cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Scarlet Virus

The Scarlet Virus Confident that she could manage her HIV, Ms. M. required little intervention; appointments seemed more like visits with an old friend. She counseled other patients in the waiting room, comforting peers who remained closeted and defamed even in the 21st century.
Mathematical Programming and Cluster Analysis

Recall that the objective in solving the cluster problem is to determine the optimal partitioning of n objects into m disjoint subsets in such a manner that a certain criterion of homogeneity within clusters is satisfied. A way of accomplishing this objective as discussed in Chapter 2 is by complete enumeration, i.e., examine the homogeneity criterion for all possible partitions into m clusters and choose that one which is optimal. Unfortunately, the method of complete enumeration is in general impractical, even for small values of n and m.
Turbulence in the Core of the Equatorial Undercurrent

Estimates of space time average velocity and temperature dissipation rates e and χ from microstructure measurements are particularly difficult in strongly stratified ocean layers such as the equatorial undercurrent high velocity core and the seasonal thermocline because the turbulence in such layers is extremely intermittent in time and patchy in space. In the seasonal thermocline at Ocean Station P, 50°N 145°W, χ was found to be lognormally distributed with variance σ 2 lnχ = 5.3, larger than values in the mixed layer above and in less stratified layers below. A similar pattern appears to exist in the equatorial undercurrent, with maximum σ 2 lnχ occurring near the depth of maximum stratification in the high velocity core. Large data samples must be averaged to reliably estimate χ. The most probable χ value for a short record, χmode, is less than χmean by a factor of exp(−1.5 σ 2 lnχ) if χ is lognormal. Therefore, in the seasonal thermocline data mentioned, individual dropsonde χ profiles are likely to underestimate χmean by a factor of 3.5 χ 10 −4 , and this was observed. Combining all available χ measurements in the core layer of the equatorial undercurrent gives a σ 2 lnχ value of about 7 and χmode/χmean of 3 x 10 −5 . Clearly short χ records are subject to extremely large sampling errors: several orders of magnitude. Dropsonde measurements of χ in the undercurrent core by Gregg (1976) are less than towed body measurements of Williams and Gibson (1974) by 2-4 orders of magnitude and dropsonde measurements of e by Crawford (1976, 1982) and Osborn (1980) are less than towed body measurements of Williams and Gibson (1974) and Belyaev et al. (1975) by similar large factors. This discrepancy is attributed to large undersampling errors in the dropsonde χ and e values which are based on much smaller sample sizes than the towed body values. It is important to know the true average e and χ dissination rates at core depths. If the dropsonde values of 10 −5 cm 2 /s 3 and 10 −8 °C 2 /s are representative then the undercurrent core is effectively nonturbulent and provides an insulating barrier to vertical heat transfer at shallow depths. If the towed body values of 10 −1 cm 2 /s 3 and 10 −5 °C 2 /s are closer to the true averages, then the equatorial undercurrent possibly plays a dominant rather than an unimportant role in tropical heat and mass transfer, and may therefore be an important factor in the determination of planetary climate.
The Production, Distribution, and Bacterial Enrichment of the Sea-Salt Aerosol

It is often difficult to go back through time to find who did the pioneer work in a given area of research. This is not the case for the sea-salt aerosol. Throughout the early years of this century a few papers on the subject appeared in the literature, but they contained little quantitative information. But all this changed in the late 1940’s with the appearance of the first of several pioneer papers by Woodcock. His first paper (Woodcock and Gifford, 1949) described in detail the technique of obtaining the sea-salt particle size distribution. In a later paper Woodcock (1952) presented his ideas on the role of the giant sea-salt particles in the formation of raindrops, and in 1953 he published a paper that for the first time showed the salt particle distribution as a function of wind speed. Though numerous investigators have followed in Woodcock’s footsteps, his 1953 paper is still relevant and extensively quoted today.
Molecular Mechanisms for the Sequence Recognition of DNA by (+)-CC-1065

(+)-CC-1065 is an extremely potent antitumor antibiotic produced by Streptomyces zelensis We have previously postulated that a sequence dependent catalytic activation and/or conformational flexibility are/is responsible for the DNA sequence selectivity of (+)-CC-1065. In this review article we demonstrated that both of these factors are likely to be involved. Using a 12-mer DNA duplex containing a unique (+)-CC-1065 bonding site within a highly reactive 5′AGTTA* (where* denotes the covalent modification site) sequence in combination with high field proton NMR, we have examined the structure of both the duplex and its covalent adduct. First, we demonstrate the involvement of a bridging water molecule between a phenolic proton on the alkylating subunit of (+)-CC-1065 and an anionic oxygen in the phosphate on the noncovalently modified strand of DNA. This structure has important implications for catalytic activation of the covalent reaction between (+)-CC-1065 and DNA and, consequently, the molecular basis for sequence selective recognition of DNA by the alkylating subunit of (+)-CC-1065. Second, we illustrate the importance of bending and associated conformational flexibility of DNA in the sequence selectivity of the covalent reaction with (+)-CC-1065.
Evidence Fusion Using Constraint Satisfaction Networks

This paper describes a modular and coherent approach to 3D object recognition. The basic theme behind the approach is constraint satisfaction networks, motivated by connectionist networks. The use of such networks allows fusion of evidence and a fundamental homogeneity of the entire recognition paradigm. Here evidence can be about fundamentally different geometric objects, such as curves and surfaces, or can be evidence obtained from different sensory modalities. We emphasize the former.
Cell Proliferation as a Biomarker of Age and Development

Changes in the proliferative capacity of cells can serve as a biomarker of development, age, and carcinogenesis. Perturbation of the cell cycle is considered a toxic endpoint. A paucity of data is available on the cell cycle as a function of age. in order to understand the etiology of ontogenesis and carcinogenesis, it is essential that background information be established on cell proliferation. The brain is known to have a very high level of proliferation during the early stages of development which decreases with age. The present study was designed to establish background information on cell proliferation, by cell cycle analysis, in the brain of normal male rats during development. Brain tissues of Sprague-Dawley rats (newborn, 21 days, 6 months, and one year of age) were dissected to obtain the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brain stem. Cellular proliferation activity was determined by flow cytometry. The percentage of S-phase cells was used to establish the proliferative index (PI). Our results indicate that there are differences in proliferation among the three brain regions in all age groups except for the 6-month old animals. in all cases, cell proliferation was highest in newborn rats. Proliferation activity in the cerebrum of newborn and 21-day old rats was equivalent (17%); after 21 days of age, proliferative activity decreases and maintains the same low rate (about 6.5%) until at least one year of age. The proliferation activity of cerebellum (21% at birth) decreases in animals at day 21 (7%) and the decrease continues until 6 months of age at which time it remains constant (5%) for at least one year. The proliferative activity of brain stem decreases from 16% to 5% immediately after birth and maintains the same low rate from day 21 to one year of age.
INTRAVASCULAR AND INTRACARDIAC ULTRASOUND: A Tool of the Future

We should all be concerned about the future because we will have to spend the rest of our lives there. CHARLES FRANKLIN KETTERING
Noninvasive profiling of sweat-derived lipid mediators for cutaneous research

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Recent increases in the use of noninvasive matrices for biomedical analysis has led to interest in the evaluation of sweat for both clinical and research applications. However, despite being one of the two main cutaneous secretions, until very recently, only one study actually analyzed sweat in the context of cutaneous disease. This review attempts to make the case for increased use of sweat in cutaneous research, and discusses lipid mediators as potential analytical targets in sweat. METHODS Sweat composition and its relationship with the skin and systemic circulation are discussed, as are practical considerations for sweat sampling and analysis. Previous analyses of lipid mediators in skin biopsies are provided to show that lipid mediators can regulate cutaneous processes and disease pathways. Summaries of recent studies involving the analysis of sweat lipid mediators are provided to demonstrate the utility of sweat lipid mediator testing to support future cutaneous research studies. RESULTS Sweat has the potential to reflect both local and systemic biochemical changes in response to disease or intervention, and two recent studies of sweat lipid mediators confirm this ability. Additionally, sweat lipid mediators appear to be temporally stable with individual variability comparable to other matrices, suggesting that these analytes could be useful biomarkers. CONCLUSIONS Sweat metabolites may be capable of reporting changes in cutaneous biochemical pathways, thereby providing insight into the immunomodulatory biochemistry of the skin. Lipid mediator analysis of sweat appears to be a non invasive approach that could enhance existing cutaneous research and diagnostic methodologies.
Prolyl Hydroxylase Domain-2 Protein Regulates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Vascular Inflammation

Acute lung injury and its more severe form, acute respiratory distress syndrome, are life-threatening respiratory disorders. Overwhelming pulmonary inflammation and endothelium disruption are commonly observed. Endothelial cells (ECs) are well recognized as key regulators in leukocyte adhesion and migration in response to bacterial infection. Prolyl hydroxylase domain (PHD)–2 protein, a major PHD in ECs, plays a critical role in intracellular oxygen homeostasis, angiogenesis, and pulmonary hypertension. However, its role in endothelial inflammatory response is unclear. We investigated the role of PHD2 in ECs during endotoxin-induced lung inflammatory responses with EC-specific PHD2 inducible knockout mice. On lipopolysaccharide challenge, PHD2 depletion in ECs attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced increases of lung vascular permeability, edema, and inflammatory cell infiltration. Moreover, EC-specific PHD2 inducible knockout mice exhibit improved adherens junction integrity and endothelial barrier function. Mechanistically, PHD2 knockdown induces vascular endothelial cadherin in mouse lung microvascular primary endothelial cells. Moreover, PHD2 knockdown can increase hypoxia-inducible factor/vascular endothelial protein tyrosine phosphatase signaling and reactive oxygen species–dependent p38 activation, leading to the induction of vascular endothelial cadherin. Data indicate that PHD2 depletion prevents the formation of leaky vessels and edema by regulating endothelial barrier function. It provides direct in vivo evidence to suggest that PHD2 plays a pivotal role in vascular inflammation. The inhibition of endothelial PHD2 activity may be a new therapeutic strategy for acute inflammatory diseases.
Novel treatment options in platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer: A review.

Abstract Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the leading cause of death due to gynecologic malignancy. The majority of advanced stage EOC patients, even those who respond well to frontline therapy, will ultimately recur and succumb to their disease. In platinum-sensitive EOC patients, or those who recur ≥6 months from initial diagnosis, treatment of recurrent disease has traditionally consisted of repeat platinum-based chemotherapy. Secondary cytoreduction remains controversial. Due to recent advances in molecularly targeted treatment options, outcomes for advanced stage EOC patients are significantly improving and hold great promise. This review discusses pivotal trials establishing platinum-based combination chemotherapy as the standard of care and addresses the utility of increasing a patient's platinum-free interval. It then discusses the role of anti-angiogenesis therapeutics, specifically bevacizumab, cediranib, and trebananib and their side effects. Lastly, it reviews key trials for the three poly-adenosine diphosphate [ADP]-ribose polymerases (PARP) inhibitors that have been FDA-approved for maintenance therapy in platinum-sensitive recurrent EOC: olaparib, rucaparib, and niraparib. This review concludes with a discussion regarding ongoing and future clinical trials.
Lithium and the Woozle effect.

Objectives Lithium is the oldest and most-studied treatment for bipolar depression. Many treatment guidelines place lithium as a top treatment recommendation for bipolar depression; yet some guidelines do not recommend lithium at all. These discrepancies were explored by examining the following errors: the Woozle effect (evidence by citation), reference inflation (overreporting the findings of cited studies) and belief perseverance (maintaining a belief despite new contradictory evidence) as possible causes for these discrepancies. Methods Various search engines were used to find treatment guidelines for bipolar depression. The references cited in these guidelines were examined and analyzed in-depth. Results Ten guidelines recommend lithium as a first-line treatment for bipolar depression. Five did not recommend lithium at all for the treatment of bipolar depression. These discrepancies are remarkable. The references cited in the treatment guidelines were examined and do not favor lithium as a treatment for bipolar depression. The guidelines that favored lithium for the treatment of bipolar depression suffered numerous Woozle effects, reference inflation and belief perseverance are prevalent in guidelines that recommend lithium as a first-line treatment. All three errors are principally slippery slopes. These errors do not involve a deliberate attempt to mislead and may reflect failures of the peer review process. Conclusions These errors may be common, as demonstrated in the case of lithium, interfering with our understanding and practice of evidence-based medicine. Both authors and journals need to guard against these types of errors in order to achieve sound evidence-based medical practices.
Acoustic correlates of anticipatory and progressive [ATR] harmony processes in Ethiopian Komo

Abstract Komo, an endangered Koman language spoken in Western Ethiopia, features a system of vowel assimilation commonly referred to as ‘advanced tongue root’ (ATR) harmony. Prior accounts of Komo [ATR] harmony describe a typologically unique, bidirectional system with two distinct and productive processes: anticipatory [+ATR] spreads leftward to non-high vowels and progressive [−ATR] spreads rightward to high vowels. In this study, we investigated the acoustic correlates of the [ATR] feature in Komo using recordings from twelve native speakers collected in the field. Our aims were to describe the acoustic signature of the feature, evaluate acoustic evidence for the claim that both assimilatory processes indeed involve [ATR] spreading, and explore individual variability in the realization of the feature. The results of linear mixed effects models indicated that, in both processes, [+ATR] vowels featured lower F1 values, less periodicity, and a relatively pronounced first harmonic. The anticipatory process was also cued by duration differences while the progressive harmony featured a partial difference in spectral slope. As for individual strategies, random forest analysis revealed a great deal of variability in the relative importance of different correlates. While F1 dominated many of the acoustic profiles, some speakers relied primarily on voice quality or duration to signal the feature.
Pathologic Response to Pretransplant Locoregional Therapy is Predictive of Patient Outcome After Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Analysis From the US Multicenter HCC Transplant Consortium.

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to determine the rate, predictors, and impact of complete pathologic response (cPR) to pretransplant locoregional therapy (LRT) in a large, multicenter cohort of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT). BACKGROUND LRT is used to mitigate waitlist dropout for patients with HCC awaiting LT. Degree of tumor necrosis found on explant has been associated with recurrence and overall survival, but has not been evaluated in a large, multicenter study. METHODS Comparisons were made among patients receiving pre-LT LRT with (n = 802) and without (n = 2637) cPR from the United States Multicenter HCC Transplant Consortium (UMHTC), and multivariable predictors of cPR were identified using logistic regression. RESULTS Of 3439 patients, 802 (23%) had cPR on explant. Compared with patients without cPR, cPR patients were younger; had lower Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores, AFP levels, and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratios (NLR); were more likely to have tumors within Milan criteria and fewer LRT treatments; and had significantly lower 1-, 3-, and 5-year incidence of post-LT recurrence (1.3%, 3.5%, and 5.2% vs 6.2%, 13.5%, and 16.4%; P < 0.001) and superior overall survival (92%, 84%, and 75% vs 90%, 78%, and 68%; P < 0.001). Multivariable predictors of cPR included age, sex, liver disease diagnosis, MELD, AFP, NLR, radiographic Milan status, and number of LRT treatments (C-statistic 0.67). CONCLUSIONS For LT recipients with HCC receiving pretransplant LRT, achieving cPR portends significantly lower posttransplant recurrence and superior survival. Factors predicting cPR are identified, which may help prioritize patients and guide LRT strategies to optimize posttransplant cancer outcomes.
Abstract 2123: A combinatorial approach using gemcitabine and bitter melon juice overcomes drug resistance impacting gemcitabine uptake and metabolism

Pancreatic cancer (PanC) has the lowest 5-year survival rate ( Citation Format: Deepanshi Dhar, Dileep Kumar, Komal Raina, David J. Orlicky, Chapla Agarwal, Rajesh Agarwal. A combinatorial approach using gemcitabine and bitter melon juice overcomes drug resistance impacting gemcitabine uptake and metabolism [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2123.
Uncertainty Representation and Interpretation in Model-based Prognostics Algorithms based on Kalman Filter Estimation

This article discusses several aspects of uncertainty representation and management for model-based prognostics methodologies based on our experience with Kalman Filters when applied to prognostics for electronics components. In particular, it explores the implications of modeling remaining useful life prediction as a stochastic process, and how it relates to uncertainty representation, management and the role of prognostics in decision-making. A distinction between the interpretations of estimated remaining useful life probability density function is explained and a cautionary argument is provided against mixing interpretations for two while considering prognostics in making critical decisions.
Erythema multiforme, Stevens Johnson syndrome, and toxic epidermal necrolysis reported after vaccination, 1999-2017.

Abstract Background Since the last review of vaccine safety surveillance data for erythema multiforme (EM), Stevens Johnson syndrome (SJS), SJS/TEN, and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) (EM/SJS/TEN), over 37 new vaccines have been introduced in the United States. We sought to describe reported EM/SJS/TEN after vaccines during 1999–2017. Methods We identified U.S. reports of EM/SJS/TEN received by the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) during 1999–2017. We stratified analysis by condition (EM, SJS, or TEN), and analyzed reports by serious or non-serious status, sex, age group, time from vaccination to symptom onset, exposure to known causes of EM/SJS/TEN, and vaccines administered. We used Empirical Bayesian data mining to detect vaccine-AE pairs reported more frequently than expected. Results Of 466,027 reports to VAERS during 1999–2017, we identified 984 reports of EM, 89 reports of SJS, 6 reports of SJS/TEN, and 7 reports of TEN. Few reports of EM (9%), and most reports of SJS (52%), SJS/TEN (100%), and TEN (100%) were serious. Overall, 55% of reports described males, 48% described children aged Conclusions EM/SJS/TEN were rarely reported after vaccination; data mining identified a known association between EM and smallpox vaccine.
How accurate is the neurosurgery literature? A review of references.

The reference list is an important part of academic manuscripts. The goal of this study is to evaluate the reference accuracy in the field of neurosurgery. This study examines four major peer-reviewed neurosurgery journals, chosen based on their clinical impact factor: Neurosurgery, J Neurosurg, World Neurosurg, and Acta Neurochir. For each of the four journals, five articles from each of the journal’s 12 issues published in 2019 were randomly selected using an online generator. This resulted in a total of 240 articles, 60 from each journal. Additionally, from each article’s list of references, one reference was again randomly selected and checked for a citation or quotation error. The chi-square test was used to analyze the association between the occurrence of citation and quotation errors and the presence of hypothesized risk factors that could impact reference accuracy. 62.1% of articles had a minor citation error, 8.33% had a major citation error, 12.1% had a minor quotation error, and 5.8% of articles had a major quotation error. Overall, Acta Neurochir presented with the fewest quotation errors compared with the other journals evaluated. The only association between the frequency of errors and potential markers of reference mistakes was with the length of the bibliography. Surprisingly, this correlation indicated that the articles with longer reference lists had fewer citation errors (p < 0.01). Statistical significance was found between the occurrence of citation errors and the journals of publication (p < 0.01). In order to advance medical treatment and patient care in neurosurgery, detailed documentation and attention to detail are necessary. The results from this analysis illustrate that improved reference accuracy is required.
Comparison of the OI and PaO2/FiO2 score in evaluating PARDS requiring mechanical ventilation

AIM To examine the differences between oxygenation index (OI) and arterial partial pressure of oxygen to the fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO2 /FiO2 , [P/F]) in evaluating the severity of pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS). METHODS The severity of PARDS was graded by using the OI score and P/F ratio, respectively. The data including clinical indexes and prognosis indicators were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS During the 3-year study period, there were significant differences between OI and P/F scores in the severity grading of PARDS patients (p < .05). However, in severe diseases, both the scorings of OI and P/F were consistent (24.6% vs. 25.6%). The OI scores appeared more accurate when compared with P/F in the correlation between them and the pediatric critical illness score, multiple organ dysfunction syndromes (MODS), pressure indexes of ventilators and patients' prognosis. In the receiver operating characteristic curve, the critical values of OI and P/F were 8.42 and 144.71. Area under the curve of them were 0.839 and 0.853. The sensitivity values were both 0.854. The specificity values were 0.584 and 0.602. CONCLUSIONS The OI and P/F were consistent in designating patients with severe PARDS. Among patients with mild to moderate diseases, the P/F could still be used for rapid determination given its simple calculation. Combined with the prognostic factors, the OI score was more accurate.
Development and Evaluation of Path and Speed Profile Planning and Tracking Control for an Autonomous Shuttle Using a Realistic, Virtual Simulation Environment

This paper is motivated by the autonomous shuttle service that operates in the geo-fenced Linden Residential Area of Columbus, Ohio that links residents to the two nearby locations of opportunity of a community center and a transit hub. This paper focuses on path planning and path tracking of an autonomous shuttle which are its most fundamental autonomous driving functions. Path planning is based on improving efficiency of computation and smoothness of path. Velocity planning is based on obeying speed limits, limiting longitudinal acceleration along straight segments and lateral acceleration during curved segments for improved ride comfort of the passengers. Path tracking control focuses on robust implementation that keeps accuracy of path following in the presence of uncertainties and variations in speed. A realistic, 3D virtual simulation environment of the actual geo-fenced urban area used here is built for evaluating and developing the path planning and path tracking functions of this paper. The same environment can also be used for developing and evaluating other autonomous driving functions with the capability of generating complicated traffic scenarios. The path tacking control results are compared with those of the pure pursuit path tracking algorithm of the open source and publicly available Autoware autonomous driving interface for the Robot Operating System.
Unsupervised Audio-Visual Subspace Alignment for High-Stakes Deception Detection

Automated systems that detect deception in high-stakes situations can enhance societal well-being across medical, social work, and legal domains. Existing models for detecting high-stakes deception in videos have been supervised, but labeled datasets to train models can rarely be collected for most real-world applications. To address this problem, we propose the first multimodal unsupervised transfer learning approach that detects real-world, high-stakes deception in videos with-out using high-stakes labels. Our subspace-alignment (SA) approach adapts audio-visual representations of deception in lab-controlled low-stakes scenarios to detect deception in real-world, high-stakes situations. Our best unsupervised SA models outperform models without SA, outperform human ability, and perform comparably to a number of existing supervised models. Our research demonstrates the potential for introducing subspace-based transfer learning to model high-stakes deception and other social behaviors in real-world contexts with a scarcity of labeled behavioral data.
Survival characteristics of localized pediatric adrenocortical carcinoma managed with adenectomy: A national cancer center database analysis.

Summary Introduction Pediatric adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy, encompassing less than 0.2% of all childhood malignancies. Due to the scarcity of this diagnosis, it is often managed according to guidelines established for adults, as there is a lack of reliable evidence regarding optimal adjuvant treatment options for pediatric patients. It is our aim to identify recent treatment trends as well as clinical and tumor characteristics and their impact on overall survival. Methods Using the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), this study identified 49 patients under 18 years old with localized ACC (M0) undergoing adrenalectomy from 2004 to 2017. Kaplan–Meier analysis was performed to determine overall survival (OS) from patient characteristics and treatments received. Comparison of survival was performed using the log rank test. Results The median age of our cohort was 3 years old with a slight female predominance of 61%. The median tumor size was 9.4 cm, and patients older than 4 years were significantly (p = 0.03) more likely to present with larger tumors (11.33 cm vs 8.76 cm). Adjuvant treatment in the form of systemic therapy was administered in 20 of 49 (41%) patients and radiation therapy in 2 of 49 (4%) patients. Three-year OS for patients 4 years old and younger was 92.6% vs 61.8% for those older than 4 years (p = 0.002). Patients presenting with tumor size ≥9 cm had worse three-year OS compared to those with tumors Conclusions ACC is a rare pediatric malignancy with a female predominance. Those older than 4 years and those with presenting tumor size ≥9 cm have decreased overall survival rates after adrenalectomy for localized disease. Additionally, children older than 4 have poorer prognosis, even after controlling for larger tumor size. This is the largest contemporary series of localized pediatric ACC to date. However, multi-institutional prospective cohort or randomized-controlled trials are necessary to better evaluate relevant prognostic factors and the role of adjuvant therapies following adrenalectomy. Download : Download high-res image (130KB) Download : Download full-size image Summary Fig. . Survival curve displaying overall survival for tumors ≥9 cm by age.
Mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents during the covid-19 pandemic.

### What you need to know Many children and adolescents remain resilient over time and may recover rapidly after disasters such as a pandemic. However, their experiences and the burden of sustained, multiple stressors (including prior trauma, illness, attachment disruption, grief, isolation, closed borders, and home confinement)12345 may result in a range of challenges to their mental health and wellbeing, both short and long term.5 Given that half of mental health disorders (including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and others) start by age 14, and three quarters by age 24,6 early recognition and treatment of the potential impacts of the covid-19 pandemic will help protect children’s and adolescents’ current and future mental health, development, learning, and wellbeing.78 The covid-19 pandemic, at the time of writing, affects an estimated 2.59 billion 0-19 year olds,9 with school closures in 193 countries that have affected more than 1.59 billion.10 This article—intended for generalists and others—covers common impacts and effects of the pandemic; assessment, including recognition of symptoms suggestive of mental health disorders; and management, including referral and mitigation of the potentially adverse impacts of the covid-19 pandemic. Wellbeing is a person’s ability to recognise their own capacities, manage regular stresses of life, work productively, and contribute to their community.11 The authors …
Exposure to particulate matter air pollution and age of menarche in a nationwide cohort of US girls

BACKGROUND AND AIM: In recent decades, age of menarche has decreased with some questioning whether environmental factors have played a role. We aimed to examine the association between exposure to ...
Plasma Soluble P-selectin, Interleukin-6 and S100B Protein in Patients with Schizophrenia: a Pilot Study

Microglial activation has long been posited to be involved in the neurobiology of schizophrenia. However, recent studies indicate that schizophrenia is associated with astrocytic activation, rather than microglia activation. Moreover, elevated levels of peripheral inflammatory cytokines associated with schizophrenia could induce or reflect brain inflammation. Therefore, based on: 1) findings of a periphery-to-brain communication pathway involving the cell adhesion molecule, P-selectin, in animal models; 2) dysregulated interleukin-6 (IL-6) and elevated levels of the astrocytic marker, S100B protein, in patients with schizophrenia, we sought to determine correlations between plasma soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin), S100B and IL-6 respectively. We recruited 106 patients with schizophrenia (mean age 33 years, 71.60% male) from the inpatient. sP-selectin, S100B and IL-6 were measured in fasting plasma. We calculated Pearson’s and partial correlations between sP-selectin, S100B and IL-6. After controlling for potential confounders, sP-selectin positively correlated with S100B (r=0.31, p=0.004) and IL-6 (r=0.28, P=0.046). The correlation between IL-6 and S100B (r=0.28, p=0.066) did not reach statistical significance. We propose that in some patients with schizophrenia, immune activation in the periphery is associated with P-selectin-mediated trafficking of inflammation into the brain (most likely via leukocytes), which might be associated with astrocytic activation. Future studies should include healthy controls and first episode/early-onset psychosis patients. Importantly, in vivo imaging of neuroinflammation should be correlated with sP-selectin, IL-6 and S100B in the periphery and the CSF. Finally, the utility of combining sP-selectin, IL-6 and S100B as biomarkers for subtyping patients with schizophrenia, treatment selection and prognosis, should be evaluated in longitudinal studies.
Advancement of Hybrid Fluid-Kinetic Modeling Efforts for Hedp & ICF Science

The CHIMERA code is a massively-parallel multi-physics modeling tool under development with the goal of improved predictive capability in laser-driven and pulsed-power-driven experiments in high-energy-density physics and inertial confinement fusion. It is a particle-based hybrid fluid-kinetic electromagnetic code with adaptive mesh and particle refinement, and is capable of treating both kinetic and relativistic plasma effects (like a standard PIC code) as well as traditional fluid effects (like an ALE radiation-MHD code). There are two main benefits to this approach. First, the model allows for kinetic and fluid particles to self-consistently coexist, interact, and migrate between the descriptions, and so be able to simulate situations where both are involved. Second, the model allows for inclusion of a wide variety of missing physics effects from the fluid codes while requiring reduced computational resources relative to fully explicit kinetic particle codes.
A 3'-truncating FTL mutation associated with hypoferritinemia without neuroferritinopathy

Abstract Mutations in the gene for the ferritin light chain (FTL) often present with hypoferritinemia associated with progressive, late onset extrapyramidal dysfunction. However, it has been suggested that some FTL mutations may impact ferritin levels without any neurological manifestations. We report on a FTL mutation in a three generation family with autosomal dominant hypoferritinemia without neurodegeneration. The 4 year old proband was identified with longstanding history of hypoferritinemia without evidence of anemia. Brain MRI did not show any evidence of iron deposition. It was found that the patient's 19 month old sister, 30 year old mother and 58 year old maternal grandmother also had hypoferritinemia and normal iron levels. Over the next nine years, none of these persons had any evidence of neurological dysfunction, including movement disorders, gait disturbances, behavioral or psychiatric dysfunction. Whole exome sequencing revealed a heterozygous interstitial deletion of at least 5 kb within cytogenic band 19q13.33 involving exons 3 and 4 of FTL in all affected family members. This 3′ FTL deletion is predicted to create a significantly truncated protein product. We conclude that haploinsufficiency of FTL may be associated with hypoferritinemia without neurological dysfunction.
Affinity chromatography ofd-lactate dehydrogenases fromLimulus polyphemus (horseshoe crab) andHaliotus sp. (abalone) voluntary muscle on 8-(6-aminohexyl)-amino-adenine nucleotide-sepharose

An improved method of purification employing sequential isoenzyme elution on DEAE-cellulose at pH 6.5 and biologically specific elution with the reduced NAD-pyruvate adduct from 8-(6-aminohexyl)-amino-NAD⊕-Sepharose is described forLimulus (horseshoe crab) muscle D- lactate dehydrogenase. The protein is judged as being at least 98%pure by its constant specific activity in the terminal purification steps, a molar extinction coefficient (280nm) identical with that previously reported for the purified enzyme, and its protein and enzyme electrophoretic patterns on starch and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at three pHs. The binding of ammonium sulfate fractionated D- lactate dehydrogenase from crude cell- free Limulus andHaliotus (abalone) muscle homogenates to 8-(6-aminohexyl)-amino-AMP-and 8-(6-aminohexyl)-amino-NAD®-Sepharose columns is demonstrated. A comparison of the binding properties of these two enzymes with those of vertebrate L-lactate dehydrogenases suggests that they may be significantly different in terms of their binding sites for the adenine portion of the coenzyme.
Diet in the Management of Diabetes Mellitus

Diet therapy is of critical importance in the management and control of diabetes mellitus. The aims of the diabetic diet are: 1. To supply adequate amounts of all necessary nutrients — carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals — as well as adequate calories. 2. To help normalize body weight. 3. To help correct the carbohydrate dysmetabolism. 4. To maintain blood lipids within the normal range, and 5. To improve the patients feeling of well being and permit normal activity.
Up against the Wall

It was the eve of his wedding and he was in despair because he loved another. He lingered in the cool basement of Penney's among the manikins and dress racks until the manager came down and said, "Ciezki, you've done enough down here today. Get on home and rest up for tomorrow night!" So he went over to Wool worth's and killed time by wandering up and down the aisles. He liked to watch the women buy their shiny tubes of lipstick and their dark curly eyelashes. He bought a bag of chocolate kisses. On the bus his heart seemed overflowing with love. He longed to embrace each woman who brushed against him. The ride was one great swaying press of body against body. He would have remained standing in that aisle forever if they'd let him, but soon it would be time for his stop and tomorrow he would marry Dolly Rozek. It was fate. They had been engaged unofficially for seven years, officially for five. Perhaps he had loved her once. He was loving by nature he knew he was. Look at the way he felt now on the bus. And it was worse on Saturdays when the high school girls shopped downtown. He always took the turkey special at Wool worth's so that he could keep his eye on them. Sometimes he went with them out onto the street and watched their movements, their quick free gestures, fragile little wrists, and moist red lips. Oh, they were beauties all right. Passion flowers. Love children. Real sweethearts. . . .
Some evolutionary consequences of deleterious mutations

Most mutations with observable phenotypic effects are deleterious. Studies of Drosophila and inbred plant populations suggest that a new individual may have a mean number of new deleterious mutations that exceeds one-half. Most of these have relatively small homozygous effects and reduce fitness by 1–2% when heterozygous. Several striking features of present-day organisms have apparently evolved in response to the constant input of deleterious alleles by recurrent mutation. For example, the adaptations of hermaphroditic organisms for outcrossing have been widely interpreted in terms of the benefits of avoiding the reduced fitness of inbred progeny, which is partly due to deleterious mutations. Population genetic models of modifiers of the breeding system in the presence of genome-wide deleterious mutation are reviewed and their predictions related to genetic and comparative data. The evolution of degenerate Y chromosomes is a phenomenon that may be caused by the accumulation of deleterious mutations. The population genetic mechanisms that can drive this degeneration are reviewed and their significance assessed in the light of available data.
Identifying contraindications to resection in patients with pancreatic carcinoma: the role of endoscopic ultrasound.

OBJECTIVE: To present recently published material comparing the performance of endosonography relative to other imaging modalities when evaluating the patient with a suspected or known pancreas carcinoma.
IT Portfolio Management: Implications for IT Strategic Alignment

Information Technology Portfolio Management (ITPM) is a topic of intense interest in the strategic management of information technology (IT). In ITPM, IT synchronization with corporate business strategy is operationalized by the application of the principles of financial portfolio management to IT investments. This perspective is crucial to the continual alignment of business strategy and IT investments. Portfolio management is the discipline of managing projects together as a portfolio that meets corporate objectives. It optimizes development investment and resource allocation across multiple projects. This article investigates current techniques and best practices for managing IT project portfolios and strives to create a solid bridge between corporate strategy and IT investments.
Ultralow PDL WDM fiber couplers for WDM transmission systems

Summary form only given. We have presented the polarization-swapping method as a polarisation dependent loss (PDL) reducing technique for fused taper fiber couplers. The manufactured 1.48/1.55 /spl mu/m WDM fiber couplers have shown a small PDL of one tenth of that of conventional couplers. This technique is very useful to reduce the PDL of WDM fiber couplers for EDFAs in WDM fibre transmission systems.
Competence Factor Production in Chemically Defined Media by Noncompetent Cells of Group H Streptococcus Strain Challis

Chemically defined media for competence factor (CF) production by group H Streptococcus strain Challis-6 are described. CF is produced by noncompetent cells in a glutamate-free medium in which the cells cannot attain competence and by cells prior to their competence development in a glutamate-containing medium. Glutamate was required for competence development, but was not necessary for growth or CF production. Exacting cultural conditions required for the consistent production of relatively high amounts of CF in defined medium and for its recovery are detailed. The most important requirements include the selection of isolates (like Challis-6) which grew well in another defined medium, early harvest of CF because of its demonstrated instability on continued incubation in defined medium, incubation at 37 C, and the addition of glucose. The CF production was more rapid with increasing inocula and with reduced aeration. Aspartate, cystine, and NaCl were not required. Under the conditions described, large amounts of CF were consistently obtained in the culture filtrates of Challis-6 as measured by the induction of competence in strain Wicky cells and their subsequent transformation at frequencies of 6% or greater.
Escherichia coli B lacks one of the two initiator tRNA species present in E. coli K-12.

We show that the metY locus which specifies tRNA(2fMet) in Escherichia coli K-12 specifies tRNA(1fMet) in E. coli B. This conclusion is based on results of Southern blot analysis of E. coli B and K-12 DNAs and on polymerase chain reaction amplification, cloning, and sequencing of an approximately 200-bp region of DNA corresponding to the metY loci of E. coli B and E. coli K-12. We also show that the metY locus of E. coli B is transcriptionally active. E. coli strains transformed with the multicopy plasmid vector pUC19 carrying the metY locus of E. coli B overproduce tRNA(1fMet) in E. coli B and E. coli K-12 in contrast to strains transformed with pUC19 carrying the corresponding locus from E. coli K-12, which overproduce tRNA(2fMet). Images
The effects of low-ionization-potential contaminants on thermal plasmas

Plasmas consisting of a high-ionization-potential component mixed with a low-ionization-potential contaminant are common in industrial processes. Modeling results are presented for a sodium-contaminated nitrogen plasma column operating either in a free-burning (low-temperature) mode or operating in a constricted (high-temperature) mode. At sufficiently high plasma temperatures, the behavior is dominated by the high-ionization-potential component's properties. The low-ionization-potential contaminant's properties determine the low-temperature plasma behavior even when the contaminant is present in relatively small quantities.
Catalysis by Molecular Metal Clusters

Molecular metal clusters form a very large and diverse family. They present the opportunity of modeling the intermediates involved in surface mediated catalytic reactions, of providing a source of very reactive mononuclear metal fragments, and of effecting catalytic cycles in which the cluster remains intact. The last mentioned aspect is the subject of this review article. The state-of-the-art of cluster catalysis is critically analyzed. The possibilities offered by molecular metal catalysts of performing catalytic reactions at multimetal atom sites are also discussed.
Neuroprotection with pioglitazone against LPS insult on dopaminergic neurons may be associated with its inhibition of NF-κB and JNK activation and suppression of COX-2 activity

Increasing evidence links neuroinflammation to Parkinson's disease. Microglia are mediators of neuroinflammation. Overactivation of microglia contributes to the release of cyclooxygenase 2 and prostaglandin E(2) during neuronal insults. We have previously shown that pioglitazone, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonist, inhibits microglia activation, reduces proinflammatory factors, and protects dopaminergic neurons. Here, we demonstrated that pioglitazone protects dopaminergic neurons by inhibiting abnormal microglia activation, interfering with phosphorylation of jun N-terminal kinase and nuclear factor kappa-B, and by suppressing cyclooxygenase 2 expression and the subsequent prostaglandin E(2) synthesis. Therefore, the anti-inflammatory properties of pioglitazone may be useful for ameliorating the progression of Parkinson's disease.
Functional Diversification and Evolution of Antifreeze Proteins in the Antarctic Fish Lycodichthys dearborni

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) have independently evolved in many organisms. AFPs act by binding to ice crystals, effectively lowering the freezing point. AFPs are often at high copy number in a genome and diversity exists between copies. Type III antifreeze proteins are found in Arctic and Antarctic eel pouts, and have previously been shown to evolve under positive selection. Here we combine molecular and proteomic techniques to understand the molecular evolution and diversity of Type III antifreeze proteins in a single individual Antarctic fish Lycodichthys dearborni. Our expressed sequence tag (EST) screen reveals that at least seven different AFP variants are transcribed, which are ultimately translated into five different protein isoforms. The isoforms have identical 66 base pair signal sequences and different numbers of subsequent ice-binding domains followed by a stop codon. Isoforms with one ice-binding unit (monomer), two units (dimer), and multiple units (multimer) were present in the EST library. We identify a previously uncharacterized protein dimer, providing further evidence that there is diversity between Type III AFP isoforms, perhaps driven by positive selection for greater thermal hysteresis. Proteomic analysis confirms that several of these isoforms are translated and present in the liver. Our molecular evolution study shows that paralogs have diverged under positive selection. We hypothesize that antifreeze protein diversity is an important contributor to depressing the serum freezing point.