest period and a 6-month forward test period). Advisers were tasked to construct moderate risk portfolios for nine scenarios of varying ages (30, 50, and 70 years old) and investment amounts ($100k, $500k, and $1MM). Both the backtested returns and the recent returns indicated a solid win for the human adviser even with fees included. These unexpected results showed that at each investment level in our test range ($100k TOPICS:Manager selection, portfolio construction, portfolio theory, wealth management Key Findings • This simulated contest between a human financial adviser and a robo-adviser clearly provides the evidence to dispel potential automation bias in financial adviser selection. • This simulated contest clearly provides an observation of inflexibility in robo-advice algorithm application in the same risk profile. • This simulated contest clearly provides a demonstration of human financial advisers’ added value in recent market conditions.
Dnmt3a-null hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells expand after busulfan treatment

Mutations in the gene encoding DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) comprise the majority of mutations found in clonal hematopoiesis (CH), an age-related condition that was recently found to affect outcomes in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Recent studies have indicated that patients with CH have worse prognoses after HSCT, suggesting stress imposed by HSCT preconditioning agents may impact hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) dynamics in transplant recipients. In this study, we used a competitive transplantation mouse model to investigate how treatment with the common preconditioning agents 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and busulfan (BU) affect the prevalence of Dnmt3a–/– HSCs and progenitor cells in competition with wild-type cells. We found that, though sufficient to deplete peripheral blood counts, 5-FU preconditioning did not significantly alter the frequency of Dnmt3a-null hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) in mosaic mice. In contrast, mice treated with BU had a sevenfold decline in total bone marrow cells and an increase in Dnmt3a-null HSPCs that was detectable in peripheral blood. Indeed, even though all mosaic mice had a starting engraftment of ∼10%–40%, 85%–100% of HSPCs were Dnmt3a-null in four of seven mice after BU treatment, indicating these cells expand dramatically during recovery. Overall, these results suggest that individual preconditioning regimens have different effects on the expansion of Dnmt3a-mutant cells in patients with pre-existing CH. Thus, the presence of CH-associated mutants should be evaluated prior to selecting preconditioning regimens for HSCT.
Technological Progress and Rent Seeking

We model firms' optimal allocation of resources between surplus-creating (a.k.a., productive) activities and surplus-appropriating (a.k.a., rent-seeking) activities. We show that economy- or industry-wide technological progresses, such as the recent improvements in processing big data, induce a disproportionate and socially inefficient allocation of resources towards rent seeking. As technology improves, firms lean more on rent seeking to generate their profits, endogenously reducing the impact of technological progress on economic progress and inflating the price of resources that can either be used for rent seeking or production.
Mixed Methods Evaluation of a Movement and Mindfulness Empowerment Workshop for Adults with Serious Mental Illness

For seriously mentally ill adults, empowerment is critical to maximizing participation in major life activities. Although studies have identified interventions that have positively impacted empowerment, these interventions may not be applicable or amenable to all adults with serious mental illness. More interventions with other approaches are needed. Therefore, this study evaluated the initial implementation of a movement- and mindfulness-based workshop intervention. Quantitative data were used to examine differences in empowerment before and after the workshop, and qualitative data were used to explore participants’ perceptions of the reasons for empowerment differences. Ten participants completed the intervention, and nine of the ten participants also completed follow-up interviews. Quantitative data were collected via pre- and post-intervention surveys. Qualitative data were collected through follow-up interviews with the participants. Surveys revealed perceptions of optimism and control over the future increased between pre- and post-intervention. Interviews uncovered that increases in optimism and control over the future may have been related to workshop accomplishments and reduced helplessness outside of workshop sessions. Future research would benefit from the creation of a training manual along with a validated system to monitor intervention fidelity.
Put your money where your forecast is: Supply chain collaborative forecasting with cost-function-based prediction markets

Abstract Despite extensive research on the value of collaborative forecasting among supply chain partners, there has been limited attention to the actual mechanisms of forecast sharing. We propose using cost-function-based prediction markets as means of sharing demand forecasts. We consider a decentralized two-stage supply chain with a supplier who sells to a retailer, in which both partners receive demand forecast updates. In the first stage, the supplier and the retailer agree on a collaborative forecasting scheme to form a consensus forecast. We consider two schemes: collaborative forecasting using cost-function-based prediction markets in which partners pay a set-up cost to operate a prediction market, and direct collaborative forecasting in which partners directly share their forecasts with each other and resolve their forecast differences through costly actions. In the second stage, we analyze the game between the supplier and the retailer to determine the retailer’s optimal order quantity as well as the supplier’s optimal wholesale price. We show that demand forecast sharing using cost-function-based prediction markets results in a Pareto improvement of the partners’ profit over the alternative of directly sharing forecasts. Furthermore, we show that this Pareto improvement is monotone with respect to supply chain partners’ forecast accuracy. We conduct an extensive numerical study to provide further insights into the effect of the return on forecast sharing investment, forecast accuracy, and level of demand uncertainty on the benefits gained by implementing cost-function-based prediction markets.
A Survey of Recent Theoretical Work

We organize this theoretical discussion around a scheme having three elements: the local field acting on each molecule, the induced molecular dipole and its radiation.