cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Associations of serum skeletal alkaline phosphatase with elevated C-reactive protein and mortality.

Summary Background and objectives Higher serum total alkaline phosphatase (AP) levels are associated with increased serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and mortality in the general and CKD populations. It is unclear to what extent these associations are related to bone disease. Design, setting, participants, & measurements In a nationally representative sample of 10,707 adult participants from the 1999–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, serum nonskeletal AP levels were estimated from the measured serum skeletal and total AP levels. The associations of serum skeletal AP and nonskeletal AP levels with elevated serum CRP concentrations (.3 mg/L) and mortality were examined in multivariable models. Results Skeletal AP was not associated with elevated CRP (for each doubling in non-CKD: odds ratio [OR], 1.00; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.90–1.11; in CKD: OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.83–1.70) or mortality (for each doubling in non-CKD: hazard ratio [HR], 1.10; 95% CI, 0.94–1.29; in CKD: HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.75–1.28). In contrast, nonskeletal AP was associated with elevated CRP (for each doubling in non-CKD: OR, 4.51; 95% CI, 3.80–5.35; in CKD: OR, 5.98; 95% CI, 3.40–10.51). Nonskeletal AP was associated with mortality in non-CKD (for each doubling: HR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.37–2.80) but not in CKD (for each doubling: HR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.51–1.67) (interaction P=0.03). Conclusions Bone disease is unlikely to account for the known associations of serum total AP with increased inflammation and mortality. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 8: 26–32, 2013. doi: 10.2215/CJN.12031111
A jitter rejection technique in a satellite-based laser communication system

A technique, resulting in the significant reduction of negative effects of satellite jitter on the accuracy of laser beam positioning in communication systems, is presented. It implies application of vibration monitoring instrumentation for estimation of the motion components constituting jitter. A self-tuning feedforward jitter compensation scheme is introduced to the existing mirror positioning control systems. The technique is verified by computer simulation and is in the process of experimental investigation. >
Distributed Algorithms for Scheduling on Line and Tree Networks with Non-uniform Bandwidths

In this paper we study the unsplittable flow problem (UFP) on tree networks in a distributed setting. We have a set of processors (or agents) and a set of tree networks defined over some vertex set. Each processor can access a subset of the tree networks. Each edge in each of the tree networks is associated with a capacity. Each processor has a demand specified as a pair of vertices u and v, along with a profit and a height; the processor wishes to send data between u and v and requires bandwidth equal to its height. Towards that goal, the processor needs to select a tree network accessible to it. A feasible solution selects a subset of demands and schedules each selected demand on a tree network accessible to the processor owning the demand. The requirement is that for any tree network and any edge in the network, the sum of heights of demands scheduled on the network and passing through the edge must not exceed the capacity offered by the edge. The goal is to output a solution having the maximum aggregate profit. Prior work has addressed the above problem in a distributed setting for the special case where all the edge capacities are uniform, say one unit. The main contributions of this paper is to address the general case where the edge capacities can be non-uniform and arbitrary. For this case, we present distributed algorithms with poly-logarithmic approximation ratio.
Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonding in Dimethyl Sulfoxide Solutions of Glucose and Polyglucoses

The downfield position (about 5r or lower) of certain hydroxyl proton resonance signals in the pmr spectra of glucose and polyglucoses in dimethyl sulfoxide solutions suggest the presence of intramolecular hydrogen bonds, namely, one involving the C-4 and C-6 group OH in glucose and, additionally in the polyglucoses, one between the C-3' OH and the ring oxygen in the adjacent glucopyranoside ring. The OH signals in the 5r region are in the proper ratio for the C-3' and C-4 OH protons in the polyglucoses examined. Absorption bands at 3500-3550 cm''in the ir spectra of methyl α-D- gtucopyranoside, cellobiose, and methyl cellobioside dissolved in DMSO and the absence of such an absorption in the methyl 6-deoxy-α-D-glucopyranoside spectrum provide further confirmation.
SYMMETRIC SHAPE AVERAGING IN THE DIFFEOMORPHIC SPACE

We provide a method for symmetric (unbiased) computation of optimal shape templates in the diffeomorphic space (Diff). We explicitly minimize the Diff metric distance by allowing an unbiased statistical evolution of the initial conditions defining the set of diffeomorphisms at time zero. This procedure is distinct from related methods that do not explicitly compute symmetric shape averages or only average the appearance component (intensity) in an unbiased way. Explicitly minimizing the diffeomorphic metric distance improves the sharpness and accuracy of the derived template. We illustrate this accuracy by computing optimal templates from a simple dataset of ellipses. Our shape optimizing method yields results that reproduce the analytically known optimal template. A related method that uses diffeomorphisms to find an unbiased optimal intensity template does not yield the theoretical result. We show that the improved performance occurs not only in synthetic studies but also when deriving templates from real data
Diabetes and cancer: Associations, mechanisms, and implications for medical practice

Both diabetes mellitus and cancer are prevalent diseases worldwide. It is evident that there is a substantial increase in cancer incidence in diabetic patients. Epidemiologic studies have indicated that diabetic patients are at significantly higher risk of common cancers including pancreatic, liver, breast, colorectal, urinary tract, gastric and female reproductive cancers. Mortality due to cancer is moderately increased among patients with diabetes compared with those without. There is increasing evidence that some cancers are associated with diabetes, but the underlying mechanisms of this potential association have not been fully elucidated. Insulin is a potent growth factor that promotes cell proliferation and carcinogenesis directly and/or through insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Hyperinsulinemia leads to an increase in the bioactivity of IGF-1 by inhibiting IGF binding protein-1. Hyperglycemia serves as a subordinate plausible explanation of carcinogenesis. High glucose may exert direct and indirect effects upon cancer cells to promote proliferation. Also chronic inflammation is considered as a hallmark of carcinogenesis. The multiple drugs involved in the treatment of diabetes seem to modify the risk of cancer. Screening to detect cancer at an early stage and appropriate treatment of diabetic patients with cancer are important to improve their prognosis. This paper summarizes the associations between diabetes and common cancers, interprets possible mechanisms involved, and addresses implications for medical practice.
Pseudorandom Bit Generation Using Coupled Congruential Generators

In this brief, we propose the generation of a pseudorandom bit sequence (PRBS) using a comparative linear congruential generator (CLCG) as follows. A bit ?1? is output if the first linear congruential generator (LCG) produces an output that is greater than the output of the second LCG, and a bit ?0? is output otherwise. Breaking this scheme would require one to obtain the seeds of the two independent generators given the bits of the output bit sequence. We prove that the problem of uniquely determining the seeds for the CLCG requires the following: 1) knowledge of at least log2 m 2 ( m being the LCG modulus) bits of the output sequence and 2) the solution of at least log2 m 2 inequalities, where each inequality (dictated by the output bit observed) is applied over positive integers. Computationally, we show that this task is exponential in n (where n = log2 m is the number of bits in m) with complexity O(22 n). The quality of the PRBS so obtained is assessed by performing a suite of statistical tests (National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-22) recommended by NIST. We observe that a variant of our generator that uses two CLCGs (called dual CLCG) pass all the NIST pseudorandomness tests with a high degree of consistency.
Cancer immunotherapy: are we there yet?

The immune system is the built-in host defense mechanism against infectious agents as well as cancer. Protective immunity against cancer was convincingly demonstrated in the 1940s with syngeneic animal models (JNCI 18:769-778, 1976; Cancer Immun 1:6, 2001). Since then, the last century’s dream has been to effectively prevent and cure cancers by immunological means. This dream has slowly but surely become a reality (Nature 480:480-489, 2011). The successful examples of immunoprophylaxis and therapy against cancers include: (i) targeted therapy using monoclonal antibodies (Nat Rev Cancer 12:278-287, 2012); (ii) allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantion to elicit graft-versus-cancer effect against a variety of hematopoietic malignancies (Blood 112:4371-4383, 2008); (iii) vaccination for preventing cancers with clear viral etiology such as hepatocellular carcinoma and cervical cancer (Cancer J Clin 57:7-28, 2007; NEJM 336:1855-1859, 1997); (iv) T cell checkpoint blockade against inhibitory pathways including targeting CTLA-4 and PD-1 inhibitory molecules for the treatment of melanoma and other solid tumors (NEJM 363:711-723, 2010; NEJM 366:2443-2454, 2012; NEJM 369:122-133, 2013; NEJM 366:2455-2465, 2012); (v) antigen-pulsed autologous dendritic cell vaccination against prostate cancer (NEJM 363:411-422, 2010); and (vi) the transfer of T cells including those genetically engineered with chimeric antigen receptors allowing targeting of B cell neoplasms (NEJM 365:725-733, 2011; NEJM 368:1509-1518, 2013; Blood 118:4817-4828, 2013; Sci Transl Med 5:177ra138, 2013). This article provides an overview on the exciting and expanding immunological arsenals against cancer, and discusses critical remaining unanswered questions of cancer immunology. The inherent specificity and memory of the adaptive immune response towards cancer will undoubtedly propel cancer immunotherapy to the forefront of cancer treatment in the immediate near future. Study of the fundamental mechanisms of the immune evasion of cancer shall also advance the field of immunology towards the development of effective immunotherapeutics against a wide spectrum of human diseases.
Unraveling Equity in HOT Lane Planning: A View from Practice

This article investigates how concern about equity has arisen in the planning and implementation of high-occupancy/toll lane projects, or so-called “HOT lanes.” Specifically, the research assesses (1) where and how equity issues have surfaced in the debate over HOT lanes and (2) how practicing planners have responded to these equity concerns. By looking explicitly at the planning process through a series of case studies and a review of newspaper coverage, the research suggests strategies for how practitioners can craft a comprehensive and meaningful framework for assessing and addressing equity issues.
Effects of adsorbed proteins, an antifouling agent and long-duration DC voltage pulses on the impedance of silicon-based neural microelectrodes

The successful use of implantable neural microelectrodes as neuroprosthetic devices depends on the mitigation of the reactive tissue response of the brain. One of the factors affecting the ultimate severity of the reactive tissue response and the in vivo electrical properties of the microelectrodes is the initial adsorption of proteins onto the surface of the implanted microelectrodes. In this study we quantify the increase in microelectrode impedance magnitude at physiological frequencies following electrode immersion in a 10% bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution. We also demonstrate the efficacy of a common antifouling molecule, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), in preventing a significant increase in microelectrode impedance. In addition, we show the feasibility of using long-duration DC voltage pulses to remove adsorbed proteins from the microelectrode surface.
Stress-controlled viscoelastic tensile response of bovine cornea

The viscoelastic response of bovine corneas was characterized using in vitro load-controlled uniaxial tension experiments. Specifically, two types of tests were employed: cycled ramp tests over a range of loading rates and creep tests over a range of hold stresses. Multiple replicates of each were used to quantify natural variability as well as mean trends. A preconditioning protocol was used to obtain a unique reference state before testing and to overcome the effects of non-physiological loading. A quasi-linear viscoelastic model incorporating a representation of the microstructure of the cornea was compared to the experimental results. For low stresses and moderate durations this model compares favorably, but overall the material displays non-linearities that cannot be represented within the quasi-linear framework.
A decentralized fault diagnosis system for wireless sensor networks

The irregularities of a low cost wireless communication interface, changing environmental conditions, in-situ deployment and scarce resources make management, monitoring and troubleshooting performance of a sensor network a challenging task. In this paper we present the design of a decentralized fault diagnosis system for a wireless sensor network. Our system distinguishes between multiple root causes of degraded performance and provides efficient feedback into the network to troubleshoot the fault
Public Sector Pensions: How Well Funded Are They, Really?

This paper first describes how public employee pensions currently measure their financial health; then describes the strong consensus from economists that current accounting rules significantly understate pension liabilities and overstate pension funding levels; and finally, describes how pension financing across the country would appear using accounting rules similar to those required for private sector pensions or which are used by public employee plans in other countries.
Papuan frogs of the genus Cophixalus (Anura: Microhylidae): new synonyms, new species, and a dichotomous key

Cophixalus represents the most diverse genus of microhylid frogs. Within this group I show that two recently describedspecies are in fact synonyms of species described in the 19th Century. Proper recognition of one of these has been hinderedby the poor state of the syntypes and confused information presented in earlier literature. The second species was simplynot diagnosed against other members of the genus. I also describe five new species: one of these is known only from asingle specimen from far western New Guinea, two occupy the Papuan Peninsula in the east of that island, and two arerestricted to Woodlark Island off the southeastern tip of New Guinea. One of these new species had earlier been mis-iden-tified as C. pipilans, requiring me to herein provide a corrected comparison of features that distinguishes C. desticans from C. pipilans. These taxonomic changes bring the number of Cophixalus species to 61, of which 42 inhabit New Guinea andimmediately adjacent islands. But much of this region remains poorly surveyed, and, undoubtedly, many additional spe-cies remain to be described. I provide the first dichotomous key for the Papuan members of this genus, which should facilitate description of additional species.
Step-by-Step Building of a 3-D Model from Images

This chapter serves a dual purpose. For those who have been following the book up to this point, it provides hands-on experience by guiding them through the application of various algorithms on concrete examples.
Forschungszentren / Institutionen / Interkulturelle Preise

Die funf Schwerpunkte des Instituts widmen sich folgenden Teilbereichen: 1. Migrationsforschung: Soziale, historische und okonomische Aspekte der Arbeitskraftewanderung in Europa. Problem der Ruckwanderung von Wanderarbeitnehmern. Ethnische Identitat im internationalen Vergleich. Integration auslandischer Arbeitnehmer in Ballungsgebieten.
The Wages of History: Emotional Labor on Public History’s Front Lines

At a time when cultural sites around the world face ever-shrinking budgets, heritage workers are often thankful for any employment they can find in the sector, no matter how poor the pay rate or ho...
On the Equivariant Formality of Kähler Manifolds With Finite Group Action

An appropriate definition of equivariant formality for spaces equipped with the action of a finite group G, and for equivariant maps between such spaces, is given. Kahler manifolds with holomorphic G-actions, and equivariant holomorphic maps between such Kahler manifolds, are proven to be equivariantly formal, generalizing results of Deligne, Griffiths, Morgan, and Sullivan
Glutamate-Aspartate Transaminase Activity in the Blood Plasma of an Insect during the Course of Two Viral Diseases

Glutamate-aspartate transaminase was assayed in the blood plasma of the noctuid larva Peridroma saucia (Hubner) during the course of nucleopolyhedrosis and granulosis. The blood-plasma transaminase activity was measured in LaDue-Wroblewski-Karmen units. In larvae with nucleopolyhedrosis, the activity of this enzyme was significantly elevated at the fourth and subsequent days after peroral inoculation with the virus. During the course of granulosis, the elevation was less marked: the first statistically significant increase was detected only at the fifth clay postinoculation. These differences in hyperenzymemia appear to be the result of dissimilar cytocidal activities of the two viruses concerned.
Integration of Docetaxel Into Adjuvant Breast Cancer Treatment Regimens

Adjuvant chemotherapy is an integral component of the multidisciplinary curative treatment of primary breast cancers. The experience of the last 3 decades indicates that anthracycline-containing regimens provide the most effective cytotoxic treatment for this purpose.
The impact of reduced incidence of malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases on global population

Abstract Interrupting mosquito-borne disease (MBD) transmission was a 20th-century development. By exploiting a natural experiment hinging on the interaction between the probable onset of efforts to suppress MBD and the potential benefit to local communities' average health, this research finds that suppressing MBD explains at least 1.5% of the increase in global population growth since 1900. In Africa, estimates suggest 14% of growth is due to controlling MBD. Globally, the treatment effect is relatively uniform across the 20th century, while in Africa, population grew relatively faster after the widespread DDT spraying of the 1960s. Additionally, this research finds that different indices of historical malaria prevalence reveal complementary insights into the reduction of MBD and subsequent population growth. Robustness of the measured impacts are explored further using regional characteristics, such as topographic boundaries on the extent of Anopheles mosquitoes, as well as by controlling for other factors that could influence population growth.
Latino Adults’ Perspectives on Treating Tobacco Use Via Social Media

Background: Latinos are the largest minority group in the United States, and in California they outnumber non-Hispanic whites. Smoking cessation programs tailored for Latino culture, and this population’s specific smoking patterns, are needed. Online social networks for smoking cessation have high potential for Latinos, but have not been tested to date. Objective: Building a research program on social media apps for cancer prevention in diverse populations, this qualitative study assessed acceptability of tobacco treatment that was distributed via social media for Latino smokers. Methods: We conducted three focus groups with Latino adults who were former and current smokers recruited from Santa Clara County, California in 2015 (N=32). We assessed participants’ smoking histories, attempts to quit, social media exposure, and receptivity to a social media-based smoking cessation intervention. Audio transcripts were translated and coded for themes. Results: Participants reported factors driving their tobacco use and motivations to quit, and emphasized the importance of community and family in influencing their smoking initiation, cravings and triggers, attempts to quit, and abstinence. Participants valued the communal aspect of social media and suggested strategically tailoring groups based on key features (eg, age, gender, language preference). Participants reported preferring visual, educational, and motivational messages that were connected with existing services. Conclusions: Participants generally voiced acceptability of a social media-delivered intervention to help them quit smoking, viewed the intervention as well-equipped for catering to the strong community orientation of Latinos, and suggested that the platform was able to address variation within the population through strategic group creation. As a group member reflected, “Podemos hacerlo juntos” (We can do it together). [JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2017;5(2):e12]
Disseminated tumor cells in primary breast cancer: Evaluation of the percentage of breast cancer stem cells in bone marrow aspirates of patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy

505 Background: Disseminated tumor cells (DTC) in the bone marrow (BM) are related to poor prognosis of primary breast cancer (PBC). Cancer-initiating stem cells (CSC) have been detected in BM of PBC patients. Downregulation of the Notch pathway leads to murine mammary stem cell expansion and its expression is an early event in breast cancer. We enumerated CSC in BM mononuclear cells (BMC) and assessed the expression of Notch-1, ER, and HER-2 to study the differences between untreated patients and those treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Methods: BM was collected from 90 PBC patients at time of surgery to assess DTC (CD326+CD45-) and CSC (CD326+CD45-CD44+CD24-) by FACS analysis. BM samples were also interrogated for the presence of CSC with ALDH activity using the Aldefluor® detection kit. RNA extracted from 61 BMC was analyzed for Notch-1, ER, and HER-2 transcripts by RT-PCR; the level of each transcript was normalized to that of the housekeeping gene, GAPDH. Results: The median age of patients is 51...
Implementation and Evaluation of a Smartphone Application for the Perioperative Care of Neurosurgery Patients at an Academic Medical Center: Implications for Patient Satisfaction, Surgery Cancelations, and Readmissions.

BACKGROUND Smartphone applications (apps) in the health care arena are being increasingly developed with the aim of benefiting both patients and their physicians. The delivery of adequate instructions both before and after a procedure or surgery is of paramount importance in ensuring the best possible outcome for patients. OBJECTIVE To demonstrate that app-based instructions with built-in reminders may improve patient understanding and compliance and contribute to reducing the number of surgery cancellations and postoperative complications and readmissions. METHODS We prospectively accrued 56 patients undergoing routine neurosurgery procedures who subsequently downloaded the app. The median age was 54 (range 27-79). Patients were followed for successful registration and use of the app, compliance with reading instructions before and after surgery, and sending pain scores and/or wound images. The number of surgeries cancelled, postoperative complications, 30-d readmissions, and phone calls for surgery-related questions were examined. RESULTS Fifty-four of the 56 patients successfully registered, downloaded, and used the app and read and complied with instructions both before and after surgery. There were no cancelled surgeries. There was 1 postoperative complication. There were no readmissions. Eight of the 54 patients (14.8%) called the office on a single occasion for a surgery related question. CONCLUSION We demonstrate the utility of a smartphone application in the perioperative neurosurgical care setting with regard to patient compliance and satisfaction as well as surgery cancellations and readmissions. Further study of a larger number of patients with a control group is warranted.
Course Design Fostering Significant Learning: Inducing Students to Engage in Coursework as Meaningful Practice for Becoming a Capable Teacher

This chapter has two sections: an introduction to classroom practice performed by Sekita, who is the primary author, and a study of its impact by Mitsumura, the secondary author. Through inducing students to engage in coursework as meaningful practice for cultivating the general classroom teacher’s capacity, Sekita aimed to bring about learning that is meaningful to students. To evaluate this process of meaning making for students, Sekita utilizes the five basic features of good courses as identified by Fink (2003).
Searching for Bacterial Pathogens in Pediatric Patients with Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis Using 16S rRNA Quantitative Real-Time PCR

AbstractBackground Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) is a rare auto-inflammatory disease in children that causes relapsing episodes of pain. Patients are treated with anti-inflammatory medications or immune-modulating agents. Increasing evidence suggests that CRMO is mediated by dysregulation of the interleukin-1 pathway, not a bacterial source. However, CRMO is often a diagnosis of exclusion, and patients occasionally receive antimicrobials for possible culture negative infectious osteomyelitis. Few prior studies have utilized molecular diagnostic techniques to identify bacterial pathogens in CRMO bone biopsies.Methods Musculoskeletal specimens sent for culture during routine clinical care were banked from patients admitted to Children’s Hospital Colorado from 6/2012 to 10/2016. On retrospective chart review, 28 specimens were collected from 16 patients ultimately diagnosed with CRMO. Specimens were processed and extracted prior to molecular testing. All samples underwent quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) testing using bacterial load assays targeting the bacterial 16S rRNA gene.ResultsMean age at time of sample collection was 9.2 years. CRMO diagnosis was made by clinical, pathologic, and radiographic findings. All patients had pathology findings consistent with CRMO including lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate, focal necrosis, and/or marrow fibrosis. All patients had MRI findings consistent with CRMO. No patient had bacteria identified on Gram stain; 2/28 samples (7%) had bacterial growth on culture (both were coagulase-negative staphylococcus, felt to be contaminant). None of the 28 specimens met the threshold of bacterial load on qPCR testing to necessitate bacterial sequencing. None of the 16 patients were treated with antimicrobials and there were no readmissions for clinical worsening.Conclusion CRMO patients did not have bacteria identified on universal bacterial 16S rRNA testing. This finding further supports that CRMO patients do not require antimicrobial therapy. Future steps to exclude infectious pathogens in CRMO could include next-generation DNA sequencing.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.
A Diagnostic Approach to Stroke in Young Adults.

Optimal diagnosis and management of stroke in young adults benefit from a multidisciplinary team, including a vascular neurology specialist. In addition to the “standard” vascular risk factors including smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia, one needs to consider alternative etiologies including substance abuse, carotid/vertebral artery dissections, and rare genetic conditions among others. Once a young patient is determined to have had a stroke, the next question a clinician should ask is why did this patient have a stroke? A “heart to head” diagnostic approach is recommended. A thorough history is performed, including a detailed family history with specific annotations on each family member. A thorough physical examination is necessary including a careful evaluation of the patient’s general appearance, noting any joint laxity, and/or abnormalities of the skin, eyes, and heart. Findings across multiple organ systems in the patient and/or their family may indicate a genetic etiology. After an initial head CT rules out hemorrhagic stroke, additional testing should include a brain MRI, neck and cerebral vascular imaging (e.g., CTA for head and neck), transthoracic echocardiogram with a bubble study, telemetry monitoring, basic risk factor blood work (e.g., lipid panel, hemoglobin A1c, TSH, ESR, CRP, RPR, HIV, and toxicology screen), and, when appropriate, sickle screen and pregnancy test. There should be a low threshold to obtain blood cultures or a lumbar puncture. The acute treatment of ischemic stroke in young adult patients does not differ from treatment of older adults, using intravenous alteplase within 4.5 h, assuming no contraindications. In suspected proximal large artery occlusive disease, interventional clot extraction procedures should be employed in patients deemed eligible. Long-term secondary prevention strategies aimed to reduce recurrent stroke risk by targeting and modifying vascular risk factors should be instituted. The mainstay of preventative therapy is aspirin for most etiologies; however, for atrial fibrillation, anticoagulation is recommended. Statin therapy is another pharmacologic intervention recommended in most stroke patients. Other measures employed are blood pressure reduction, smoking cessation, optimal glucose control in diabetic patients, the initiation of a healthy diet and regular exercise, and lastly, substance abuse counseling in appropriate patients.
Changes in the Occurrence, Severity, and Distress of Symptoms in Patients With Gastrointestinal Cancers Receiving Chemotherapy

Abstract Context Studies on multiple dimensions of the symptom experience of patients with gastrointestinal cancers are extremely limited. Objective Purpose was to evaluate for changes over time in the occurrence, severity, and distress of seven common symptoms in these patients. Methods Patients completed Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale, six times over two cycles of chemotherapy (CTX). Changes over time in occurrence, severity, and distress of pain, lack of energy, nausea, feeling drowsy, difficulty sleeping, and change in the way food tastes were evaluated using multilevel regression analyses. In the conditional models, effects of treatment group (i.e., with or without targeted therapy), age, number of metastatic sites, time from cancer diagnosis, number of prior cancer treatments, cancer diagnosis, and CTX regimen on enrollment levels, as well as the trajectories of symptom occurrence, severity, and distress were evaluated. Results Although the occurrence rates for pain, lack of energy, feeling drowsy, difficulty sleeping, and change in the way food tastes declined over the two cycles of CTX, nausea and numbness/tingling in hands/feet had more complex patterns of occurrence. Severity and distress ratings for the seven symptoms varied across the two cycles of CTX. Conclusions Demographic and clinical characteristics associated with differences in enrollment levels as well as changes over time in occurrence, severity, and distress of these seven common symptoms were highly variable. These findings can be used to identify patients who are at higher risk for more severe and distressing symptoms during CTX and to enable the initiation of preemptive symptom management interventions.
Social Capital, Depressive Symptoms, and HIV Viral Suppression Among Young Black, Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV.

Social capital, the sum of an individual’s resource-containing social network connections, has been proposed as a facilitator of successful HIV care engagement. We explored relationships between social capital, psychological covariates (depression, stigma and internalized homonegativity), and viral suppression in a sample of young Black gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (YB-GBMSM). We recruited 81 HIV-positive YB-GBMSM 18–24 years of age from a clinic setting. Participants completed a cross-sectional survey, and HIV-1 viral load (VL) measurements were extracted from the medical record. Sixty-five percent (65%) were virally suppressed (HIV-1 VL ≤ 40 copies/ml). Forty-seven percent (47%) had a positive depression screen. Depressive symptoms affected viral suppression differently in YB-GBMSM with lower vs. higher social capital (p = 0.046, test for statistical interaction between depression and social capital). The odds of viral suppression among YB-GBMSM with lower social capital was 93% lower among those with depressive symptoms (OR 0.07, p = 0.002); however, there was no association between depressive symptoms and viral suppression among those with higher social capital. Our results suggest that social capital may buffer the strong negative effects of depressive symptoms on clinical outcomes in YB-GBMSM living with HIV. In addition to treating depression, there is a role for interventions to augment social capital among YB-GBMSM living with HIV as a strategy for enhancing care engagement.
Gata4-Dependent Differentiation of c-Kit+–Derived Endothelial Cells Underlies Artefactual Cardiomyocyte Regeneration in the Heart

Background: Although c-Kit+ adult progenitor cells were initially reported to produce new cardiomyocytes in the heart, recent genetic evidence suggests that such events are exceedingly rare. Howeve...
Laboratory testing of coronagraphs for future space telescopes on the Caltech high contrast spectroscopy testbed for segmented telescopes (HCST) (Conference Presentation)

Imaging Earth-like exoplanets with future space telescopes will require a coronagraph instrument that is capable of creating a dark zone in the starlight at the image plane that is ten orders of magnitude fainter than the off-axis image of the host star. What is more, the coronagraph must simultaneously provide a stable dark zone and high throughput over the angular separations that correspond to habitable zones around nearby Sun-like stars (~10-100 milliarcseconds). Since the pupils of most large-aperture space telescope architectures are likely to be obstructed by secondary mirrors, spider support structures, and gaps between mirror segments, the coronagraph optics must also be specially tailored to passively suppress starlight diffracted from the obstructions and discontinuities in the telescope pupil. Here, we demonstrate an apodized vortex coronagraph optimized for an off-axis segmented telescope on the new High Contrast Spectroscopy Testbed for Segmented Telescopes (HCST) at Caltech. The coronagraph consists of a microdot apodizer, a liquid crystal vortex phase mask in the focal plane, and a Lyot stop. The microdot apodizer is an AR-coated glass window with 10um gold microdots to be used in reflection around lambda=800nm. We describe the HCST optical system; the apodizer optimization, fabrication, and metrology procedures; and present end-to-end testbed results of the coronagraph coupled with a 32x32 Boston Micromachines deformable mirror for wavefront control. We aim to achieve a dark zone 10^-7 times fainter than the simulated host star over a wavelength range of 800±40nm in Spring 2018. Finally, we will outline future plans to demonstrate coronagraph concepts for centrally obscured telescopes.
Bead-Based Suspension Arrays for the Detection and Identification of Respiratory Viruses

The clinical signs and symptoms associated with many infectious diseases are often too nonspecific to discriminate between causative agents, and thus, definitive diagnosis requires specific laboratory tests for all of the suspected pathogens. In particular, respiratory tract infections can be caused by numerous different viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens that are indistinguishable by clinical diagnosis. Respiratory tract infections are also among the most common infections in humans, with approximately 6−9 episodes per year in children and 2−4 episodes per year in adults [1]. These infections cause considerable morbidity and mortality as well as high healthcare costs associated with doctor visits, hospitalizations, treatment, and absences from work and school. Early diagnosis of the etiological agent in a respiratory infection permits effective antimicrobial therapy and appropriate management of the disease.
The Coupling of BEM and FEM for Exterior Boundary Value Problems

In this paper, we present an approximate scheme for treating a class of singularly perturbed exterior boundary value problems in elasticity and fluid mechanics. Our scheme is a combination of boundary element and finite element methods. By introducing a factitious boundary, we divide the region into two regions, an inner and an outer region. In the inner region, we employ the finite element method for solving the field equations under consideration with proper natural boundary conditions. These natural boundary conditions are obtained by solving the corresponding boundary integral equations. In the outer regions, solutions are expressed in terms of simple layer potentials which are matched to the finite element solutions on the factitious boundary. Error estimates and numerical experiments will be included.
Effect of L-Asparaginase on Thymus-Dependent Immune Reactivity

Asparaginase is the second enzyme reported to have immunosuppressive properties. Ribonuclease was shown to depress the transfer reaction (1) and Mowbray and Scholand (2) suggested that mice pretreated with ribonuclease complexes did not produce normal titers of anti-sheep erythrocyte antibody. Recently asparaginase has been reported to inhibit a number of “thymic dependent” immune reactions: the rejection of skin grafts (3), the production of anti-sheep erythrocyte antibody (4), the transformation of lymphocytes in response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) (5), and the development of graft versus-host-disease (6).
Carnosic Acid, Tangeretin, and Ginkgolide-B Anti-neoplastic Cytotoxicity in Dual Combination with Dexamethasone-[anti-EGFR] in Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma (A549).

Background Traditional chemotherapeutics of low-molecular weight diffuse passively across intact membrane structures of normal healthy cells found in tissues and organ systems in a non-specific unrestricted manner which largely accounts for the induction of most sequelae which restrict dosage, administration frequency, and duration of therapeutic intervention. Molecular strategies that offer enhanced levels of potency, greater efficacy and broader margins-of-safety include the discovery of alternative candidate therapeutics and development of methodologies capable of mediating properties of selective "targeted" delivery. Materials and methods The covalent immunopharmaceutical, dexamethasone-(C21-phosphoramidate)-[anti- EGFR] was synthesized utilizing organic chemistry reactions that comprised a multi-stage synthesis regimen. Multiple forms of analysis were implemented to vadliate the successful synthesis (UV spectrophotometric absorbance), purity and molar-incorporation-index (UV spectrophotometric absorbance, chemical-based protein determination), absence of fragmentation/polymerization (SDS-PAGE/chemiluminescent autoradiography), retained selective binding-avidity of IgG-immunoglobulin (cell-ELISA); and selectively "targeted" antineoplastic cytotoxicity (biochemistry-based cell vitality/viability assay). Results The botanicals carnosic acid, ginkgolide-B and tangeretin, each individually exerted maximum antineoplastic cytotoxicity levels of 58.1%, 5.3%, and 41.1% respectively against pulmonary adenocarcinoma (A549) populations. Dexamethasone-(C21-phosphoramidate)-[anti-EGFR] formulated at corticosteroid/ glucocorticoid equivalent concentrations produced anti-neoplastic cytotoxicity at levels of 7.7% (10-9 M), 26.9% (10-8 M), 64.9% (10-7 M), 69.9% (10-6 M) and 73.0% (10-5 M). Ccarnosic acid, ginkgolide-B and tangeretin in simultaneous dual-combination with dexamethasone-(C21-phosphoramidate)-[anti-EGFR] exerted maximum anti-neoplastic cytotoxicity levels of 70.5%, 58.6%, and 69.7% respectively. Discussion Carnosic acid, ginkgolide-B and tangeretin botanicals exerted anti-neoplastic cytotoxicity against pulmonary adenocarcinoma (A549) which additively contributed to the anti-neoplastic cytotoxic potency of the covalent immunopharmaceutical, dexamethasone-(C21-phosphoramidate)-[anti-EGFR]. Carnosic acid and tangeretin were most potent in this regard both individually and in dual-combination with dexamethasone-(C21- phosphoramidate)-[anti-EGFR]. Advantages and attributes of carnosic acid and tangeretin as potential monotherapeutics are a wider margin-of-safety of conventional chemotherapeutics which would readily complement the selective "targeted" delivery properties of dexamethasone-(C21-phosphoramidate)-[anti-EGFR] and possibly other covalent immunopharmaceuticals in addition to providing opportunities for the discovery of combination therapies that provide heightened levels of anti-neoplastic efficacy.
TCTAP C-098 Revascularization in Post CABG Status

### Patient Initials or Identifier Number MK ### Relevant Clinical History and Physical Exam Mr MK, a 42 years normotensive, diabetic gentleman was admitted with the complaints of increased SOB (NYHA-2) and occasional chest pain (CCS-II) on exertion. He underwent CABG on 2015 with 6 grafts (LIMA
When Less Is More in Boosting Survey Response Rates

Author(s): Conn, KM; Mo, CH; Sellers, LM | Abstract: Objectives: Previous general population survey research has found that, relative to monetary incentives, altruistic appeals are ineffective in increasing survey response and that offering additional monetary incentives is always desirable. We consider an alternative population—a pro-social population—and ask whether these same conclusions apply. Methods: To evaluate the relative effectiveness of different incentive strategies, we randomly assign individuals to one of five conditions. We consider altruistic incentives (a narrative appeal or a charitable donation) and monetary incentives (three separate lotteries). Results: Among pro-social individuals, “less is more”: altruistic appeals are just as effective, if not more effective, than costly monetary incentives. Moreover, the simplest lottery structure (fewer large-payoff prizes) is the most cost effective of the lotteries. Conclusions: The target population of interest matters when designing survey incentive strategies. Moreover, increasing the incentives budget is not always beneficial.
Effect of intern and preceptor gender on internship experiences for paramedic training

Introduction The purpose of this study was to determine if the opportunity to execute advanced skills, including intravenous (IV) placement, intubations and medication administration was associated with preceptor/intern gender combination. Methods 16,466 emergency calls were analysed from the Field Internship Student Data Acquisition Project. The analysis focussed on emergency calls requiring IV placement, intubation and/or medication administration. A chi-square test for independence was used to compare three advanced skills executed based on the preceptor/intern gender combination. Results Male interns were more likely to execute IV placement regardless of the preceptor gender when compared to female preceptor and female intern combination (p<0.001). When male preceptors were paired with female interns, the number of IV placements executed was significantly lower only when compared to a male preceptor and male intern combination. Female preceptor and female intern combination resulted in a reduced number of times endotracheal intubation was executed only when compared to female preceptor and male intern combination (p=0.017). There were no differences in any combination when executing medication administration. Conclusion These findings suggest female interns may experience bias in executing fewer intubation and IV placement skills than their male counterparts on their first ambulance call of their internship.
The Epidemiology of Air Pollution and Childhood Lung Diseases

Abstract Air pollution is omnipresent and studies in the last two decades or more have consistently associated it with adverse health outcomes. Children are particularly vulnerable because their organ systems are still developing and their protective mechanisms are not fully developed. In order to protect public health, the World Health Organization and different national regulatory authorities have set ambient air quality standards. However, there is evidence that such standards may not be adequate because the levels at which air pollutants are associated with respiratory health outcomes are sometimes much lower than the regulatory standards. To date the evidence of a causal relation between air pollution and asthma exacerbation is most convincing. Studies have also demonstrated a relationship between air pollution and new onset asthma, bronchitis, and bronchiolitis but arguably the evidence is not sufficient to draw a definitive causal relationship.
Current Practice Patterns in the Diagnosis and Management of Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Infants.

Study Objectives:Currently, there are no universally accepted guidelines for diagnosis and management of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in infants. The purpose of this study was to survey pediatr...
Extraction of Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Measures From Electronic Health Records Using Automated Processing Algorithms

Objective The accurate and efficient collection and documentation of disease activity measures (DAMs) is critical to improve clinical care and outcomes research in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study evaluated the performance of an automated process to extract DAMs from medical notes in the electronic health record (EHR). Methods An automated text processing system was developed to extract the Disease Activity Score for 28 joints (DAS28) and its clinical and laboratory elements from the Veterans Affairs EHR for patients enrolled in the Veterans Affairs Rheumatoid Arthritis (VARA) registry. After automated text processing derivation, data accuracy was assessed by comparing the automated text processing system and manual extraction with gold standard chart review in a separate validation phase. Results In the validation phase, 1569 notes from 596 patients at 3 sites were evaluated, with 75 (6%) notes detected only by automated text processing, 85 (5%) detected only by manual extraction, and 1408 (90%) detected by both methods. The accuracy of automated text processing ranged from 90.7% to 96.7% and the accuracy of manual extraction ranged from 91.3% to 95.0% for the different clinical and laboratory elements. The accuracy of the two methods to calculate the DAS28 was 78.1% for automated text processing and 78.3% for manual extraction. Conclusion The automated text processing approach is highly efficient and performed as well as the manual extraction approach. This advance has the potential for significant improvements in the collection, documentation, and extraction of these data to support clinical practice and outcomes research relevant to RA as well as the potential for broader application to other health conditions.
Nonequilibrium Phenomena in Split Gate Quantum Waveguides

There have been many reports of near equilibrium transport through quantum point contacts and split gate quantum waveguides. Here we report a theoretical and experimental study of far from equilibrium transport through a single constriction as a function of bias across the structure (source-drain bias) for various gate bias (barrier height) conditions.