cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 569: MicroRNA-mediated resistance to anti-PD1 therapy in lung cancer

Immunotherapies targeting programmed cell death receptor-1 (PD-1) have shown some clinical success, validating the role of immune modulation in the treatment of cancer. However, only 18% of non-small cell lung cancer patients have responded to anti-PD1 treatment thus far, the remaining 82% have not. This raises fundamental questions about mechanisms of resistance to anti-PD1 therapy and potential strategies to overcome resistance. Previously, our group generated an anti-PD-1-resistant preclinical tumor model after sequential in vivo passage of the murine lung cancer cell line 344SQ (p53R172HΔg/+KrasLA1/+) into syngeneic mice, previously treated with anti-mouse PD-1 antibodies. In this study, we analyzed global gene expression of microRNAs and correlated with our previous mRNA microarray data to validate potential target candidates in order to identify mechanisms of resistance to anti-PD1 therapy. For the microRNA microarray studies, 344SQ_P (parental) or 344SQ_R (resistant) cells were inoculated into the right flank of 129Sv/ev mice (female mice, 12-14 weeks old, 5 mice per group). Anti-PD1 or control IgG (10mg/kg) antibodies were given on days 4 and 7 after tumor inoculation. On day 11, tumor tissues were collected and immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen. RNAs from three independent biologic replicates per group were used for GeneChip miRNA 4.0 Array (Affymetrix). Significant differences in microRNA gene expression levels between groups were defined as an adjusted P value 2. Heatmaps were created by using the heatmap.2 function in the gplots R package. Our previous studies demonstrated that major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II and antigen presentation pathway, were significantly downregulated in the anti-PD-1-resistant tumors compared with parental tumors. Here, we found that microRNAs significantly upregulated in the anti-PD1 resistant model directly regulates MHC class I and II and antigen presentation machinery genes, including B2M, CIITA, PSMB8, PSMB8, TAP2 and TAPBP, promoting resistance to anti-PD1 therapy. Because activated CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes must bind to MHC I proteins to kill target tumor cells, one way in which tumors can evade destruction by the immune system is through downregulating expression of MHC I on their surfaces. Therefore, our study identified upregulation of microRNAs that modulates the antigen presentation pathway as an underlying mechanism by which some tumors do not respond to anti-PD1 therapy. Our future goal is to validate these findings on our ongoing clinical studies. Citation Format: Maria A. Cortez, Xiaohong Wang, Cristina Ivan, Jonathan E. Schoenhals, Sharareh Niknam, Ailin Li, David Valdecanas, James P. Allison, Padmanee Sharma, Willem W. Overwijk, Daniel Gomez, Joey Y. Chang, Stephen Hahn, George A. Calin, James W. Welsh. MicroRNA-mediated resistance to anti-PD1 therapy in lung cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 569.
Porous Metals and Metal Oxides

This chapter concerns recent developments in the synthesis and applications of porous metals and porous metal oxides. The focus is on state-of-the-art developments during the past 5 years. Various synthetic methods are discussed including advantages and disadvantages. Applications of such materials in catalysis, adsorption, filtration, sensors, orthopedics, dentistry, electrochemistry, fuel cells, batteries, ceramics, magnetic materials, membranes, filters, and other areas are mentioned. The importance of porosity in such systems is the key focus in the design and use of such materials.
On an estimate of solutions of a linear homogeneous Volterra integro-differential equation of the first order in the critical case on the half-line

We obtain sufficient conditions for a certain estimate to hold on the half-line for all solutions of a linear homogeneous Volterra integro-differential equation of the first order in the critical case. We present some corollaries concerning the absolute integrability of powers of the solutions on the half-line and the convergence of solutions to zero (including the exponential and power-law convergence) as the independent variable tends to infinity. Illustrative examples are given.
Classification of California streams using combined deductive and inductive approaches: Setting the foundation for analysis of hydrologic alteration

Regional classification of streams is an early step in the Ecological Limits of Hydrologic Alteration framework. Many stream classifications are based on an inductive approach using hydrologic data from minimally disturbed basins, but this approach may underrepresent streams from heavily disturbed basins or sparsely gaged arid regions. An alternative is a deductive approach, using watershed climate, land use, and geomorphology to classify streams, but this approach may miss important hydrological characteristics of streams. We classified all stream reaches in California using both approaches. First, we used Bayesian and hierarchical clustering to classify reaches according to watershed characteristics. Streams were clustered into seven classes according to elevation, sedimentary rock, and winter precipitation. Permutation-based analysis of variance and random forest analyses were used to determine which hydrologic variables best separate streams into their respective classes. Stream typology (i.e., the class that a stream reach is assigned to) is shaped mainly by patterns of high and mean flow behavior within the stream's landscape context. Additionally, random forest was used to determine which hydrologic variables best separate minimally disturbed reference streams from non-reference streams in each of the seven classes. In contrast to stream typology, deviation from reference conditions is more difficult to detect and is largely defined by changes in low-flow variables, average daily flow, and duration of flow. Our combined deductive/inductive approach allows us to estimate flow under minimally disturbed conditions based on the deductive analysis and compare to measured flow based on the inductive analysis in order to estimate hydrologic change.
A Population-Based Nested Case-Control Study of Prediagnostic Serum Antibodies to JC Virus and BK Virus and Risk of Non-Hodgkin’S Lymphoma.

Viral infections such as HIV, EBV, and HCV have been associated with increased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). We conducted a nested case-control study to investigate the association between prediagnostic serum antibodies to JC virus (JCV) and BK virus (BKV) and subsequent risk of NHL. Methods: Two research serum banks were established in Washington County, MD, with more than 45,000 volunteers contributing blood samples collected in 1974 and 1989. Incident cases of NHL diagnosed through 2002 (n=170) were identified among participants by linkage to population-based cancer registries. Two controls were matched to each case (n=340) on age, sex, and date of blood draw. Pre-diagnostic circulating IgG antibodies to JCV and BKV were measured using virus-like particle (VLP) enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays (ELISA). Associations between JCV and BKV antibody seropositivity and NHL were estimated using conditional logistic regression. Results: Overall, neither serum antibodies to JCV (odds ratio (OR) = 0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.56–1.23) or BKV (OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.64–1.48) were associated with an increased risk of NHL. Results were similar across NHL subtypes. Examining time to diagnosis suggested a possible increase in NHL risk associated with JCV antibodies, but not BKV antibodies, among individuals diagnosed 12–20 years after the time of blood draw. Among a subset of individuals who donated blood in both 1974 and 1989, those who experienced an increase in JCV antibody levels over time were more than four times as likely to develop NHL as compared to those whose antibody levels steeply declined (OR = 4.59, 95% CI = 1.30–16.25). Conclusion: The finding of increased risk with increasing JCV antibody titers suggests a possible association between reactivation of JCV infection and subsequent NHL.
High-Pressure Injection Injury Caused by Electronic Cigarette Explosion: A Case Report.

Case: Electronic cigarettes are an increasingly popular and poorly regulated alternative to traditional cigarettes that deliver nicotine and other aerosolized substances to the user via a battery-powered atomizer. We report a case in which an electronic cigarette explosion resulted in a high-pressure injection injury of the finger. Conclusion: Explosions involving electronic cigarettes and similar handheld products should be treated as high-pressure injection injuries until proven otherwise. Radiographs are indispensable in the workup of these injuries. Because the true content of injected material cannot be determined with certainty, we recommend immediate surgical debridement, intravenous antibiotics, and close follow-up to observe the evolution of the injury.
Nano-indented Ge surfaces by metal-assisted chemical etching (MacEtch) and its application for optoelectronic devices

Surface reflection is one of the major limiting factors to determine light absorption performance of optoelectronic devices. In recent years, light management using various types of nanostructures has gained much attention [1]. However, fabricating the nanostructures by conventional dry etching results in damage within the crystal structures attributed to high energy ions. Metal assisted chemical etching (MacEtch) is an alternative method to produce the nanostructures [2]. Because MacEtch is fundamentally a wet etch which does not involve high energy ions, structural defects can be avoided [3,4]. Therefore, the technique has been widely used to create surface texturing for the optoelectronic and photonic applications. However, the MacEtch enabled nanostructures have been mainly formed on Si and III-V compounds [5,6]. In this report, we present a novel MacEtch based technique to create nano-indentations on Ge and the enhanced responsivity and reduced dark current of Ge photodiodes.
Obtención de una cepa avirulenta, alisogénica y asporogena de Bacillus Anthracis

El objeto de esta investigacion fue desarrollar una esporovacuna de anthrax atenuado por el calor capaz de producir inmunidad, particularmente en bovinos. Una cepa esporogena y virulenta de Ba cillus anthracis, lisogonica (con infeccion latente de un bacteriofago - virus bacteriano), denominada S14 fue incubada a altas temperaturas (41-42.C) durante 2 meses y haciendo resiembras en caldo triptosa fosfatado cada 48 horas. Al final de los 2 meses de incubacion se hicieron pruebas de identificacion para el Bacillus anthracis en caldo de cultivo, designandosela como cepa V14. Se hicieron controles para determinar que estuviera libre de contaminacion por Bacillus cereus y Bacillus subtilis. Todas las pruebas de identificacion fueron positivas para bac illus anthracis. El microorganismo era inm.vil, no hemolitico, altamente susceptible al bacteriofago especifico y susceptible a la prueba del agar con penicilina.
What Do Academic Librarians Value in a Leader? Reflections on Past Positive Library Leaders and a Consideration of Future Library Leaders

A joke among managers is that managing and leading people is akin to herding cats. People can be fickle and idiosyncratic and do what they want, when they want, in seeming defiance of all tenets of logic. For good or bad, people are led by the emotions in their hearts far more than the critical thoughts in their brains. But this does not mean people are irrational actors floundering to and fro. Even cats have a method to their madness. Members of organizations like libraries want certain things from their leaders beyond mere competence. Followers want particular actions and certainties from their leaders in crises as well as banal times. While some people will never respond to leadership for a myriad of reasons, the vast majority will when they are presented with a leader that possesses the kinds of characteristics meaningful to them and not just to a leadership theorist.
Solving the natural gas flow problem using semidefinite program relaxation

Decreasing gas prices and the pressing need for fast-responding electric power generators are currently transforming natural gas networks. The intermittent operation of gas-fired power plants to balance wind energy generation introduces spatiotemporal fluctuations of increasing volumes in gas demand. At the heart of modeling, monitoring, and control of gas networks is a set of nonlinear equations relating nodal gas injections and pressures to flows over pipelines. Given gas demands at all points of the network, the gas flow task aims at finding the rest of the physical quantities involved. For a tree-like network, the problem enjoys a closed-form solution; yet solving the equations for practical meshed networks is non-trivial. This problem is posed here as a feasibility problem involving quadratic equalities and inequalities, and is further relaxed to a convex semidefinite program (SDP) minimization. Drawing parallels to the power flow problem, the relaxation is shown to be exact if the cost function is judiciously designed using a set of frequently occurring network states. Numerical tests on a Belgian network corroborate the superiority of the novel method in recovering the actual gas system state over a Newton-Raphson solver.
Thin-film topological insulators for continuously tunable terahertz absorption

One of the defining characteristics of a three-dimensional topological insulator (TI) is the appearance of a Dirac cone on its surface when it creates an interface with vacuum. For thin film TIs, however, the Dirac cones on opposite surfaces interact forming a small gap. For the case of three quintuple layers of Bi2Se3, we show that this gap can be continuously tuned between 128 meV and 0 meV with the application of modest perpendicular electric fields of less than 30 meV A−1. Through both the Hamiltonian model and first-principles density functional theory calculations, we show that the inherent nonlinearity in realistic Dirac cone interaction leads to a gap which can be continuously tuned through the application of an external electric field. This tunability, coupled with the high optical absorption of thin film TIs, make this a very promising platform for terahertz and infrared detection.
Valvectomy Versus Replacement for the Surgical Treatment of Tricuspid Endocarditis.

Background Optimal surgical treatment of infective tricuspid endocarditis is debatable, especially in the setting of inherent social and pathologic concerns. This study compared tricuspid valve repair, replacement, and excision for the treatment of infective endocarditis Methods A single-center cardiac surgery database was queried to identify patients aged older than 18 years who underwent tricuspid valve operations for infective endocarditis between 2012 and 2016. Patients were divided into three groups by the type of tricuspid valve operation: valvectomy, repair, or replacement. Patients were evaluated to identify differences between preoperative factors and outcomes, including death, length of stay, and complications. Results During the study period, 63 patients underwent surgical treatment of infective tricuspid valve endocarditis. Demographic and baseline characteristics were comparable across all groups, except that the valve repair group was older compared with valvectomy and replacement (46 vs 29 and 31 years, respectively; p = 0.007), with more hypertension, elevated creatinine, and a lower incidence of diffuse, bilateral pulmonary emboli. Staphylococcus species were the most common organisms. The incidence of death, bleeding requiring reoperation, major stroke, prolonged ventilator time, intensive care unit stay, and overall hospital length of stay were similar in all groups. Of patients undergoing initial valvectomy, 36% were available for follow-up at 1 year, highlighting the challenges associated with the intravenous drug abuse cohort. Patients who underwent tricuspid valvectomy in the group available for follow-up had significantly lower unplanned readmission rates at 1 year. Conclusions Tricuspid valve endocarditis patients who undergo tricuspid valve excision, repair, and replacement have similar 30-day operative mortality, as defined by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Excision patients have significantly lower unplanned readmission rates at 1 year. Tricuspid valvectomy is an acceptable initial treatment in this high-risk group as part of a surgical strategy to identify patients who are candidates for eventual valve replacement. Further study of long-term outcomes and survival is warranted.
Bioaccumulation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Marine Organisms

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) appear in most urbanized coastal areas of the world, accumulating in sediments and biota that are unable to efficiently eliminate them. This review focuses specifically on the mechanisms of bioavailability, uptake, and elimination, which determine the extent of accumulation and retention of PAHs in invertebrates and fish in marine ecosystems. We review here the literature on the mechanisms and factors that control these processes which ultimately determine the concentration of PAHs in marine organisms. Understanding both the temporal and spatial characteristics of bioaccumulation of the environmentally important PAHs is crucial for determining the impact that this class of compounds may have on marine populations. To provide a complete assessment of these potential impacts, scientists require knowledge about the distribution of these compounds in different environmental matrices, their uptake and partitioning in different tissues, their rates of elimination, and their potential for persistence in certain species. The combined information on these mechanisms and the environmental factors that control accumulation will help scientists develop predictive models of contaminant accumulation both for acute events, such as oil spills, and for long-term, chronic exposure as is found in many urban areas in our coastal ecosystems.
The Studied Avoidance of War as an Instrument of Political Evolution

This work explores the antiquity, the pervasiveness, and the importance of warfare. Particular emphasis is placed on warfare’s role in political evolution. This research shows how some scholars deny and or minimize warfare’s salient role in the development of social complexity. This investigation exposes how some adherents of Marxism are at a loss to explain the presence of conflict in tribal societies lacking social class structures. The Yanomamo Indians of the Amazon Basin are a case in point. Research findings indicate the need to fully document warfare wherever it is encountered.
Secondary Prevention in Coronary Artery Disease

Evidence now suggests that morbidity and mortality can be reduced in patients with established coronary artery disease by preventive interventions. Approaches to secondary prevention are reviewed in this article, including lifestyle changes, pharmacologic approaches, and coronary reperfusion techniques. A workable strategy for secondary prevention in patients after myocardial infarction is developed.
Employing Spreadsheets for Applying Calculus in Upper-Level Chemistry Courses

This article describes the use of a spreadsheet to reinforce basic calculus that is expected of all university-level chemistry majors. The example provided shows a calculation using Excel to estimate, using a Riemann summation, the radiant exitance of a hot object using Planck’s Law of Blackbody Radiation. The approach reinforces the elementary calculus topic of integrating an area under a curve in an applied chemistry setting and, additionally, requires students to understand how units propagate through integrals in order to calculate correct numerical values. This manual calculation in Excel is pedagogically more satisfying than using black-box type software to calculate areas under curves, and is widely available to almost all students through the use of Excel (or similar spreadsheets software packages).
The effects on gait speed and activity level of a novel body weight supported treadmill training program on a 39-year-old patient with right hemiparesis

Background and Purpose: Stroke is a disease that can cause neurological impairments that can affect a patient’s ability to ambulate. Research suggests that body weight supported treadmill training (BWSTT) may improve gait speed and reduce the risk of falls for those with difficulty ambulating. The purpose of this case report is to describe the effects of a novel BWSTT device on the gait speed and fall risk on a 39-year-old patient who had suffered a stroke. Case description: The patient was a 39-year-old female who had suffered a stroke resulting in right side hemiplegia. Over a 4-week period, the patient completed seven sessions of BWSTT with the GlideTrak. The duration of each session and the intervals within the session were performed at the patient’s tolerance for treadmill speed and duration of the interval. Outcomes: Improvement of 35% on the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale and 25% on the Timed Up and Go (TUG) indicate that the intervention may have lowered the risk for falls but a 14% increase in the 10 Meter Walk Test time indicated that the intervention didn’t improve the patient’s gait speed as predicted. Discussion: This case report indicates that one month of body weight supported treadmill training using the GlideTrak does not improve gait speed in a patient with hemiplegia, but is shown to have a positive effect on patient’s balance. This intervention may have a role in maintaining a patient’s cardiovascular and overall fitness, but should not be the sole intervention to improve gait speed.
Additively Manufactured RF Devices and Systems

This paper presents progress made towards the design and fabrication of complex RF components and systems using multi material additive manufacturing (AM).
What fuses sports fans

Extreme self-sacrifice in the context of phenomena, such as sports hooliganism, combines aspects of local and extended fusion. How can we best account for such phenomena in the light of the theory presented here, and how can we make a tangible distinction between the two types? I propose ways to explore and operationalize this distinction and the concept of fusion more generally.
Pragmatic trends in French future variant selection

Abstract Using a native speaker context completion task, this study explores the alternation between the periphrastic future, as in je vais chanter , ‘I am going to sing,’ and the inflected future, as in je chanterai ‘I will sing.’ The aim of the context completion task is to further establish the pragmatic functions of the periphrastic and inflected future in Hexagonal French, building upon the results of previous quantitative analyses (e.g. Roberts, 2012; Edmonds and Gudmestad, 2015). The results of the present native speaker questionnaire indicate that the periphrastic future denotes speaker certainty due to an awareness of previous eventualities that positively affect the realization of the future proposition while the inflected future expresses deontic modality through promises and dynamic modality through speaker willingness. Furthermore, this study provides evidence for the importance of context completion tasks not only in determining the pragmatic nature of the future variants but also in testing major trends that emerge from quantitative analyses.
Dendritic Spine Density and Dynamics of Layer 5 Pyramidal Neurons of the Primary Motor Cortex Are Elevated With Aging.

It is well established that motor impairment often occurs alongside healthy aging, leading to problems with fine motor skills and coordination. Although previously thought to be caused by neuronal death accumulating across the lifespan, it is now believed that the source of this impairment instead stems from more subtle changes in neural connectivity. The dendritic spine is a prime target for exploration of this problem because it is the postsynaptic partner of most excitatory synapses received by the pyramidal neuron, a cortical cell that carries much of the information processing load in the cerebral cortex. We repeatedly imaged the same dendrites in young adult and aged mouse motor cortex over the course of 1 month to look for differences in the baseline state of the dendritic spine population. These experiments reveal increased dendritic spine density, without obvious changes in spine clustering, occurring at the aged dendrite. Additionally, aged dendrites exhibit elevated spine turnover and stabilization alongside decreased long-term spine survival. These results suggest that at baseline the aged motor cortex may exist in a perpetual state of relative instability and attempts at compensation. This phenotype of aging may provide clues for future targets of aging-related motor impairment remediation.
Fragility surfaces for multi-hazard analysis of suspension bridges under earthquakes and microbursts

Abstract The flexible nature of long-span suspension bridges increases their vulnerability to dynamic excitations such as winds and earthquakes. Non-stationary and transient wind events such as microbursts have the potential to create even more damage to these flexible structures. The problem becomes even more apparent when a structure is expected to undergo multiple extreme events. This paper aims to present a multi-hazard framework that assesses the vulnerability of a suspension bridge to earthquake and extreme wind events. For this purpose, specific damage states for wind and earthquake have been defined. Then, fragility curves and surfaces are generated to estimate the exceedance probability of different damage states throughout the structure as it undergoes multiple extreme events. The probability convolution theory is then used to assess the annual probability of failure considering the likelihood of occurrence of damage and likelihood of occurrence of each of the extreme events. The proposed framework will provide a meaningful procedure to calculate and communicate the risks from multiple extreme events on suspension bridges.
Outcomes of Foot Infections Secondary to Puncture Injuries in Patients With and Without Diabetes

It is difficult to compare foot infections in patients with diabetes to those without diabetes because foot infections are uncommon in people without diabetes. The aim of this study is to compare clinical outcomes in people with and without diabetes admitted to the hospital for an infected puncture wound. We evaluated 114 consecutive patients from June 2011 to March 2019 with foot infection resulting from a puncture injury; 83 had diabetes and 31 did not have diabetes. We evaluated peripheral arterial disease (PAD), sensory neuropathy, the need for surgery and amputation, length of hospitalization, and presence of osteomyelitis. Patients with diabetes were 31 times more likely to have neuropathy (91.6% versus 25.8%, p < .001, confidence interval [CI] 10.2 to 95.3), 8 times more likely to have PAD (34.9% versus 6.5%, p = .002, CI 1.7 to 35), and 7 times more likely to have kidney disease (19.3% versus 3.2%, p < .05, CI 0.9 to 56.5). They also took longer before presenting to the hospital (mean 20.1 ± 36.3 versus 18.8 ± 34.8 days, p = .09, CI 13 to 26.5); however, this result was not statistically significant. Patients with diabetes were 9 times more likely to have osteomyelitis (37.3% versus 6.5%, p = .001, CI 1.9 to 38.8). In addition, they were more likely to require surgery (95% versus 77%, p < .001, CI 1.6 to 21.4), required more surgeries (2.7 ± 1.3 versus 1.3 ± 0.8, p < .00001, CI 2.1 to 2.5), were 14 times more likely to have amputations (48.2% versus 6.5%, p < .0001, CI 3.0 to 60.2), and had 2 times longer hospital stays (16.2 ± 10.6 versus 7.5 ± 9 days, p = .0001, CI 11.9 to 15.9. Infected puncture wounds in patients with diabetes often fair much worse with more detrimental outcomes than those in patients without diabetes.
Preresidency Publication Productivity of U.S. Neurosurgery Interns

Background Research experience is believed to be an important component of the neurosurgery residency application process. One measure of research productivity is publication volume. The preresidency publication volume of U.S. neurosurgery interns and any potential association between applicant publication volume and the match results of top-ranked residency programs have not been well characterized. Objective In this study, we sought to characterize the preresidency publication volume of U.S. neurosurgery residents in the 2018–2019 intern class using the Scopus database. Methods For each intern, we recorded the total number of publications, total number of first or last author publications, total number of neuroscience-related publications, mean number of citations per publication, and mean impact factor of the journal per publication. Preresidency publication volumes of interns at the top-25 programs (based on a composite ranking score according to 4 different ranking metrics) were compared with those at all other programs. Results We found that 82% of neurosurgery interns included in the analysis (190 interns from 95 programs) had at least 1 publication. The average number of publications per intern among all programs was 6 ± 0.63 (mean ± standard error of the mean). We also found that interns at top-25 neurosurgery residency programs tended to have a higher number of publications (8.3 ± 1.2 vs. 4.8 ± 0.7, P = 0.0137), number of neuroscience-related publications (6.8 ± 1.1 vs. 4.1 ± 0.7, P = 0.0419), and mean number of citations per publication (9.8 ± 1.7 vs. 5.7 ± 0.8, P = 0.0267) compared with interns at all other programs. Conclusions Our results provide a general estimate of the preresidency publication volume of U.S. neurosurgery interns and suggest a potential association between publication volume and matching in the top-25 neurosurgery residency programs.
Is the Downs and Black scale a better tool to appraise the quality of the studies using virtual rehabilitation for post-stroke upper limb rehabilitation?

We appraised the quality of the Randomized Controlled Trials using virtual reality technology for post-stroke upper limb rehabilitation. We used the Downs and Black scale and PEDRo scales used for study quality appraisal. Correlation analyses revealed that the total scores of the two scales were moderately correlated. When only the items that were similar between two scales were considered, the correlation was high. Preliminary results suggest that the Downs and Black checklist may be a better option to assess quality of studies that use virtual reality technology for post-stroke upper limb rehabilitation.
2D MS/MS Spectra Recorded in the Time Domain Using Repetitive Frequency Sweeps in Linear Quadrupole Ion Traps.

Ion trap mass spectrometers have emerged as powerful on-site analytical platforms, in spite of limited mass resolution, due to their compatibility with ambient ionization methods and ready implemen...
Caldera Collapse Geometry Revealed by Near-Field GPS Displacements at Kīlauea Volcano in 2018

We employ near-field GPS data to determine the subsurface geometry of a collapsing caldera during the 2018 Kilauea eruption. Collapse occurred in 62 discrete events with ``inflationary' deformation...
Sextually aroused: A mixed-methods analysis of how it feels for romantic and sexual partners to send and receive sext messages

Abstract Individuals who engage in sexting are primarily motivated by the desire to initiate sex with their sexting partner. The bulk of the research into sexting, however, focuses on potential negative consequences or societal concerns about participating in the behavior. The current study took a mixed-methods approach to assessing the feelings that adults experience when sending and/or receiving sext messages. A total of 405 participants (54.8% men) who identified as participating in sexting behaviors with their relationship partner(s) in the past 12 months responded to open-ended prompts that explored their feelings when sending or receiving a sext message from their partner(s). Qualitative text coding identified eight themes (excited 42.0%, good 23.3%, anxious 10.2%, wanted 8.8%, naughty 6.1%, connected 4.1%, loved 2.7%, and negative 2.7%). Excitement was mentioned most frequently, typically in conjunction with other feelings, with over one-third of respondents who mentioned feeling anxious, naughty, good, or wanted also mentioning feeling excited. Quantitative text analyses revealed that people who were more attracted to the same sex wrote more about sexting using more explicit and complex language, with higher rates of biological (particularly sexual) words (e.g., aroused, sex) and negations (e.g., never, not). Heterosexual men used more present-tense verbs (e.g., am, feels). Results suggest that sexting tends to be a complex but often arousing and positive experience, with subtle differences in perspective across the sexes and the sexual orientation continuum.
A suppressor tRNA-mediated feedforward loop eliminates leaky gene expression in bacteria

Ligand-inducible genetic systems are the mainstay of synthetic biology, allowing gene expression to be controlled by the presence of a small molecule. However, 'leaky' gene expression in the absence of inducer remains a persistent problem. We developed a leak dampener tool that drastically reduces the leak of inducible genetic systems while retaining signal in Escherichia coli. Our system relies on a coherent feedforward loop featuring a suppressor tRNA that enables conditional readthrough of silent non-sense mutations in a regulated gene, and this approach can be applied to any ligand-inducible transcription factor. We demonstrate proof-of-principle of our system with the lactate biosensor LldR and the arabinose biosensor AraC, which displayed a 70-fold and 630-fold change in output after induction of a fluorescence reporter, respectively, without any background subtraction. Application of the tool to an arabinose-inducible mutagenesis plasmid led to a 540-fold change in its output after induction, with leak decreasing to the level of background mutagenesis. This study provides a modular tool for reducing leak and improving the fold-induction within genetic circuits, demonstrated here using two types of biosensors relevant to cancer detection and genetic engineering.
Partnership dynamics in mathematical models and implications for representation of sexually transmitted infections: a review.

ABSTRACT Mathematical models of sexually transmitted disease (STI) are increasingly relied on to inform policy, practice, and resource allocation. Because STI transmission requires sexual contact between two or more people, a model's ability to represent the dynamics of sexual partnerships can influence the validity of findings. This ability is to a large extent constrained by the model type, as different modeling frameworks vary in their capability to capture patterns of sexual contact at individual, partnership, and network levels. In this paper, we classify models into three groups: compartmental, individual-based, and statistical network models. For each framework, we describe the basic model structure and discuss key aspects of sexual partnership dynamics: how and with whom partnerships are formed, partnership duration and dissolution, and temporal overlap in partnerships (concurrency). We illustrate the potential implications of accurately accounting for partnership dynamics, but these effects depend on characteristics of both the population and pathogen; the combined impact of these partnership and epidemiologic dynamics can be difficult to predict. While each of the reviewed model frameworks may be appropriate to inform certain research or policy questions, modelers and consumers of models should carefully consider the implications of sexual partnership dynamics for the questions under study.
Seeking an Easeful Death: Permutations Within a Penumbra

This Monograph derives from a paper given at The Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, March 6, 2012. Contemporary society needs recognition of a fundamental right to compassionate care at the end-stage of life. In a very real way, a right to this quality of care should embrace and incorporate a collateral duty to prevent suffering. Indeed, the duty to relieve pain has long been acknowledged as the least disputed and most universal of the moral obligations of the physician. The human right to care should be acknowledged as a right grounded in a liberty interest which cannot be challenged unduly or restricted unreasonably by a state interest in judging the “morality” of autonomous actions designed only to give purpose and to promote the basic interest to die with dignity and relative ease. Accordingly, physician assistance for the terminally ill, is a futile medical condition, should be allowed for competent patients giving their informed consent. For the incompetent patient, allowance should be given by the state to physicians who determine — based upon a patient’s life value system and a medical prognosis of futility — that a standard of common sense, humaneness, and compassion dictates legal and immunity from criminal prosecution be allowed for physician assisted death.
Varenicline as a treatment for cannabis use disorder: A placebo-controlled pilot trial.

Background An efficacious pharmacotherapy for cannabis use disorder (CUD) has yet to be established. This study preliminarily evaluated the safety and efficacy of varenicline for CUD in a proof-of-concept clinical trial. Methods Participants in this 6-week randomized, placebo-controlled pilot trial received either varenicline (n = 35) or placebo (n = 37), added to a brief motivational enhancement therapy intervention. Outcomes included cannabis withdrawal, cannabis abstinence, urine cannabinoid levels, percent cannabis use days, and cannabis sessions per day. Results Both treatment groups noted significant decreases in self-reported cannabis withdrawal, percentage of days used, and use sessions per day during treatment compared to baseline. While this pilot trial was not powered to detect statistically significant between-group differences, participants randomized to varenicline evidenced numerically greater rates of self-reported abstinence at the final study visit [Week 6 intent-to-treat (ITT): Varenicline: 17.1% vs. Placebo: 5.4%; RR = 3.2 (95% CI: 0.7,14.7)]. End-of-treatment urine creatinine corrected cannabinoid levels were numerically lower in the varenicline group and higher in the placebo group compared to baseline [Change from baseline: Varenicline -1.7 ng/mg (95% CI: -4.1,0.8) vs. Placebo: 1.9 ng/mg (95% CI: -0.4,4.3); Δ = 3.5 (95% CI: 0.1,6.9)]. Adverse events related to study treatment did not reveal new safety signals. Conclusions Findings support the feasibility of conducting clinical trials of varenicline as a candidate pharmacotherapy for CUD, and indicate that a full-scale efficacy trial, powered based on effect sizes and variability yielded in this study, is warranted.
Influences of Social Comparisons and Multiple Goal Interdependency on R&D Responses to Performance

By connecting performance feedback theory to the social comparison literature, we investigated how diversified firms adapted research and development (R&D) spending in response to downward, lateral...
Exploring the Lived Experience of Food Insecure African Americans with Type 2 Diabetes Living in the Inner City.

Purpose: Despite evidence that food insecure African Americans with type 2 diabetes are at particularly high risk for poor health outcomes, there is currently a lack of information on their lived experience. This qualitative study aimed to identify chal­lenges, facilitators, and barriers to effective diabetes care for food insecure African Americans with type 2 diabetes residing in an inner city. Methods: In fall 2018, we conducted two focus groups attended by a total of 16 food insecure adults with type 2 diabetes residing in the inner city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A standardized moderator guide included questions to explore the role of food inse­curity in managing diabetes, and facilitators that improve diabetes management within the context of food insecurity. Focus groups were audio recorded and recordings were transcribed by a professional transcription service. A grounded theory approach was used for analysis. Results: Six major challenges existed at the individual level (diet/nutrition, exercise, dia­betes knowledge and skills, complications from diabetes, a family history of diabe­tes, and a preoccupation with food). Five major barriers and facilitators existed both internally and externally to the individuals (access to food, medications, stress, cost of health-related needs and religion/spiritual­ity). Conclusions: This study identified multiple challenges, barriers, and facilitators to effec­tive care for food insecure African American adults with type 2 diabetes. It is impera­tive to incorporate this understanding in future work by using an ecological approach to investigate strategies to address food insecurity beyond a singular focus on access to food. Ethn Dis. 2021;31(4):527-536; doi:10.18865/ed.31.4.527
A Synchronous Self-stabilizing Minimal Domination Protocol in an Arbitrary Network Graph

In this paper we propose a new self-stabilizing distributed algorithm for minimal domination protocol in an arbitrary network graph using the synchronous model; the proposed protocol is general in the sense that it can stabilize with every possible minimal dominating set of the graph.
Measuring bandwidth signatures of network paths

In this paper, we propose a practical and efficient technique, Forecaster, to estimate (1) the end-to-end available bandwidth, and (2) the speed of the most congested (tight) link along an Internet path. Forecaster is practical since it does not assume any a priori knowledge about the measured path, does not make any simplifying assumptions about the nature of cross-traffic, does not assume the ability to capture accurate packet dispersions or packet queueing delays, and does not try to preserve inter-packet spacing along path segments. It merely relies on a simple binary test to estimate whether each probe packet has queued in the network or not. Forecaster is efficient as it only requires two streams of probe packets that are sent end-to-end at rates that are much lower than the available bandwidth of the investigated path, thus avoiding path saturation. Theoretical analysis and experimental results validate the efficacy of the proposed technique.
Building dependability arguments for software intensive systems

A method is introduced for structuring and guiding the development of end-to-end dependability arguments. The goal is to establish high-level requirements of complex software-intensive systems, especially properties that cross-cut normal functional decomposition. The resulting argument documents and validates the justification of system-level claims by tracing them down to component-level substantiation, such as automatic code analysis or cryptographic proofs. The method is evaluated on case studies drawn from the Burr Proton Therapy Center, operating at Massachusetts General Hospital, and on the Pret a Voter cryptographic voting system, developed at the University of Newcastle. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Bile acid metabolism and fiber

Studies in experimental animals and in humans have shown a definite interaction of dietary fiber with bile acid metabolism. In experimental animals, some types of fiber have been shown to increase bile acid excretion as well as increase pool size and turnover of bile acids. In man, increases in bile acid excretion have been observed but not consistently. Alternations in excretion and biliary bile acid levels indicate an influence of dietary fiber in bile acid metabolism. In vitro experiments have attempted to determine the nature of the fiber-bile acid interaction. Some types of fiber and some components of fiber have been shown to bind bile acids and bile salts in appreciable quantities. The capacity for various types of fiber to bind bile acids or bile salts is quite variable, and a high capacity seems to correspond with a hypocholesteremic effect. A great deal of research is still needed for elucidation of these interactions of fiber and bile acid metabolism and the resultant beneficial effects on cholesterol metabolism and the disease-related abnormalities in cholesterol metabolism.
Performance of a Short Percentage Energy from Fat Tool in Measuring Change in Dietary Intervention Studies

Measurement of percentage energy from fat is important in surveillance of populations and in epidemiologic studies examining relationships between diet and disease as well as for behavioral intervention studies seeking to change dietary behavior. The NCI percentage energy from fat screener (PFat) has adequately predicted percentage of energy from fat compared with 24-h recalls (24HR) in cross-sectional analyses. However, the instrument has not been evaluated for its ability to assess change of percentage energy from fat over time or in response to interventions to change dietary intake of fat. The objective of this analysis is to evaluate the performance of the PFat in assessing change in percentage energy intake from fat in a behavioral intervention setting. Four individual sites participating in the Behavior Change Consortium Nutrition Working Group administered both the PF at and multiple 24HR at baseline and follow-up to 278 participants. A measurement error model was used to assess agreement between the PFat and 24HR at baseline and follow-up. The PFat was consistent with 24HR in finding there was no significant change in percentage energy from fat as a result of the intervention. Both male and female participants in the intervention group demonstrated a significant increase in the correlation between PFat and 24HR from baseline to follow-up. Percentage energy from fat measured by PFat may be useful to provide estimates of change in mean intake of populations over time in longitudinal studies. Further methodologic research is called for in interventions producing significant changes and in diverse populations with adequate sample size.
Towards a general theory of special functions

A list of a number of natural developments for the field of algebraic manipulation is given. Then the prospects for a general theory of functions defined by ordinary differential equations are discussed. The claim is made that recent developments in mathematics indicate that it should be possible to algorithmically generate many properties of solutions to differential equations. Such a theory is preferable to a less general effort to make algebraic manipulation systems knowledgeable about the usual special functions (e.g. exponential, hypergeometric).
Fabrication of Ti/polymer biocomposites for load-bearing implant applications

Abstract This paper presents a two-step method for the fabrication of Ti/polymer biocomposites. In the first step, a porous titanium substrate was produced by powder compaction and sintering. The porosity and pore structure of the substrate were controlled by varying the sintering process parameters. In the second step, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polyurethane (PU) was impregnated into the porous titanium substrate to form Ti/polymer biocomposites with the assistance of a hydraulic pressure. Ti/polymer composites with the polymer volume fraction varying from 21% to 37% have been successfully fabricated. Suitable impregnation parameters such as temperature, pressure and holding time for HDPE and PU were determined.