cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Central Nervous System Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas (All Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Types)

Non-Hodgkin lymphomas of the brain and spinal cord are generally high-grade tumors, often deriving from cells of the immune system normally found in the central nervous system. A large proportion of them are known to occur in persons with AIDS or in the elderly. Like other AIDS-related lymphomas, they have recently become less common among patients who have received the more effective modern antiviral therapy. These lymphomas occur three to four times as often among men as among women, and more frequently in San Francisco than in Los Angeles County or elsewhere. They increase in frequency in young adulthood, at which age they are most common, and occur in persons of all races and levels of social class. Incidence in the county as a whole had increased in recent decades, but that increase has now flattened out, and this is particularly evident among residents of high-risk census tracts. A small number of census tracts are seen to be at very high risk and no census tracts meet the high-risk criteria for women. High-risk census tracts are concentrated in contiguous census tracts in West Hollywood, Silver Lake, and Long Beach. The increased frequency of these lymphomas among men, the high incidence in San Francisco, the frequency among young men, and the presence of high-risk census tracts in and around West Hollywood suggest that the pattern of occurrence of this malignancy is dominated by susceptibility engendered by AIDS.
The SPARCS: a novel assessment of contrast sensitivity and its reliability in patients with corrected refractive error

Purpose To explore the reliability of the Spaeth/Richman Contrast Sensitivity (SPARCS) test and to assess the contrast sensitivity (CS) distribution among subjects with various refractive errors. Methods Cross-sectional study. Ninety-three individuals (182 eyes) with varying amounts of refractive error were included in this study and divided into six groups according to their spherical equivalent. CS was evaluated using Pelli–Robson (PR) and SPARCS assessments. Each eye was tested twice with both measurements. Outcomes included the correlations of PR and SPARCS scores, the test–retest agreement of the two measurements and the limits of agreement between tests of CS measurements. The distribution of CS among the six groups was compared. Results Pearson correlation analysis showed statistically significant correlations between SPARCS and PR scores (p Conclusions SPARCS appears to be a reliable assessment for CS. The difference in CS among myopes, emmetropes and hyperopes wearing their habitual correction was statistically insignificant in this study. Clinical trial number NCT01300949, post results
Drugs and punished responding. 3. Punishment intensity as a determinant of drug effect.

The effects of drug were studied on responding punished with various intensities of electric shock. Morphine did not increase punished responding at any shock intensity. Chlorpromazine increased punished responding only when the dose was very large and only when the shock markedly suppressed responding. Pentobarbital and diazepam produced large increases in the rate of punished responding. These increases in punished responding depended on the shock intensity and on the control rate of responding.
Critical aerodynamic aspects of helicopter blade-vortex interaction; a numerical study using large-eddy simulation

Numerical investigations of helicopter blade-vortex mechanism of interaction are performed using large eddy simulation (LES). The simulations were performed for a Reynolds number, Re = 1.3 x 10, based on the chord, c, of the airfoil (NACA0012). Computations are carried out for two different types of blade-vortex interactions, concerning single and respectively two vortices blade interaction. It was observed that for single vortex-blade interaction, the blade-vortex interaction becomes less significant with the increase of vertical miss distance. Larger amplitudes of aerodynamic coefficients were observed for the case of two vortices-blade interaction when compared with the single vortex blade interactions.
CONTRAST-ENHANCED MR IMAGING OF THE PANCREAS

Recent MR techniques such as breath-hold imaging, fat suppression, and dynamic imaging after intravenous administration of gadolinium chelates have reduced artifacts in the abdomen, resulting in an increased role of MR imaging in the evaluation of pancreatic disease. The extracellular contrast agent gadolinium chelate has been shown to enhance normal pancreatic tissue in a homogeneous fashion. Contrast between normal pancreatic tissue and tumor tissue on T1-weighted images may be improved after administration of gadolinium. Because of the lesser vascularization of pancreatic ductal cancers as compared to the normal glandular tissue, the differences in signal intensity are often greatest in the capillary phase immediately after contrast administration. In addition, the hypervascular nature of islet cell tumors, results in good definition of primary tumor and liver metastases on immediate post-gadolinium images.
INOSINE MONOPHOSPHATE (IMP) AND HYPOXANTHINE FORMATION IN THREE SPECIES OF SHRIMP HELD ON ICE

The major pathway for degradation of adenine nucleotides in pink (Pandalus borealis), spot (Pandalus platyceros), and sidestripe (Pandalopsis dispar) shrimp results in formation of inosine monophosphate (IMP) and hypoxanthine. The IMP content of shrimp held on ice increased to 2–3 μM/g during the first day and decreased to 0.4–0.7 μM/g during the next two weeks, while 0.8–1.3 μM/g of hypoxanthine accumulated during this period.
Small-scale low-moisture anhydrous ammonia (LMAA) pretreatment of corn stover

Abstract With many economic benefits, corn-based ethanol has been widely used in recent years. Cellulosic ethanol, however, require pretreatment to break down lingo-cellulosic structures prior to fermentation. Among all the pretreatment reagents that have been used, ammonia has proven to be one of the most effective, because it can readily delignify, swell, and preserve the polysaccharides. The purpose of this study was to determine optimal conditions (i.e. highest glucose yield) using the low-moisture anhydrous ammonia (LMAA) pretreatment process. In this experiment, corn stover was prepared with different moisture contents (20% w.b., 50% w.b., 80% w.b.) and particle sizes (9–30 mesh, 30–144 mesh). Corn stover was ammoniated for 30 min. Ammoniated corn stover was then subjected to different incubation times (24 h, 75 h, and 144 h) under different temperatures (20 °C, 70 °C, 120 °C). After that, compositional analyses, including moisture content, ash content, carbohydrates, and lignin content, were conducted. Enzymatic digestibility tests were also conducted. Results from this study will be used to improve the efficiency of pretreatment processing.
Sigma1 Targeting to Suppress Aberrant Androgen Receptor Signaling in Prostate Cancer

Suppression of androgen receptor (AR) activity in prostate cancer by androgen depletion or direct AR antagonist treatment, although initially effective, leads to incurable castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) via compensatory mechanisms including resurgence of AR and AR splice variant (ARV) signaling. Emerging evidence suggests that Sigma1 (also known as sigma-1 receptor) is a unique chaperone or scaffolding protein that contributes to cellular protein homeostasis. We reported previously that some Sigma1-selective small molecules can be used to pharmacologically modulate protein homeostasis pathways. We hypothesized that these Sigma1-mediated responses could be exploited to suppress AR protein levels and activity. Here we demonstrate that treatment with a small-molecule Sigma1 inhibitor prevented 5α- dihydrotestosterone-mediated nuclear translocation of AR and induced proteasomal degradation of AR and ARV, suppressing the transcriptional activity and protein levels of both full-length and splice-variant AR. Consistent with these data, RNAi knockdown of Sigma1 resulted in decreased AR levels and transcriptional activity. Furthermore, Sigma1 physically associated with ARV7 and ARv567es as well as full-length AR. Treatment of mice xenografted with ARV-driven CRPC tumors with a drug-like small-molecule Sigma1 inhibitor significantly inhibited tumor growth associated with elimination of AR and ARV7 in responsive tumors. Together, our data show that Sigma1 modulators can be used to suppress AR/ARV-driven prostate cancer cells via regulation of pharmacologically responsive Sigma1-AR/ARV interactions, both in vitro and in vivoCancer Res; 77(9); 2439-52. ©2017 AACR.
Occurrence of Neonicotinoid Insecticides in Finished Drinking Water and Fate during Drinking Water Treatment

Neonicotinoid insecticides are widespread in surface waters across the agriculturally intensive Midwestern United States. We report for the first time the presence of three neonicotinoids in finished drinking water and demonstrate their general persistence during conventional water treatment. Periodic tap water grab samples were collected at the University of Iowa over 7 weeks in 2016 (May–July) after maize/soy planting. Clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam were ubiquitously detected in finished water samples at concentrations ranging from 0.24 to 57.3 ng/L. Samples collected along the University of Iowa treatment train indicate no apparent removal of clothianidin or imidacloprid, with modest thiamethoxam removal (∼50%). In contrast, the concentrations of all neonicotinoids were substantially lower in the Iowa City treatment facility finished water using granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration. Batch experiments investigated potential losses. Thiamethoxam losses are due to base-catalyzed hydrol...
Networked publics and the organizing of collective action on Twitter: Examining the #Freebassel campaign:

This study applied collective action theories and network theories to examine the information sharing patterns among Twitter users to obtain sociopolitical legitimacy of their collective goal. The ...
Persistent Trophoblastic Neoplasia

In 2002, FIGO introduced the term “persistent trophoblastic neoplasia” or gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) to include persistent mole, invasive mole, metastatic mole, choriocarcinoma, and trophoblastic tumors under one clinical term for management purposes (Int J Gynecol Cancer 11(1):73–77, 2001), because all patients with such a diagnosis require chemotherapy (N Engl J Med 360(16):1639–1645, 2009). The criteria include serial hCG does not return to normal after evacuation (4 or more hCG levels that show a plateau for more than 3 weeks; an increase of 10% or more in three or more measurements for at least 2 weeks or persistence of detectable hCG 6 months after evacuation; evidence of metastasis; and a tissue diagnosis of gestational choriocarcinoma). This is a rather important development resulting in a clinical treatment decision based on clinical and serum hCG marker evaluation without a need of tissue diagnosis. Thereafter, histological diagnosis under the sequelae after a molar pregnancy in an individual patient has become uncertain since the introduction of GTN.
The virtualism of “capacity building” workshops in indigenous Amazonia

Sustainable development and conservation NGOs in Amazonia often hold workshops in which they task indigenous communities with various activities in the name of “capacity building.” People tend to perform these tasks despite often finding them to be flawed, demeaning, or based on erroneous assumptions about their lifeways and perspectives. Workshop organizers, for their part, tend to view local participation in itself as a straightforward indicator of a successful workshop to the neglect of a more complex picture. These combined tendencies contribute to expectations on both sides being partially fulfilled at best, but due to asymmetrical power distributions, can have disproportionately negative consequences for indigenous communities. The aim of this article is to critically examine these habits of workshop practice by casting ethnographic light on the multiple cultural imaginings (of present and future, self and other) that people and projects carry with them into workshop space. Capacity building worksho...
Influence of Single-Dose Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Early-Onset Pneumonia in High-Risk Intubated Patients

Early-onset pneumonia (EOP) after endotracheal intubation is common among critically ill patients with a neurologic injury and is associated with worse clinical outcomes. This retrospective cohort study observed outcomes pre- and post-implementation of an EOP prophylaxis protocol which involved the administration of a single dose of ceftriaxone 2 g around the time of intubation. The study included patients ≥ 18 years who were admitted to the University of North Carolina Medical Center (UNCMC) neuroscience intensive care unit (NSICU) between April 1, 2014, and October 26, 2016, and intubated for ≥ 72 h. Among the 172 patients included, use of an EOP prophylaxis protocol resulted in a significant reduction in the rate of microbiologically confirmed EOP compared to those without prophylaxis (7.4 vs 19.8%, p = 0.026). However, EOP prophylaxis did not decrease the combined incidence of microbiologically confirmed or clinically suspected EOP (32.2 vs 37.4%, p = 0.523). No difference in the rate of late-onset pneumonia (34.6 vs 26.4%, p = 0.25) or virulent organism growth (19.8 vs 14.3%, p = 0.416) was observed. No difference was observed in the duration of intubation, duration of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, duration of hospitalization, or ICU antibiotic days within 30 days of intubation. In hospital mortality was found to be higher in those who received EOP prophylaxis compared to those who did not receive prophylaxis (45.7 vs 29.7%, p = 0.04). The administration of a single antibiotic dose following intubation may reduce the incidence of microbiologically confirmed EOP in patients with neurologic injury who are intubated ≥ 72 h. A prophylaxis strategy does not appear to increase the rate of virulent organism growth or the rate of late-onset pneumonia. However, this practice is not associated with a decrease in days of antibiotic use in the ICU or any clinical outcomes benefit.
Development of computed phase-sensitive x-ray imaging technologies for pre-clinical science (Conference Presentation)

X-ray phase-contrast imaging methods exploit variations in an object’s 3D refractive index distribution to form projection or volumetric images of weakly absorbing objects. Such techniques can resolve subtle tissue structures by employing coherent imaging principles, but retain the ability of traditional (incoherent) X-ray methods to image deep into tissue. In this talk, we describe recent advancements in image formation methods for benchtop applications of X-ray phase-contrast imaging and tomography and present applications of pre-clinical in vivo imaging.
Bottom-up modeling using the rate-controlled constrained-equilibrium theory: The n-butane combustion chemistry

Abstract It is shown that when the constrained-equilibrium assumption is used, kinetic calculations can be carried out without the use of a detailed kinetic model in the outset. One starts with conservation of atomic elements, to which more constraints and rate-limiting reactions can be added to improve kinetic predictions to the desired accuracy. The idea is demonstrated for high temperature homogeneous ignition of mixtures of stoichiometric n-Butane in air. An {H/O, C1,2, C3Hx (x ≤ 6)} kinetic model, involving 41 species and 348 reactions, is taken as the foundational fuel model and the gap between the fuel molecule and this base model is bridged at five different models that use the constrained-equilibrium assumption. Comparisons of predictions of this approach with the same models that make no use of the constrained-equilibrium assumption indicate that (a) the chain of reactions could be explicitly broken without compromising the fundamental elementary nature of the model, and (b) the use of the constrained-equilibrium assumption makes the model less sensitive to the missing pathways. The results, therefore, suggest that employing the constrained-equilibrium assumption may significantly reduce the modeling task of heavy hydrocarbon fuels, where the intrinsic dimensionality of the model, multiplicity of pathways and the required rates render the modeling task intractable.
Probabilistic Transfer Matrices

We propose a general mathematical tool, the probabilistic transfer matrix (PTM), to reason about logic circuit behavior. PTMs provide a concise description of both normal and faulty behavior and are well-suited to reliability analysis. Simple composition rules based on connectivity can be used to recursively build large, circuit PTMs from smaller gate PTMs. Circuit PTMs can be used to accurately calculate joint output probabilities in the presence of reconvergent fan-out and inseparable joint input distributions using a small set of matrix operations, some of which we define. We demonstrate the use of PTMs in capturing various sorts of errors inherent in nanocircuits. We also show the use of PTMs in deriving polynomial approximations for circuit error probabilities in terms of gate error probabilities for the purpose of determining thresholds of acceptable gate error for specific circuits.
Generalizing the per-protocol treatment effect: The case of ACTG A5095

BackgroundIntention-to-treat comparisons of randomized trials provide asymptotically consistent estimators of the effect of treatment assignment, without regard to compliance. However, decision mak...
Scalable Diagnostics and Data Compression for Global Atmospheric Chemistry using Ristretto Library (version 1.0)

Abstract. We introduce a new set of algorithmic tools capable of producing scalable, low-rank decompositions of global spatio-temporal atmospheric chemistry data. By exploiting emerging randomized linear algebra algorithms, a suite of decompositions are proposed that extract the dominant features from big data sets (i.e. global atmospheric chemistry at longitude, latitude and elevation) with improved interpretability. Importantly, our proposed algorithms scale with the intrinsic rank of the global chemistry space rather than the ever increasing spatio-temporal measurement space, thus allowing for efficient representation and compression of the data. In addition to scalability, two additional innovations are proposed for improved interpretability: (i) a non-negative decomposition of the data for improved interpretability by constraining the chemical space to have only positive expression values (unlike PCA analysis), and (ii) sparse matrix decompositions, which thresholds low-correlations to zero, thus highlighting the dominant, localized spatial activity (again unlike PCA analysis). Our methods are demonstrated on a full year of global chemistry dynamics data, showing its significant improvement in computational speed and interpretability. We show that the here presented decomposition methods successfully extract known major features of atmospheric chemistry, such as summertime surface pollution and biomass burning activities. Indeed, we find that the full annual model output can be reconstructed using only 50–100 principal modes, suggesting that the presented methods offer the potential to archive model data of atmospheric chemistry with compression factors in the range of 200–4000 or greater. In the emerging area of big data , specifically global chemistry monitoring, such technologies are critically enabling for real-time and computationally tractable diagnostics of both large scale simulation and measurement data.
Postural cueing increases multifidus activation during stabilization exercise in participants with chronic and recurrent low back pain: An electromyographic study.

Abstract Persons with low back pain (LBP) have demonstrated altered morphology and function of the deep multifidus (DM). This study examined the effects of postural cueing for increased lumbar lordosis on DM and longissimus thoracis (LT) activation during lumbar stabilization exercises (LSE) performed by persons with LBP. Nine adults with a history of chronic or recurrent LBP were recruited. Fine-wire EMG data was collected while participants performed 10 LSE’s in neutral posture and with postural cueing. Percent maximum voluntary isometric contraction of L5 DM and T12 LT, and ratios of activation (DM/LT) were analyzed. There was a significant main effect for posture on DM activation (p
Are changes of major major changes? The roles of grades, gender, and preferences in college major switching

Abstract The choice of college major is a key stage in the career search, and over a third of college students switch majors at least once. We provide the first comprehensive analysis of major switching, looking at the patterns of switching in both academic and non-academic dimensions. Low grades signal academic mismatch and predict switching majors - and the lower the grades, the larger the switch in terms of course content. Surprisingly, these switches do not improve students’ grades. When students switch majors, they switch to majors that “look like them”: females to female-heavy majors, and so on. Lower-ability women flee competitive majors at high rates, while men and higher-ability women are undeterred. Women are far more likely to leave STEM fields for majors that are less competitive – but still somewhat science-intensive – suggesting that leaving STEM may be more about fleeing the “culture” of STEM majors than fleeing science and math.
Maternal performance differences between porcine stress syndrome-normal and -carrier Landrace females

Differences between porcine stress syndrome (PSS) normal (NN) and carrier (Nn) Landrace dams were determined for adjusted number of pigs born alive, adjusted number of pigs at 21 d, adjusted 21-d litter weight, proportion of pigs surviv- ing to 21 d, and farrowing interval. Data were analyzed from a total of 841 females, 623 normal (NN) and 218 carriers (Nn) having 2,231 and 869 records, respectively. Three susceptible (nn) females from two herds were dropped from the analysis because of their small contribution to the total number of records. Frequency of the recessive PSS allele ranged from .07 to .28 in the nine herds involved in this study. Data were adjusted using Landrace breed- specific adjustments and analyzed with mixed-model derivative-free REML procedures fitting the dams' PSS genotype as a fixed effect in the model. Only females having two or more successive parities were used in the analysis of farrowing interval, resulting in a reduction of total records analyzed to 2,201 (1,564 NN and 637 Nn records) from 632 females (445 NN and 187 Nn females). No differences between NN and Nn dams were observed for adjusted number of pigs born alive, adjusted number of pigs at 21 d, adjusted 21-d litter weight, proportion of pigs surviving to 21 d, and farrowing interval. The results of this investiga- tion indicate no significant maternal performance differences between PSS NN or Nn Landrace dams.
8.30 Spectroscopic Analysis: Chiroptical Sensors

Chiroptical sensors have been designed that detect a multitude of different analytes with a high level of sensitivity. A wide range of scaffolds have been used that respond to metals, small molecules, anions, and other analytes. Not only have chiroptical systems been used to detect the presence of analytes but also other properties such as oxidation state and other physical phenomena that influence the helicity and conformation of molecules and materials. The primary mode of detection for the reviewed chiroptical sensors is circular dichroism, but other techniques have been explored recently. Recently, high-throughput screening methods have been used to evaluate sensors for the determination of enantiomeric excess. With the development of solid-state chiroptical sensors still at early stages of development, this review mainly covers liquid-based techniques.
Projectile strength effects on the ballistic impact response of soft armor targets

Upon impact with a target panel, a portion of a projectile's striking kinetic energy is dissipated via heat loss or deformation. Typical ballistic performance determination standards require strict...
Herpes-Simplex Thymidine Kinase Gene as a Selective Marker in Evaluating the Bone Marrow Microenvironment in Multiple Myeloma (MM).

MM is the most common cancer metastasizing to bone, with 85–90% of patients developing bone disease. It is unique from other forms of metastatic bone disease, as it is purely lytic. There are a multitude of factors involved in promoting bone disease in MM; however, what remains unanswered is why patients in complete remission from MM are unable to heal their bone lesions. We hypothesize that MM cells exert a permanent change in the bone marrow microenvironment, either through a change in the differentiation potential of mesenchymal stem cells or through stem cell depletion. To investigate this question we developed a new model of MM bone disease in which a herpes-simplex thymidine kinase gene (HSV tk ), sensitive to ganciclovir (GCV), is expressed within a MM cell line and injected into the tibia of mice. This allows for eradication of the MM cells without the use of chemotherapy or immunotherapy, minimizes adverse effects on neighboring mesenchymal stem cells and directly involves the bone. The murine MM cell line (5TGM1) was infected, using a lentiviral system, with the tricistronic construct of HSV tk linked to green fluorescence protein (GFP) and blasticidin. Following blasticidin selection, 5TGM1 tk cells stably expressing HSV tk and GFP were used for all experiments. GCV dosing curves to determine the dose resulting in 100% eradication were completed. The effects of GCV on both murine hematopoietic cells and mesenchymal stem cells induced to osteoblasts were completed using methylcellulose colony formation and alkaline phosphatase assays. Bystander effects of 5TGM1 tk cells on murine hematopoietic cells and murine osteoblasts were completed using murine methylcellulose colony formation, alkaline phosphatase and colony-forming unit fibroblast (CFU-F) assays. In vivo data was obtained following intratibial injection of 5TGM1 tk cells (1x10 5 , 5x10 5 , 1x10 6 ) or saline into NIH-III mice (3 mice per group, 12 mice total). Mice were evaluated at weekly intervals for tumor and lytic lesion development with plain radiographs and Micro QCT, and osteoblast activity evaluated by alkaline phosphatase analysis. No significant effects of GCV, at doses capable of eradicating the MM cell line (1ug/ml) were observed on murine hematopoietic cells or osteoblasts. No significant effect was observed on hematopoietic colony development when 5TGM1 tk cells were cocultured with murine hematopoietic cells. A small bystander effect, approximately 30%, was identified when 5TGM1 tk cells were cocultured with murine mesenchymal stem cells induced to osteoblasts in the presence of GCV. Dose-dependent CFU-F suppression was observed with increasing percentages of tumor cells (0–50%), however reversal of suppression was noted when cultured in the presence of GCV. 60% of the mice injected with 5TGM1 tk cells developed tumor, and evidence of dose-dependent osteoblast suppression in vivo observed as measured by the alkaline phosphatase assay (p
The role of phonology in processing morphologically complex words.

This study investigated the role of phonology in the processing of morphologically complex words in a masked priming experiment. An English stem word target was preceded by either its derived form, sharing the phonological information with its stem (P+; healer–HEAL), or its derived form with a phonological change from the stem (P−; health–HEAL). Interestingly, both P+ and P− conditions showed comparable priming, suggesting that phonological information does not play a crucial role at least at early stages of morphological decomposition. This finding does not support the distributed connectionist approach of morphological processing, that maintains that morphemes are patterns of activation distributed across spelling, sound, and meaning. In fact, our results suggest that morphemes are explicitly represented as discrete units in the mental lexicon.
Fiber reorientation in hybrid helicoidal composites

Abstract Naturally occurring biological materials with stiff fibers embedded in a ductile matrix are commonly known to achieve excellent balance between stiffness, strength and ductility. In particular, biological composite materials with helicoidal architecture have been shown to exhibit enhanced damage tolerance and increased impact energy absorption. However, the role of fiber reorientation inside the flexible matrix of helicoid composites on their mechanical behaviors have not yet been extensively investigated. In the present work, we introduce a Discontinuous Fiber Helicoid (DFH) composite inspired by both the helicoid microstructure in the cuticle of mantis shrimp and the nacreous architecture of the red abalone shell. We employ 3D printed specimens, analytical models and finite element models to analyze and quantify in-plane fiber reorientation in helicoid architectures with different geometrical features. We also introduce additional architectures, i.e., single unidirectional lamina and mono-balanced architectures, for comparison purposes. Compared with associated mono-balanced architectures, helicoid architectures exhibit less fiber reorientation values and lower values of strain stiffening. The explanation for this difference is addressed in terms of the measured in-plane deformation, due to uniaxial tensile of the laminae, correlated to lamina misorientation with respect to the loading direction and lay-up sequence.
Investigation of Cracks Observed on a Skewed Bridge Constructed Using Self-Propelled Modular Transporters

AbstractThis study investigates full-depth deck cracks observed on a skewed bridge, which was constructed using self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs). To investigate the causes, three main fa...
A National Comparison of Postoperative Outcomes in Completion Thyroidectomy and Total Thyroidectomy.

ObjectiveTo characterize and assess the non–thyroid-specific postoperative complications of completion thyroidectomy as compared with total thyroidectomy.Study DesignRetrospective analysis: 2005 to...
Estimating the Contribution of a Contaminated Wheelchair to Pathogen Spread With an Agent-Based Model

Background: Wheelchairs can contribute to healthcare-associated infection transmission due to direct contact with patients and healthcare workers and due to wide spatial movement in facilities. Objective: We utilized location data of a wheelchair to inform an agent-based model for estimating the contribution of a single contaminated patient ride in a wheelchair to subsequent environmental contamination and to estimate the potential for wheelchair disinfection between patients to disrupt this spread. Methods: The destination and origin of wheelchairs were tracked in several facility locations: specialty care services, long-term care, radiology, acute care, common spaces, domiciliary, and outpatient clinics. An agent-based model was developed in which the probability of the wheelchair traveling directly from one location to another was informed by wheelchair origin and destination data. We assumed that the first patient’s hands were contaminated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). For each patient trip, each simulated patient made contact with the wheelchair arm rests and a surface in the destination location. To evaluate potential exposures of uninfected patients, all patients riding in the wheelchair after the contaminated patient were assumed to be uncontaminated. In total, 50 patient rides were simulated. The concentration and number of contaminated surfaces in each hospital area were compared in addition to the average concentration of MRSA on patient hands over time. The intervention simulation involved a disinfection of wheelchair armrests with 90%, 70%, or 50% efficacy. Results: The 3 areas that had the largest estimated number of contaminated surfaces after 50 wheelchair trips following the first patient assumed to be infected were specialty care services, long-term care, and acute care. This finding was consistent with the paths that were most frequented by the wheelchair. Without cleaning between patients, the fiftieth patient to use the wheelchair had an average MRSA concentration of 41.5 CFU/cm2. With cleaning between patients, assuming a 50% cleaning efficacy, average MRSA concentration on the hands for the fiftieth patient was reduced to 7.4 ×10-14 CFU/cm2. Conclusions: We have demonstrated that cleaning, even with efficacies as low as 50%, may protect patients using contaminated wheelchairs from potential pathogen exposures. This study also demonstrates that tracking portable equipment can be useful not only for exposure modeling but also for predicting where the largest number of surfaces contaminated via portable equipment routes may be found. Future steps include performing a sensitivity analysis to evaluate the influence of spatial assumptions. Funding: None Disclosures: None
Preoperative Trapped Lung Is Associated With Increased Mortality After Orthotopic Liver Transplantation.

Introduction:Trapped lung, characterized by atelectatic lung unable to reexpand and fill the thoracic cavity due to a restricting fibrous visceral pleural peel, is occasionally seen in patients wit...
Religion, Spirituality, Community, and Change at a Residential Homeless Shelter

This article looks at the effects of religion, spirituality, and religious community in an evangelical Christian homeless shelter. We describe the culture of the shelter as well as the life stories...
A New Feudalism: Selfish Genes, Great Wealth and the Rise of the Dynastic Family Trust

Today’s record levels of economic inequality are infecting our future as the top 0.01% bequest vast wealth to their descendants. With the death of the Rule Against Perpetuities (RAP), this inequality has the potential to harden social class lines not just for a generation or two but forever. Although it may sound implausible, interviews with estate lawyers serving very high net worth clients reveal that some of the wealthiest tier of testators are already exploiting the RAP’s elimination, along with a tax loophole, to establish dynasty trusts that will financially empower their bloodline as long as it continues. Evolutionary biologists will not be surprised by this finding. Recent work in their field shows a universal and powerful human drive for high status descendants — a drive for “quality” progeny so powerful that it appears to trump the usual desire to maximize quantity of offspring. Coupled with the long history of dynastic family wealth in England, this science suggests that today’s wealthiest testators will utilize powerful modern legal institutions (e.g. well-developed laws of contract and trust; deep and efficient capital markets) to forge a new sort of trust that I dub a Dynastic Family Trusts (DFT). These DFTs will be larded with innovative provisions leveraging a founder’s wealth to maximize descendants’ status for generation after generation. For those fearing the pernicious effects of concentrated wealth on democracy and equal opportunity, the rise of the DFT is alarming. Fortunately there is a very easy fix: simply reinstate the Rule Against Perpetuities. Given a race-to-the-bottom dynamic among the states, national legislation from Congress is necessary.
Transmembrane adaptor protein PAG is a mediator of PD-1 inhibitory signaling in human T cells

The inhibitory receptor PD-1 is expressed on T cells to inhibit select functions when ligated. The complete signaling mechanism downstream of PD-1 has yet to be uncovered. Here, we discovered phosphoprotein associated with glycosphingolipid-enriched microdomains 1 (PAG) is phosphorylated following PD-1 ligation and associate this with inhibitory T cell function. Clinical cohort analysis correlates low PAG expression with increased survival from numerous tumor types. PAG knockdown in T cells prevents PD-1-mediated inhibition of cytokine secretion, cell adhesion, CD69 expression, and ERK204/187 phosphorylation, and enhances phosphorylation of SRC527 following PD-1 ligation. PAG overexpression rescues these effects. In vivo, PAG contributes greatly to the growth of two murine tumors, MC38 and B16, and limits T cell presence within the tumor. Moreover, PAG deletion sensitizes tumors to PD-1 blockade. Here PAG is established as a critical mediator of PD-1 signaling and as a potential target to enhance T cell activation in tumors.
Karen Kilby on the Politics of Not Knowing

There is a danger that, when making assertions about God or other things in relation to God, theologians will claim to know too much—more than they do, more than can be known—and that adverse conse...
Prenatal predictors of postpartum depression trajectories from birth to 24 months amongst smoking women.

Aims and objectives We aimed to identify postpartum depression (PPD) trajectories and examine relevant predictors amongst smoking women. Background PPD can adversely affect families. Predictors of PPD trajectories amongst smoking women are understudied. Design Longitudinal cohort study. Methods A cohort of 49 U.S. women (current or ex-smoking) completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale from birth to 24 months postpartum. Latent class growth modelling was used to identify PPD trajectories. Predictors of PPD trajectories were identified, adjusting for confounders. Effect modification by prenatal Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) depression score was also assessed. STROBE guidelines were followed in reporting results. Results Three PPD trajectories were identified: non-PPD, transient PPD and chronic PPD. In multinomial logistic regression, social support was associated with lower odds of membership in the chronic PPD trajectory compared to non-PPD trajectory: being married or having a partner sharing resources (odds ratio OR = .14 [.02, .85], p-value = .03), greater partner support (OR = .87 [.77, .98], p-value = .02) and greater family/friends support (OR = .53 [.34, .82], p-value = .004). Transient PPD showed no differences with non-PPD on any predictors. In ordinal logistic regression models, social support was associated with lower odds of membership in a more severe PPD depression trajectory when prenatal PHQ depression score was in the low range (being married or having a partner sharing resources: p for effect modification = .06; partner support: p for effect modification = .05; and family/friends support: p for effect modification = .005). Relevance to clinical practice Compared to the general population, chronic PPD trajectories were more common amongst smoking women. Social support was an important predictor of more severe PPD trajectories, especially when prenatal depression is low. Conclusion Our findings indicated that social support might decrease likelihood of severe PPD trajectories, especially when prenatal depression was low. Relevant predictors of transient PPD remained elusive.
Racial Disparities in Time to Start of Definitive Radiation Treatment for Patients With Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) Chemoradiation (CRT) is the curative standard for patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). The impact of time to start of definitive treatment has not been well defined. To further elucidate quality improvement metrics, we investigated factors that may influence start time to CRT or radiation (RT) and its impact on recurrence and survival outcomes. MATERIALS/METHODS Patients with LACC treated with definitive CRT or RT at our institution between 2015 and 2020 were retrospectively identified. Time to treatment initiation (TTI) was defined as the number of days from date of diagnosis (via biopsy) to start date of RT treatment. The cohort was stratified by the median TTI - within 75 (early) or ≥ 75 days (delayed). Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to examine factors associated with delayed TTI. Secondary endpoints of locoregional failure (LRF), overall survival (OS), and distant failure (DF) were evaluated in multivariable Cox and Fine-Gray models. RESULTS We identified 143 patients with LACC who underwent definitive CRT or RT with a median follow up of 18 months. 71 (49.7%) patients had TTI < 75 days (median 53, range 2-74 days) and 72 (50.3%) patients had TTI ≥ 75 days (median 91, range 75-472 days). The delayed cohort had a higher proportion of Hispanic patients (51.4% vs 31.0%, P = 0.04). Both cohorts had similar distributions of other patient, tumor, and treatment related variables. In multivariable logistic regression examining the sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with delayed TTI, only race was a significant predictor as Hispanic women were 2.62 times more likely to undergo delayed TTI (OR 95% CI 1.14-6.00, P = 0.03) than non-Hispanic White women. Non-Hispanic women of other races (Black, Asian, mixed) comprised 18.2% of our cohort and had similar odds (P = 0.58) of undergoing delayed TTI as non-Hispanic White women. In multivariable models, delayed TTI was not associated with inferior LRF, OS, or DF. Similarly, Hispanic race was not associated with inferior outcomes on these endpoints. CONCLUSION In our study, patients with LACC were more likely to receive delayed definitive treatment of ≥ 75 days if they were Hispanic. This disproportionate delay in treatment at a high volume, academic cancer center represents an opportunity for exploration of patient-, physician-, and system-centered factors in order to counteract this disparity. Further studies examining the presence of similar disparities in delay to definitive treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer at other institutions and settings are warranted.
What is the finiteness conjecture for linear continuous time inclusions

We give various continuous time generalizations of the discrete time finiteness "conjecture", formulated as problems about a priori norms. Ultimate answer is given for polytope norms, some low dimensional answers are given for Hubert norms.
Recent Advances in Cryogenic Optics Technology for Space Infrared Telescope and Interferometer Systems

In this paper we will describe recent advances in the development of optical systems for future space infrared telescope and interferometer applications which will operate at very low or cryogenic temperatures (T≤77K) with emphasis on beryllium and silicon carbide optics. New material formulations and advanced processing and manufacturing techniques are enabling the development of large, very low mass, high performance cryogenic optics. The design, manufacturing and cryogenic testing of several recently developed mirrors and optical assemblies will be discussed.
Interaction of protein kinase C isozymes with phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate

Interaction of protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes with phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) was investigated by monitoring the changes in the intrinsic fluorescence of the enzyme, the kinase activity, and phorbol ester binding. Incubation of PKC I, II, and III with PIP2 resulted in different rates of quenching of PKC fluorescence and different degrees of inactivation of these enzymes. Other inositol-containing phospholipids such as phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate also caused differential rates of quenching of the intrinsic fluorescence of these enzymes. These latter two phospholipids were, however, less potent in the inactivation of PKCs than PIP2. The IC50 of PIP2 were 2, 4, and 11 microM for PKC I, II, and III, respectively. Inactivation of PKCs by PIP2 cannot be reversed by extensive dilution of PIP2 with Nonidet P-40 nor by digestion of PIP2 with phospholipase C. Interaction of PIP2 with the various PKC isozymes was greatly facilitated in the presence of Mg2+ or Ca2+ as evidenced by the accelerated quenching of the PKC fluorescence, however, these divalent metal ions protected PKC from the PIP2-induced inactivation. Binding of PIP2 to PKC in the absence of divalent metal ion also caused a reduction of [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate binding as a result of reducing the affinity of the enzyme for phorbol ester. Based on gel filtration chromatography, it was estimated that one molecule of PKC interacted with one PIP2 micelle with an aggregation number of 80-90. The PIP2-bound PKC could further interact with phosphatidylserine in the presence of Ca2+ to form a larger complex. Binding of PKC to both PIP2 and phosphatidylserine in the presence of Ca2+ was also evident by changes in the intrinsic fluorescence of PKC. As the interaction of PKC with PIP2, but not with phosphatidylserine, could be enhanced by millimolar concentrations of Mg2+, we propose that PIP2 may be a component of the membrane anchor for PKC under basal physiological conditions when [Ca2+]i is low and Mg2+ is plentiful. Under the in vitro assay conditions, PIP2 could stimulate PKC activity to a level approximately 10-20% of that by diacylglycerol. The stimulatory effect of PIP2 on PKC apparently is not due to binding to the same site recognized by diacylglycerol or phorbol ester, because PIP2 cannot effectively compete with phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate in the binding assay.
Enhancement of the luminol test by means of light amplification.

The type of device commonly referred to as a “starlight scope” will amplify available light by a factor of approximately 17 000. The use of this device will permit an image to be formed by exceedingly small amounts of blood when reacted with luminol reagent. Modification of the apparatus is necessary to permit focusing at short distances.
Toward a club of carbon markets

This paper proposes the creation of a club of carbon markets (CCM), to promote deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by supporting the development, harmonization, and increased ambition of domestic carbon markets. To achieve its aims, the club would establish common or reciprocal standards for environmental market infrastructure, transparency and environmental integrity; offer mutual recognition of members’ emissions units; allow participating jurisdictions to share experience and gain assistance in building institutional capacity; and promote domestic and cross-border investment in low-carbon development. Using a suite of incentives, including some from the trade arena, a club of carbon markets could serve as a powerful attractive nucleus for broadening the participation of jurisdictions in climate mitigation, much as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) served as the nucleus for broadening trade in products and services. A carbon markets club could be launched under UNFCCC auspices, but a more promising avenue might be to pursue the creation of the CCM as a complement to but outside the UN talks.
Acceleration of Ambystoma tigrinum metamorphosis by corticotropin-releasing hormone

Previous work of others and ours has shown that corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is a positive stimulus for thyroid and interrenal hormone secretion in amphibian larvae and that activation of CRH neurons may mediate environmental effects on the timing of metamorphosis. These studies have investigated CRH actions in anurans (frogs and toads), whereas there is currently no information regarding the actions of CRH on metamorphosis of urodeles (salamanders and newts). We tested the hypothesis that CRH can accelerate metamorphosis of tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) larvae. We injected tiger salamander larvae with ovine CRH (oCRH; 1 microg/day; i.p.) and monitored effects on metamorphosis by measuring the rate of gill resorption. oCRH-injected larvae completed metamorphosis earlier than saline-injected larvae. There was no significant difference between uninjected and saline-injected larvae. Mean time to reach 50% reduction in initial gill length was 6.9 days for oCRH-injected animals, 11.9 days for saline-injected animals, and 14.1 days for uninjected controls. At the conclusion of the experiment (day 15), all oCRH-injected animals had completed metamorphosis, whereas by day 15, only 50% of saline-injected animals and 33% of uninjected animals had metamorphosed. Our results show that exogenous oCRH can accelerate metamorphosis in urodele larvae as it does in anurans. These findings suggest that the neuroendocrine mechanisms controlling metamorphosis are evolutionarily conserved across amphibian taxa.