cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Look at the New Electrical Engineering Laboratory Program at the Hopkins

The undergraduate electrical engineering program at The Johns Hopkins University has undergone extensive revision. The most striking revision has been in the laboratory program. Laboratory courses which are distinct from the lecture courses have been developed. These laboratory courses embrace the fields of basic and advanced electrical measurements, transducers, passive circuits, active networks, communications, microwaves, materials, computers, servomechanisms, and energy conversion. The experiments in each one of these fields are designed to give the student insight into both the basic and advanced concepts involved. The sequence of presentation of the experiments is chosen to allow the most complete coverage of a subject as possible, based on the order in which the electrical engineering lecture courses are taken. The use of laboratory manuals, notebooks, reports, and examinations has been given careful thought and some significant ideas have been evolved with regard to their use in establishing a successful laboratory course.
Animal welfare, animal rights and agriculture

The past decade has witnessed a major revolution in social concern with animals. Philosophically, this revolution entails a significant revision in traditional ways of conceiving our moral obligations to other creatures. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the social and conceptual basis for what is widely termed "animal rights." The agricultural community has mistakenly tended to dismiss this new thinking as fringe and emotionally based. In actuality, it is a natural extension of earlier social thought. The case of new laws regulating biomedical research illustrates the rapidity of social change in this area, as do recent developments in European regulation of agriculture. The relevance of this new moral thought to what has hitherto been understood purely in economic terms must be assimilated by the American agricultural community before the agricultural community can respond appropriately and non-reactively.
Riding Around Stigma: Professional Cycling and Stigma Management in the “Clean Cycling” Era

The continuing revelations of performance-enhancing drug (PED) use by high-profile athletes have forced many to question the collective portrayal of elite athletes. Professional cyclists must confr...
The Utility of the Two-Step Gender Measure Within Trans and Cis Populations

It has been acknowledged that more research into the health and well-being of trans people is needed in order to identify important health issues. While recent studies have suggested using a two-question gender status measure to assess assigned sex at birth and gender identity, it is not well understood how participants understand and subsequently answer the questions. The study recruited a convenience sample of 50 people (25 trans and 25 cis) from the general population of Cleveland and Akron, OH. The study used cognitive interviewing methods with scripted, semi-structured and spontaneous probes when appropriate. Participants were asked to read questions out-loud, answer the questions, and explain why they answered the way they did. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed prior to analysis. The gender status questions were found to be easy to use and understood by both trans and cis participants. The two-question gender status measure was able to encompass a diversity of identities within a trans sample and be consistently answered by the study’s cis participants. The measures were able to differentiate between trans and cis groups. The two-step gender measure can be a useful tool in examining gender diversity within general population studies.
Drilling Rig Hydraulic System Heat Balance Design

Hydraulic system of coal mine hydraulic drilling rig as the research object, the hydraulic system for power loss, the heat balance problems were analyzed, with examples based on the analysis of the heat generated by the system, according to the drilling rig structure features designed for the tank, simultaneous thermal by analysis, select and design the corresponding cooler, selection and design of the cooler proposed a reasonable way.
Rat jugular catheter model of biofilm-mediated infection

Staphylococcus epidermidis is now recognized as the primary cause of nosocomial catheter-mediated infections. Bacteria may be introduced exogenously via contamination of the catheter hub or insertion site and endogenously from sepsis. The in vivo model described in this chapter examines the infection resulting from hematogenous seeding of jugular vein catheters.
Percutaneous Transrenal Placement of Indwelling Ureteral Catheters

AbstractIndwelling ureteral catheters can be used for long-term drainage of the upper urinary tract in the management of distal ureteral obstruction. Ureteral catheters cannot always be passed cystoscopically in a retrograde manner. However, it may be possible to place an indwelling ureteral catheter through a percutaneous nephrostomy in an antegrade fashion. This technique and exemplary patients are discussed.
Is V̇O2 supressed during nonapnoeic facial submersion

The mammalian dive response (DR) is described as oxygen-conserving based on measures of bradycardia, peripheral vasoconstriction, and decreased ventilation (VE). Using a model of simulated diving,...
Investigating the impact of learning environments on undergraduate students' academic performance in a prerequisite and post-requisite course sequence

Abstract Previous studies have compared student performance for the same or similar classes delivered in both online and face-to-face learning environments, however, few studies have explored the effects of change of learning environment play in the student's ability to transfer knowledge gained in prerequisite courses to follow-on, or post-requisite courses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the prerequisite course learning environment on student performance in post-requisite coursework. This study focused on undergraduate accounting, and employed a mixed methods approach to answer two main research questions. First, does student performance in post-requisite undergraduate accounting education vary based on the learning environment of the prerequisite course? Second, how do the learning environments of prerequisite and post-requisite courses influence student perceptions of the undergraduate accounting course sequence? The results of this study indicate that student academic performance in the post-requisite course does not vary based on the learning environment of the prerequisite course. Additionally, while all students report encountering challenges, face-to-face students rely on self-study, collaboration with peers, and tutoring to overcome these challenges. Conversely, online students rely primarily on self-study to resolve similar challenges. The findings of this study suggest administrators should consider offering online prerequisite courses before, or in conjunction with their associated post-requisites, and provide similar access to external resources to assist with student learning challenges irrespective of learning environment.
Erratum to: Volcanic Glass and Iron Nails: Networks of Exchange and Material Entanglements at Late Prehispanic and Early Colonial Achiutla, Oaxaca, Mexico

In this paper, I examine how indigenous residents of the community of Achiutla—located in the Mixtec region of Oaxaca, Mexico—utilized long-distance trade routes between central Mexico and the Pacific coast, spanning the Postclassic (900–1521 CE) and Early Colonial (1522–1650 CE) periods. The maintenance of prehispanic interregional trade connections by native peoples allowed them to both continue traditional industries like those involving obsidian, while also facilitating their adoption of new types of material culture introduced from Europe. Over the long term, however, I suggest that entanglements in these economic networks had unintended consequences, which possibly included the demise of the prehispanic obsidian industry.
Behavior Disorders and Epilepsy

A longitudinal study of 127 children with epilepsy aged 8-12 years and their mothers, designed to identify factors contributing to behavior problems, is reported from the Indiana University School of Nursing, Indianapolis; the Minnesota Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Minneapolis; and the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston.
Life Cycle Economic and Environmental Implications of Pristine High Density Polyethylene and Alternative Materials in Drainage Pipe Applications

A life cycle assessment (LCA) and cost analysis were conducted to compare the environmental and economic performance of nanocomposite polymers that use pristine and recycled high density polyethylene (HDPE) polymer with pristine, and pristine/recycled HDPE polymeric materials in drainage pipe. We evaluate three performance metrics; (a) non-renewable energy consumption (NRE); (b) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; and (c) production costs of the three pipe material alternatives. Original life cycle inventory data for the production of nanoclay from the mineral Montmorillonite were collected for this case study in the United States. Life cycle inventory models were developed for the cradle-to-gate production of drainage pipe used in highway construction that consider the sensitivity of model parameter inputs on the life cycle impact and cost results for the three material options. The GHG emissions for the nanoclay composite pipe are 54 % lower than those for pristine HDPE pipe, and 16 % lower than those for pristine/recycle HDPE pipe. With a slight difference in GHG emissions between the pristine/recycled and nanoclay composite, the production of nanoclay does not introduce a significant environmental burden to the pipe material. On average, the pristine HDPE pipe is 13 and 17 % higher in cost than the pristine/recycled HDPE and nanoclay composite pipes, respectively. Results of the LCA and cost analysis support using recycled HDPE as a substitute for pristine HDPE due to its low energy requirements and production costs. The uncertainty in GHG emissions of manufacturing pristine HDPE causes the largest variation of GHG emissions in nanoclay composite pipe (+3/−2 %). The production cost of the nanocomposite pipe is most influenced by the energy cost of PCR-HDPE (+25/−11 %). Our study suggests that a nanocomposite design that replaces part of the pristine HDPE with recycled HDPE and nanoclay reduces certain environmental risks and material cost of corrugated pipe.
Analysing Online Social Networks from a Soft Systems Perspective

In recent years online communities have become popular as a way for dispersed members to interact and share ideas. However, there is limited research on the systemic analysis of such groups. In this paper the authors draw on systems research to suggest that one can only understand or interpret data gathered from an online group by assigning meaning to it in the context of a wider 'system'. Here they demonstrate that conventional methods of offline group analysis are ineffective when applied within online communities. As an alternative they offer a means of importing big data from a community on social media and identifying the kinds of information that would be typically gathered during an offline systemic analysis into a problem situation. The authors offer as an aid to managers a framework that identifies appropriate Social Network Analysis SNA metrics from the imported data that corresponds to soft systems concepts. During their analysis of a community on Twitter they found that their ideas provided a way to gain a more holistic understanding of the roles and interactions in a virtual community. The authors also found examples of the use of informal power in the Twitter community under study. This information can be useful to managers when producing marketing plans, during product development and when identifying opportunities for growth.
CREB Plays a Critical Role in the Regulation of Normal and Malignant Hematopoiesis.

Abstract The cAMP Response Element Binding Protein, CREB, is a transcription factor that regulates cell proliferation, memory, and glucose metabolism. We previously demonstrated that CREB overexpression is associated with an increased risk of relapse in a small cohort of adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Transgenic mice that overexpress CREB in myeloid cells develop myeloproliferative/myelodysplastic syndrome after one year. Bone marrow cells from these mice have increased self-renewal and proliferation. To study the expression of CREB in normal hematopoiesis, we performed quantitative real-time PCR in both mouse and human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). CREB expression was highest in the lineage negative population and was expressed in mouse HSCs, common myeloid progenitors, granulocyte/monocyte progenitors, megakaryocyte/erythroid progenitors, and in human CD34+38- cells. To understand the requirement of CREB in normal HSCs and myeloid leukemia cells, we inhibited CREB expression using RNA interference in vitro and in vivo. Bone marrow progenitor cells infected with CREB shRNA lentivirus demonstrated a 5-fold decrease in CFU-GM but increased Gr-1/Mac-1+ cells compared to vector control infected cells (p
“Mighty Like A River”: The Black Protestant Church and Violence in Black Communities1

ABSTRACTLittle empirical attention has been devoted to the link between black Protestant adherence and crime, despite significant public and political interest in the correlates of offending in black communities, as well as both historical treatments of the black church and prominent sociological theories pointing to black Protestantism as working to mitigate social problems. Using 2010 Religious Congregations and Membership Survey and county-level crime data, we examine whether black Protestantism is negatively associated with homicide, robbery, burglary, and larceny, especially in more disadvantaged black communities. We conclude by discussing the ongoing public debate surrounding the future of the black Protestant church, and we suggest directions for future research.
A Model of Thermal Conductivity for Planetary Soils

A numerical model of heat conduction through particulate media made of spherical grains cemented by various bonding agents is presented. The pore-filling gas conductivity, volume fraction, and thermal conductivity of the cementing phase are tunable parameters. Cement fractions <0.001-0.01% in volume have small effects on the soil bulk thermal conductivity. A significant conductivity increase (factor 3-8) is observed for bond fractions of 0.01 to 1% in volume. In the 1 to 15% bond fraction domain, the conductivity increases continuously but less intensely (25-100% conductivity increase compared to a 1% bond system). Beyond 15% of cements, the conductivity increases vigorously and the bulk conductivity rapidly approaches that of bedrock. The composition of the cements (i.e. conductivity) has little influence on the bulk thermal inertia of the soil, especially if the volume of bond <10%. These results indicate that temperature measurements are sufficient to detect cemented soils and quantify the amount of cementing phase, but the mineralogical nature of the bonds and the typical grain size are unlikely to be determined from orbit. On Mars, a widespread surface unit characterized by a medium albedo (0.19-0.26) and medium/high thermal inertia (200-600 J s(0.5)/sq m/K) has long been hypothesized to be associated with a duricrust. The fraction of cement required to fit the thermal data is less than approx.1-5% by volume. This small amount of material is consistent with orbital observations, confirming that soil cementation is an important factor controlling the thermal inertia of the Martian surface
Implementation of a pharmacy research committee to enhance the pharmacy resident research experience.

Abstract Background and purpose Most postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residents complete at least one research project as part of their graduation requirements. The research skills learned prepare residents to address research questions and generate evidence-based recommendations for patient care. However, there are multiple steps involved in a research project, and streamlining this process can be difficult. Educational activity and setting Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH), a large academic center located in Chicago, IL, developed a research committee (RC) to facilitate research within the department of pharmacy for residents and to maintain residency research support materials. These materials included a charter to help guide the organizational structure and operations of the RC, research timelines, and a seminar series. Findings The RC works to ensure that the residents overcome any challenges that they may incur during their research projects by setting clear expectations and milestones. Feedback is provided by the residents and incorporated into the research process and support materials. Discussion The RC allows for individualized attention and personalization of the research experience for each resident. The program endeavors each year to provide the message that publication should be the final goal of a research project and not presentation at a conference. Summary Pharmacy residents receive support from the RC from throughout the year, not only when issues surround their project arise. Institutions may implement or modify existing programs based upon the resources provided.
Frequent Contamination of Healthcare Worker Scrubs

Background Pathogens responsible for healthcare-associated infections (HAI) can be spread from patient-to-patient via healthcare worker (HCW) hand, clothing and other fomites.
Project management as information management in interdisciplinary research: “Lots of different pieces working together”

Abstract Project Management (PM) 1 in publicly funded interdisciplinary research (IDR) 2 is an emerging practice for academic scholars, one that derives from PM’s origins in the industrial sector. The naturalistic paradigm that guided this case study of the third Digging Into Data Challenge (2014–2016) relied upon qualitative methods, a case study reporting mode, purposive sampling, and inductive, grounded data analysis. Fifty-three researchers representing eleven projects were interviewed. Results suggest that the grant’s PM requirement provided researchers with a mechanism of information management. Project managers, whether externally hired or internally designated, were instrumental in coordinating project resources in light of governance issues, data handling, and data sharing across international boundaries. In conclusion, optimizing PM documentation from project inception through closure is recommended to facilitate communications among funders, researchers, and stakeholders. PM documentation is a mechanism for ensuring data integrity and its readiness for valuation metrics at project’s end. Future research may explore the merits of mandating formally trained project managers versus supporting academic mentoring trends for project-based training, which apply domain-specific expertise to the role and enable IDR teams to exercise autonomy.
Learning through digital storytelling: exploring entertainment techniques in lecture video

Although online education is popularized, it is in a developing stage that continues to struggle with communicating and engaging with students. The question remains on how students can be better en...
A method for efficient Bayesian optimization of self-assembly systems from scattering data

The ability of collections of molecules to spontaneously assemble into large functional complexes is central to all cellular processes. Using the viral capsid as a model system for complicated macro-molecular assembly, we develop methods for probing fine details of the process by learning kinetic rate parameters consistent with experimental measures of assembly. We have previously shown that local rule based stochastic simulation methods in conjunction with bulk indirect experimental data can meaningfully constrain the space of possible assembly trajectories and allow inference of experimentally unobservable features of the real system. In the present work, we introduce a new Bayesian optimization framework using multi-Gaussian process model regression. We also extend our prior work to encompass small-angle X-ray/neutron scattering (SAXS/SANS) as a possibly richer experimental data source than the previously used static light scattering (SLS). Method validation is based on synthetic experiments generated using protein data bank (PDB) structures of cowpea chlorotic mottle virus. We also apply the same approach to computationally cheaper differential equation based simulation models. We present a flexible approach for the global optimization of computationally costly objective functions associated with dynamic, multidimensional models. When applied to the stochastic viral capsid system, our method outperforms a current state of the art black box solver tailored for use with noisy objectives. Our approach also has wide applicability to general stochastic optimization problems.
A regression proof selection tool for coq

Large-scale software verification projects increasingly rely on proof assistants, such as Coq, to construct formal proofs of program correctness. However, such proofs must be checked after every change to a project to ensure expected program behavior. This process of regression proving can require substantial machine time, which is detrimental to productivity and trust in evolving projects. We present iCoq, the first regression proof selection tool. iCoq tracks fine-grained dependencies between Coq definitions, propositions, and proofs, and only checks those proofs affected by changes between two revisions. iCoq is suitable for workflows involving version control and continuous integration services, e.g., Travis CI. We applied iCoq to track dependencies across many revisions in several large Coq projects and measured the time savings compared to proof checking from scratch and when using Coq's timestamp-based toolchain for incremental checking. Our results show that proof checking with iCoq is up to 10 times faster than the former and up to 3 times faster than the latter. The demo video for iCoq can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egFnHkH5pXI.
Newborn surgical emergencies: Gastrointestinal anomalies, abdominal wall defects

Structural anomalies of the gastrointestinal tract and anterior abdominal wall diagnosed in the perinatal period often require prompt surgical intervention. This article highlights the pathophysiology, evaluation, and management of the more common lesions encountered in the neonate.
Examining the simple view of reading with elementary school children: Still simple after all these years.

The simple view of reading (SVR) proposes that performance in reading comprehension is the result of decoding and linguistic comprehension, and that each component is necessary but not sufficient f...
Comparison of driving cognition on paretic side in drivers following stroke

Objective: The left and right sides of the brain has different roles. This study investigated the differences in cognitive driving ability between stroke survivors with damage to the left brain and right brain. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the driving cognitive ability of left and right hemispheric drivers following stroke. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The Stroke Drivers’ Screening Assessment (SDSA) from the UK was translated to the Korean Stroke Drivers’ Screening Assessment (K-SDSA) to meet the specific traffic environments of Korea. The SDSA is composed of 4 tasks :1) a dot cancellation task that measures concentration and visuospatial abilities necessary for driving, 2) a directional matrix task to measure spatio-temporal executive function required for driving, 3) a compass matrix task to measure accurate direction determination ability required for driving, and 4) recognition of traffic signs and reasoning ability to understanding traffic situation. The SDSA assessment time is about 30 minutes. The K-SDSA was used to compare the cognitive driving abilities between 15 stroke survivors with left and 15 stroke survivors with right brain damage. Results: There were significant differences between the persons with stroke patients with left brain lesions (right hemiplegia) compared to the persons with stroke with right brain lesions (left hemiplegia) (p<0.05). It was found that the cognitive driving ability of those with right brain damage was lower than that of the group of left brain damage. Conclusions: This research investigated the driving cognitive ability of persons with stroke. The therapists can use this information as basis for the driving test and training purposes. It could also be used as a basis to understanding if the cognitive ability of not only stroke survivors but also those with brain damage is adequate to actually drive.
Near-real-time non-obstructed flood inundation mapping using synthetic aperture radar

Abstract In the event of a flood disaster, first response agencies need inundation maps produced in near real time (NRT). Such maps can be generated using satellite-based information. In this study, we developed mapping techniques that rely on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) on-board earth-orbiting platforms. SAR provides valid ground surface measurements through cloud cover with high resolution and sampling frequency that has recently increased through multiple missions. Despite numerous efforts, automatic processing of SAR data to derive accurate inundation maps still poses challenges. To address them, we have developed an NRT system named RAdar-Produced Inundation Diary (RAPID). RAPID integrates four processing steps: classification based on statistics, morphological processing, multi-threshold-based compensation, and machine-learning correction. Besides SAR data, the system integrates multisource remote-sensing data products, including land cover classification, water occurrence, hydrographical, water type, and river width products. In comparison to expert handmade flood maps, the fully-automated RAPID system exhibited “overall,” “producer,” and “user” accuracies of 93%, 77%, and 75%, respectively. RAPID accommodates commonly encountered over- and under-detections caused by noise-like speckle, water-like radar response areas, strong scatterers, and isolated inundation areas—errors that are in common practice to ignore, mask out, or be filtered out by coarsening the effective resolution. RAPID can serve as the kernel algorithm to derive flood inundation products from satellites—both existing and to be launched—equipped with high-resolution SAR sensors, including Envisat, Radarsat, NISAR, Advanced Land Observation Satellite (ALOS)-1/2, Sentinel-1, and TerraSAR-X.
Superelectrophilic Diels-Alder reactions and oxidations leading to heterocyclic biaryl compounds

Heterocyclic imines provide biaryl products by a two-step transformation. The first transformation involves a Diels-Alder reaction with a multiply protonated imine to give a tetrahydroquinoline pro...
Research grade marijuana supplied by the National Institute on Drug Abuse is genetically divergent from commercially availableCannabis

Abstract Public comfort with Cannabis (marijuana and hemp) has recently increased, resulting in previously strict Cannabis regulations now allowing hemp cultivation, medical use, and in some states, recreational consumption. There is a growing interest in the potential medical benefits of the various chemical constituents produced by the Cannabis plant. Currently, the University of Mississippi, funded through the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH/NIDA), is the sole Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) licensed facility to cultivate Cannabis for research purposes. Hence, most federally funded research where participants consume Cannabis for medicinal purposes relies on NIDA-supplied product. Previous research found that cannabinoid levels in research grade marijuana supplied by NIDA did not align with commercially available Cannabis from Colorado, Washington and California. Given NIDA chemotypes were misaligned with commercial Cannabis, we sought to investigate where NIDA’s research grade marijuana falls on the genetic spectrum of Cannabis groups. NIDA research grade marijuana was found to genetically group with Hemp samples along with a small subset of commercial drug-type Cannabis. A majority of commercially available drug-type Cannabis was genetically very distinct from NIDA samples. These results suggest that subjects consuming NIDA research grade marijuana may experience different effects than average consumers.
Apical Ballooning of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy in a Patient with Non-ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction Due to Right Coronary Artery Stenosis: The Trapped Octopus Got a Heart Attack

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is characterized by apical ballooning with basal preservation in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) that can otherwise explain wall motion abnormalities. However, there is increasing evidence that acute coronary syndromes (ACSs) may coexist with TCM. This report describes a 61-year-old man with a previous medical history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia, who presented with acute chest pain and associated shortness of breath. He was diagnosed with a non-ST segment myocardial infarction. Echocardiography revealed impaired systolic function with evidence of apical and periapical ballooning of the left ventricle, characteristic of TCM. Coronary angiography revealed evidence of significant luminal stenosis of the right coronary artery (RCA), necessitating intervention with a drug-eluting stent. This patient demonstrated wall motion abnormalities characteristic of TCM beyond the territory of the affected coronary artery suggesting that CAD and TCM can coexist.
A Note on Binary Plane Partitions

Abstract. This paper considers binary space partition s (BSP for short) for disjoint line segments in the plane. The BSP for a disjoint set of objects is a scheme dividing the space recursively by hyperplanes until the resulting fragments of objects are separated. The size of a BSP is the number of resulting fragments of the objects. We show that the minimal size of a BSP for n disjoint line segments in the plane is Ω (n log n /log log n) in the worst case.
Some Molecular Aspects of Neural Mechanisms

This contribution to the volume of scientific papers in memory of my old teacher Harold Himwich will review seven years’ work in a field that might variously be regarded as structural molecular biology or else as neuroanatomy at the molecular level. The strategy that I have used to guide my approach to these problems has been based on my training as a neuroanatomist. The majority of workers currently in molecular neurobiology have reached it via biochemistry or biophysics, and hence functional relationships have been to the fore in their work, whereas structural aspects of molecular neural mechanisms, as the ultimate basis of all behavior, are equally important.
Low Absolute CD4 Central Memory Count On Day 30 Is Associated with An Increased Incidence of Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease.

Abstract 516 Early lymphocyte recovery is an important determinant of hematopoietic stem cell transplant (SCT) outcome. We found that robust day 30 lymphocyte counts are associated with a decreased incidence of relapse, decreased rates of both acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (a-GvHD, c-GvHD), and increased survival. Natural killer (NK) cells contribute to lymphocyte recovery and may be associated with a strong graft-versus-leukemia and anti-GvHD effect. However, the contribution of the recovery of specific T cell subsets to transplant outcome has not been fully explored. We studied 43 patients undergoing a myeloablative matched-sibling T-cell depleted or selectively depleted SCT for a variety of hematological malignancies including AML, ALL, CML, and MDS. Median age was 43 years (range, 13–68), and median CD34 cell dose was 6.1×106/kg (range, 3.1-10.1). Thirty-one patients developed a-GvHD (12 grade I, 18 grade II, 1 grade II). Twelve patients had c-GvHD (7 limited, 5 extensive). On day 30 after SCT a peripheral blood sample was collected on all patients and cryopreserved. In preparation for analysis, mononuclear cells from these samples were thawed and rested overnight. Flow cytometry was then performed on a BD FACS CantoII flow cytometer with multicolor fluorochrome antibodies to CD3, CD4, CD8, CD27, and CD45RO. Subsets were defined as follows: Naive (N) CD27+CD45RO-, Central Memory (CM) CD27+CD45RO+, Effector Memory (EM) CD27-CD45RO+, and Effectors (E) CD27-CD45RO-. Data was analyzed by BD FACSDiva software, and Kaplan-Meier survival statistical analysis was performed on the readouts. Median subset frequencies were CD3+: 254 /μL (range, 75-2085), CD4+ : 132 /μL (range, 3-501), CD8+ :101 /μL (range, 9-1361), CD4+ EM 49/μL (range, 2-252), CD4+CM 60/μL (range, 1-253), CD8+ EM: 50 cells/μL (range 2-977), CD8+ CM 28 /μL (range, 2-401), Naive and Effector cells were minimally or non-detected in both CD4+ and CD8+ compartments. When T cell subset recovery was correlated with transplant outcomes (a-GVHD, c-GVHD, relapse and survival) one significant association was identified: low CD4+ CM counts correlated with a higher incidence of c-GvHD. Patients that had less than the median value of 60 CD4+ CM cells/μL had a significantly higher likelihood of developing c-GvHD (HR 4.28, p=0.039, see figure). Additionally, when considering degree of disease, low CD4+ CM counts were associated with the severest manifestations of c-GvHD (p=0.021). As a result, we conclude that low absolute concentrations of CD4+ CM cells on day 30 after SCT reflects a deficiency in regulatory mechanisms important in the control of alloreactivity, and may be used as a surrogate marker for individuals at risk of developing c-GvHD. ![Figure][1] Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare. [1]: pending:yes
TH17 Pathway and Associated Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines Promote Immune Dysfunction in Myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is associated with significant immune dysfunction. Although various mechanisms mediating immune dysregulation in MM have been studied, its molecular and cellular basis is ill defined. IL-6, TGF-β and IL-1β have been implicated in this process, but their mechanism of effects on immune function have not been studied in MM. Together, IL-6 and TGF-β enhance the generation of TH17 cells, important in the development of immunity and auto-immunity. Additionally, TH17 cells are differentiated by number of inflammatory cytokines including, IL-21, IL-22, IL-23, and IL-27. Therefore, we evaluated the immune dysfunction and the role of TH17 cells and associated pro-inflammatory cytokines in myeloma. We have previously characterized that the production of TH1 mediated cytokines including IFN-γ following anti-CD3-mediated activation is significantly lower in myeloma PBMC compared to normal PBMC. We hypothesize that this may be regulated via skewing the immune system towards TH17 pathway. We observed that TH17 cells, measured by intra-cellular flow cytometry, are significantly increased in number in myeloma (16.9%) and MGUS (6.2%) compared to normal (3.3%). Furthermore, we analysed supporting pro-inflammatory cytokine network for the generation of TH17 cells in myeloma, which may be responsible for the observed TH17 skewing of T cell subsets. Sera from MGUS (n=12) and myeloma (n=17) patients were evaluated for the presence of these pro-inflammatory cytokines compared with normal sera (n=6) using ELISA. We observed significant increase in serum IL-21, IL-22 and IL-23 in MGUS (373 pg/ml, 14 pg/ml and 147 pg/ml respectively; p<0.05) and myeloma (296 pg/ml, 12 pg/ml and 215 pg/ml respectively; p<0.05) compared with normal (63 pg/ml, 1.5 pg/ml and 39 pg/ml respectively). In addition, we also observed that the myeloma PBMC stimulated in the presence of IL-6 and TGF-β, both of the cytokines present at a high level in myeloma, induced significant IL-23 production compared with normal. Importantly, IL-23 levels were 10 fold higher in myeloma BM samples compared with matching blood samples. These results indicate that the cytokines from myeloma BM microenvironment may be responsible for the observed T cell subset abnormality by favouring TH17 cells via IL-23/IL-21 production. These cytokines thus may be targets to modulate immune responses in myeloma to enhance immune function and devise effective vaccination strategies in the future.
Adolescents and young adults engaged with pro-eating disorder social media: eating disorder and comorbid psychopathology, health care utilization, treatment barriers, and opinions on harnessing technology for treatment

The purpose of this study was to examine exposure (i.e., seeing, following, posting) to body image content emphasizing a thin ideal on various social media platforms and probable eating disorder (ED) diagnoses, ED-related quality of life, and psychiatric comorbidities (i.e., depression, anxiety) among adolescents and young adult females recruited via social media who endorsed viewing and/or posting pro-ED online content. We also investigated health care utilization, treatment barriers, and opinions on harnessing technology for treatment. Participants were 405 adolescent and young adult females engaged with pro-ED social media. We reported on study constructs for the sample as a whole, as well as on differences between age groups. Eighty-four percent of participants’ self-reported symptoms were consistent with a clinical/subclinical ED, and this was slightly more common among young adults. Participants endorsed reduced ED-related quality of life, as well as comorbid depression and anxiety. Among those with clinical/subclinical EDs, only 14% had received treatment. The most common treatment barriers were believing the problem was not serious enough and believing one should help themselves. The majority of participants approved of harnessing technology for treatment. Results provide support for engagement with pro-ED online content serving as a potential indicator of ED symptoms and suggest promise for facilitating linkage from social media to technology-enhanced interventions. V, cross-sectional descriptive study.
Endovascular Aneurysm Repair Followed by Multiple Interventions for Endoleaks

A 78-year-old male underwent endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) with AneuRx stent graft in 2007 and had two interventions for Type II endoleak with sac enlargement in 2010 and 2015. He developed Type IA endoleak which was repaired by aortic cuff in November 2018, and aneurysm sac has remained stable for the past year.
Lewis Acid-Catalyzed Vinyl Acetal Rearrangement of 4,5-Dihydro-1,3-dioxepines: Stereoselective Synthesis of cis- and trans- 2,3-Disubstituted Tetrahydrofurans.

Lewis acid-catalyzed rearrangements of 4,5-dihydro-1,3-dioxepines have been investigated. Rearrangement of vinyl acetals under a variety of conditions resulted in cis- and trans-2,3-disubstituted tetrahydrofuran derivatives in a highly stereoselective manner. Rearrangements at lower temperatures typically provided the cis-2,3-disubstituted tetrahydrofuran carbaldehydes. At higher temperatures, the corresponding trans-2,3-disubstituted tetrahydrofuran carbaldehydes are formed. The requisite substrates for the vinyl acetal rearrangement were synthesized via ring-closing olefin metathesis of bis(allyoxy)methyl derivatives using Grubbs second-generation catalyst followed by olefin isomerization using a catalytic amount of RuCl2(PPh3)3. We examined the substrate scope using substituted aromatic and aliphatic derivatives. Additionally, the rearrangement was utilized in the synthesis of a stereochemically-defined bis-tetrahydrofuran (bis-THF) derivative, which is one of the key structural elements of darunavir, an FDA-approved drug for the treatment of HIV/AIDS.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer in Pregnancy and Lactation

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) represents only 1% to 5% of all breast malignancies and is an extremely aggressive subtype. At time of diagnosis, up to 85% of patients will present with regional nodal metastases and up to 30 % will have metastasis to distant organs. There is limited medical literature describing treatment guidelines for IBC during gestation. The best diagnostic tools are core needle and full-thickness skin punch biopsies to assess presence of dermal lymphatic invasion. Breast Ultrasound is preferred to mammogram, but mammography could still be done with proper fetal shielding. Ultrasound and Magnetic resonance imaging are used for staging. Pregnant patients should be managed with special attention to the health of the fetus by a multidisciplinary team. Treatment based on current guidelines consist of a sequence of systemic chemotherapy followed by mastectomy with axillary dissection (modified radical mastectomy), and even if good clinical nodal response to neoadjuvant therapy is obtained, sentinel node biopsy is not recommended. Radiation therapy is to be given once the baby has been delivered. Chemotherapy is not recommended in the first trimester, and anti-estrogen hormonal therapy, as well as targeted Her2-neu therapies are contraindicated during the length of the pregnancy. There is no evidence that early termination improves the outcome. However, given the poor prognosis of IBC, patients should be fully counseled on the risks and benefits of continuing or terminating an early pregnancy.
The Impact of Barley α-Glucosidases on Mashing and the Production of Fermentable Sugars

The independent and interactive contributions of α-glucosidase to the degradation of raw starch isolated from barley and to the degradation of Lintner starch have been mathematically evaluated, but...
An optimally-coupled multi-time stepping method for transient heat conduction simulation for additive manufacturing

Abstract With growing application of additive manufacturing (AM) in industry, simulation of transient heat conduction during the AM process has drawn increasing attention. However, detailed simulation with acceptable accuracy is extremely time consuming because of the large range of time scales involved in the problem. In this work, a multi-time stepping method using different timesteps in multiple subdomains is developed to accelerate transient heat conduction simulation. A Dirichlet–Robin iterative coupling scheme is proposed to enforce continuity at the interfaces between different subdomains. This allows numerical stability of the multi-timestep​ model, even with disparate materials or meshes on either side of the subdomain interfaces. Specifically, an optimal approximation for the Schur complement matrix is derived using a one-dimensional (1D) model, which avoids the instabilities encountered when using a Dirichlet–Neumann coupling formulation and allows convergence of the iterative coupling scheme in only one iteration at each timestep. Several numerical examples are studied to evaluate the stability, convergence and performance of the method. It is found that the proposed method is robust and stable for all choices of material parameters, unlike the conventional Dirichlet–Neumann coupling scheme. To demonstrate the use of the method for AM, a simulation representative of a single laser track is performed and compared with line heat source model approach. It is found that the proposed method not only accelerates the simulation by a factor of more than 100, but gives very good accuracy for temperature in the melt pool region.
I Like My Relational Machine Teacher: An AI Instructor’s Communication Styles and Social Presence in Online Education

New advancements in technology have made machines teachers, or technology-powered robots or AI that assist in the overall learning experience, a possibility. Though adoption rates are currently low...
Individual differences in motor skill learning: Past, present and future.

Abstract Humans vary considerably in their ability to perform and learn new motor skills. In addition, they respond to different performance and practice conditions in varying ways. Historically, experimental psychologists have characterized these differences as ‘experimental noise’, yet for those who embrace differential psychology, the study of individual differences promises to deepen insights into the processes that mediate motor control and learning. In this paper, we highlight what we know about predicting motor learning based on individual difference characteristics and renew a call made by Lee Cronbach several decades ago to combine the methodologies used by experimental and differential psychologists to further our understanding of how to promote motor learning. The paper provides a brief historical overview of research on individual differences and motor learning followed by a systematic review of the last 20 years of research on this issue. The paper ends by highlighting some of the methodological challenges associated with conducting research on individual differences, as well as providing suggestions for future research. The study of individual differences has important implications for furthering our understanding of motor learning and when tailoring interventions for diverse learners at different stages of practice.
Privacy From Doctors

We are moving rapidly towards a world of de facto comprehensive cradle-to-coffin electronic medical records. Though welcome in many respects, this shift has a crucial drawback: it comes with grave risks to patients’ privacy. Discussions of medical privacy tend to focus on the potential for misuse of medical records, or the risk that patient records will be used outside of the healthcare context. But patients also have deep interests in controlling medical information within the healthcare context. In the past, patients were able to control the narrative of their medical histories or seek care without fully disclosing the contents of their records simply by going to new providers. Going forward, unless protections are put in place, this sort of functional privacy safeguard will become obsolete. This paper explores what will be lost if that comes to pass. It provides a rich account of the benefits of “privacy from doctors” and explores the promise and perils of all-encompassing, easily (or even automatically) shared health records. Protecting this form of privacy both promotes intrinsic values, such as respect for patients’ autonomy and dignity, and has the potential to positively affect care outcomes and the doctor-patient relationship. As regulations regarding “data-blocking” practices and interoperable platforms go into effect, we should avoid throwing out the baby with the bathwater. To that end, the paper sets forth some practical avenues to protect the benefits of privacy from doctors. It closes with broader reflections on what our policy approach to patients’ personal information says about the roles of patients and providers in the American medical system more broadly
Broad antiviral and anti-inflammatory efficacy of nafamostat against SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal coronaviruses in primary human bronchiolar epithelia

Antiviral strategies that target host systems needed for SARS-CoV-2 replication and pathogenesis may have therapeutic potential and help mitigate resistance development. Here, we evaluate nafamostat mesylate, a potent broad-spectrum serine protease inhibitor that blocks host protease activation of the viral spike protein. SARS-CoV-2 is used to infect human polarized mucociliated primary bronchiolar epithelia reconstituted with cells derived from healthy donors, smokers and subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Nafamostat markedly inhibits apical shedding of SARS-CoV-2 from all donors (log10 reduction). We also observe, for the first-time, anti-inflammatory effects of nafamostat on airway epithelia independent of its antiviral effects, suggesting a dual therapeutic advantage in the treatment of COVID-19. Nafamostat also exhibits antiviral properties against the seasonal human coronaviruses 229E and NL6. These findings suggest therapeutic promise for nafamostat in treating SARS-CoV-2 and other human coronaviruses.