cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predisposing Characteristics of Adjacent Segment Disease After Lumbar Fusion.

Study design Retrospective Review. Objective The aim of this study was to determine medical, radiographic, and surgical risk factors for the development of adjacent segment disease (ASD) after lumbar fusion. Summary of background data ASD is a recognized outcome of spinal fusion that leads to increased costs and debilitating symptoms for patients. However, a comprehensive understanding of risk factors for the development of this surgical outcome does not exist. Methods The medical records of patients who received their first lumbar fusion for any indication were retrospectively examined for preoperative medical comorbidities and medications, as well as surgical approach and perioperative complications. A blinded reviewer assessed radiographs for each patient to examine sagittal alignment after fusion. Multivariable logistic regression was used to model the risk of developing ASD on the basis of one or more predictors. Results A total of 137 patients fit the inclusion criteria; 9% required a follow-up operation for degeneration at segments adjacent to the fusion. The ASD group had a mean follow-up of 21.1 months prior to revision surgery and an overall follow-up of 41.0 months. The average follow-up in the control group was 14.0 months. Statistically significant independent predictors of developing ASD included antidepressant use [odds ratio (OR) = 5.4], diagnosis of degenerative scoliosis (OR = 34.2), fusion of L4-S1 (OR = 56.5), having no decompressions adjacent to the fusion, and low sacral slope (OR = 0.9). No patient who developed ASD received a decompression adjacent to the fusion such that an OR could not be generated for this independent predictor. Conclusion This study is the first to use a combination of medical, surgical, and postoperative sagittal balance as risk factors for the development of adjacent segment disease after lumbar fusion. The awareness of these risk factors may allow for better patient selection and surgical technique to decrease the probability of acquiring this adverse outcome. Level of evidence 4.
The effect of dietary fatty acids on coprostanol excretion by the rat.

SUMMARY By means of gas-liquid chromatographic analysis, coprostanol excretion has been studied in rats fed diets containing either no fat or varying amounts of linoleic acid, palmitic acid, or oleic acid. Coprostanol excretion was accelerated by linoleic acid, and depressed by oleic and palmitic acids. The acceleration of coprostanol formation by linoleic acid was demonstrated to occur in the large intestine. In these experiments cholesterol and coprostanol were the only neutral excretion products of cholesterol-4-C14.
Personal Pharmacogenetic Testing Enhances Pharmacy Student Knowledge and Attitude Towards Precision Medicine

Objective: To evaluate if pharmacy students participation in personal pharmacogenetic testing enhances their knowledge and attitude towards precision medicine (PM). Methods: First-year pharmacy students were offered personalized pharmacogenetic testing as a supplement to a required curricular pharmacogenomics course. Ninety-eight of 122 (80%) students completed pre- and post-course surveys assessing knowledge and attitudes regarding PM; 73 students also volunteered for personal pharmacogenetic testing of the following drug metabolizing enzymes (CYP2C19, CYP2D6, UGT1A1) and pharmacodynamics-relevant proteins (interleukin (IL)-28B & human lymphocyte antigen HLAB*5701). Results: An online Likert-based survey was distributed to 1st-year PharmD students. Using a linear mixed effects model, we observed significant improvements in 100% of knowledge and 70% of attitude-related questions for students who decided to undergo pharmacogenetic testing. Conclusion: Personal pharmacogenetic testing significantly enhances knowledge of and attitude toward pharmacogenomics among PharmD trainees. This study demonstrates the feasibility and importance of educating future pharmacists by incorporating pharmacogenetic testing into professional school curricula.
Limit Points of the Sequence of Normalized Differences Between Consecutive Prime Numbers

Let p n denote the nth prime number and let \(d_{n} = p_{n+1} - p_{n}\) denote the nth difference in the sequence of prime numbers. Erdős and Ricci independently proved that the set of limit points of \(\frac{d_{n}} {\log p_{n}}\), the normalized differences between consecutive prime numbers, forms a set of positive Lebesgue measure. Hildebrand and Maier answered a question of Erdős and proved that the Lebesgue measure of the set of limit points of \(\frac{d_{n}} {\log p_{n}}\) in the interval [0, T] is ≫ T as \(T \rightarrow \infty\). Currently, the only specific limit points known are 0 and \(\infty\). In this note, we use the method of Erdős to obtain specific intervals within which a positive Lebesgue measure of limit points exist. For example, the intervals \(\left [\frac{1} {8},2\right ]\) and \(\left [ \frac{1} {40},1\right ]\) both have a positive Lebesgue measure of limit points.
Synthesis of Cyclobutanated Butyrolactones via Copper(I)-Catalyzed Intermolecular Photocycloadditions of Homoallyl Vinyl or Diallyl Ethers.

A new approach to the 2- or 3-oxabicyclo(3.2.0)heptanes (II) and (IV) consists in the copper(I)-catalyzed intramolecular photocycloaddition of the diallyl ethers (I) and the homoallyl vinyl ethers (III) respectively.
Role of tachycardia and V wave wall stress in the release of ANF during volume loading

Heart rate is believed to be a primary determinant of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) release; however, we postulated that V wave wall stress is the main signal for ANF release during volume loading. Conscious dogs were volume loaded with 1,000 ml of saline while the heart rate was allowed to vary and on another day while the heart was paced at 240 beats/min. During volume loading, plasma ANF increased from 58 +/- 10 to 221 +/- 31 pg/ml (P < 0.05), and heart rate increased from 97 +/- 3 to 182 +/- 9 beats/min. During pacing, plasma ANF increased from 42 +/- 8 to 85 +/- 10 pg/ml. A wave atrial pressures were increased during pacing and were fixed due to contraction against a closed atrioventricular valve. Volume loading increased plasma ANF to 180 +/- 25 pg/ml. V wave atrial pressure increased markedly, and V wave atrial wall stress increased from 25 +/- 10 to 131 +/- 44 and from 7 +/- 4 to 116 +/- 25 g/cm2, respectively. A wave pressure and wall stress were not increased by volume loading. V wave wall stress and ANF were significantly correlated. V wave atrial wall stress accounts for the majority of change in plasma ANF (60%), while tachycardia and A wave wall stress account for a smaller fraction (40%) of change.
Dirichlet process mixture model for correcting technical variation in single-cell gene expression data

We introduce an iterative normalization and clustering method for single-cell gene expression data. The emerging technology of single-cell RNA-seq gives access to gene expression measurements for thousands of cells, allowing discovery and characterization of cell types. However, the data is confounded by technical variation emanating from experimental errors and cell type-specific biases. Current approaches perform a global normalization prior to analyzing biological signals, which does not resolve missing data or variation dependent on latent cell types. Our model is formulated as a hierarchical Bayesian mixture model with cell-specific scalings that aid the iterative normalization and clustering of cells, teasing apart technical variation from biological signals. We demonstrate that this approach is superior to global normalization followed by clustering. We show identifiability and weak convergence guarantees of our method and present a scalable Gibbs inference algorithm. This method improves cluster inference in both synthetic and real single-cell data compared with previous methods, and allows easy interpretation and recovery of the underlying structure and cell types.
Pronounced differences in genetic structure despite overall ecological similarity for two Ambystoma salamanders in the same landscape

Studies linking genetic structure in amphibian species with ecological characteristics have focused on large differences in dispersal capabilities. Here, we test whether two species with similar dispersal potential but subtle differences in other ecological characteristics also exhibit strong differences in genetic structure in the same landscape. We examined eight microsatellites in marbled salamanders (Ambystoma opacum) from 29 seasonal ponds and spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) from 19 seasonal ponds in a single geographic region in west-cen- tral Massachusetts. Despite overall similarity in ecological characteristics of spotted and marbled salamanders, we observed clear differences in the genetic structure of these two species. For marbled salamanders, we observed strong overall genetic differentiation (FST = 0.091, F 0 ST = 0.375), three population-level clusters of popula- tions (K = 3), a strong pattern of isolation by distance (r = 0.58), and marked variation in family-level structure (from 1 to 23 full-sibling families per site). For spotted salamanders, overall genetic differentiation was weaker (FST = 0.025, F 0 ST = 0.102), there was no evidence of population-level clustering (K = 1), the pattern of isolation by distance (r = 0.17) was much weaker compared to marbled salamanders, and there was less variation in family-level structure (from 10 to 36 full-sibling families per site). We suspect that a combination of breeding site fidelity, effective population size, and generation interval is responsible for these marked differences. Our results sug- gest that marbled salamanders, compared to spotted sala- manders, are more sensitive to fragmentation from various land-use activities and would be less likely to recolonize extirpated sites on an ecologically and conservation-rele- vant time frame.
Organizations and Markets: Entrepreneurship and Capital Delivery Mechanisms in Developing Countries

This chapter examines the problem of insufficient capital delivery mechanisms in low income countries (LICs) utilizing a case study of a 6-year microfinance development project in Sierra Leone. Ravaged by a brutal 10-year civil war, Sierra Leone and the international community transitioned from relief efforts to development. A key component to guide post-conflict development was a national microfinance policy. Access to financial services was vital to priming and sustaining the entrepreneurial engine, butaccess to capital is central to entrepreneurship, microfinance, and economic development. Organizational capital delivery mechanisms are posited as a possible alternative to capital markets in LIC contexts when capital investors and seekers encounter market failure.
Numerical Solution and Application of Time-Space Fractional Governing Equations of One-Dimensional Unsteady Open Channel Flow Process

Abstract. Although fractional integration and differentiation have found many applications in various fields of science, such as physics, finance, bioengineering, continuum mechanics and hydrology, their engineering applications, especially in the field of fluid flow processes, are rather limited. In this study, a finite difference numerical approach is proposed to solve the time-space fractional governing equations of one-dimensional unsteady/non-uniform open channel flow process. By numerical simulations, results of the proposed fractional governing equations of the open channel flow process were compared with those of the standard Saint Venant equations. Numerical simulations showed that flow discharge and water depth can exhibit heavier tails in downstream locations as space and time fractional derivative powers decrease from 1. The fractional governing equations under consideration are generalizations of the well-known Saint Venant equations, which are written in the integer differentiation framework. The new governing equations in the fractional order differentiation framework have the capability of modeling nonlocal flow processes both in time and in space by taking the global correlations into consideration. Furthermore, the generalized flow process may shed light into understanding the theory of the anomalous transport processes and observed heavy tailed distributions of particle displacements in transport processes.
Ordinary Violence in Mussolini's Italy: The Politics of Everyday Life

With the arrival of Fascism, my paese was divided in two; Fascism divided people, ruined friendships. On one side there were the real Fascists, and on the other there were those who were forced to be Fascists, the “meal ticket” [Fascists]. Here in Barolo, we weren't free to speak any more. In the tavern we were always careful, we always looked over our shoulder before we spoke: one wrong word was enough to get you into trouble. a peasant from Barolo For some Italians, discerning and navigating the dangers and opportunities presented by state-backed coercion constituted a way of life. This new form of politicized conflict varied in intensity and form according to region, locality, and class. But whether in Trieste or Trapani, similar patterns of repression emerged involving the same types of spaces, actors, and dynamics of state-backed social power. In this sense, Fascist political violence thus contributed in part to the nationalization of the Italians. One of an Italian's first “national” experiences was learning to appreciate the machinations of the authoritarian state apparatus and the boundaries of expected political behavior. For Italians who transgressed these boundaries, among the possible grim outcomes were a punch in the face, institutional confinement, discrimination in the labor market or state welfare, financial ruin, social ostracism, or mere intimidation and fear.
Temperature Dependence and Mechanism of Chloride-Induced Aggregation of Silver Nanoparticles

With the increasing occurrence of silver nanoparticles in commercial products and in the environment, it is important to understand the transformations that the nanoparticles undergo as a result of their interactions with other species. In this paper, we focus on interactions with the chloride ion, which is abundant in natural waters as well as biological systems. Chloride ion added to a solution of citrate-capped silver nanoparticles disturbs their stability by modifying the nanoparticle surface, enhancing dissolution of the particles, and increasing the ionic strength of the solution. Because of the surface modifications, aggregation occurs more rapidly than would be expected from the increase in ionic strength. This indicates that the nanoparticles are experiencing a decrease in surface charge. To elucidate the atomic-scale processes behind this behavior, we have studied the temperature dependence of the rate of decay of silver nanoparticles at a low NaCl concentration (10 mM), where dissolution but no...
Examining Pretreatment Differences Between Veterans in Residential Versus Outpatient Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder and Comorbid Combat-Related PTSD.

ABSTRACTObjective: Veterans with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have access to various residential and outpatient treatment programs through the VA Healthcare System. There is a need to better understand the characteristics and needs of veterans who engage in residential versus outpatient treatment in order to help inform veteran care and decisions about treatment services. Methods: The present study examined whether veterans with both AUD and combat-related PTSD who were enrolled in residential (n = 103) or outpatient treatment programs (n = 76) differed on pretreatment psychiatric symptoms, substance use and associated problems/behaviors, or demographics. Veterans completed self-report measures (which referenced symptoms in the past 30 days or 2 weeks) within the first week of PTSD/AUD treatment. Results: Veterans in residential treatment had slightly worse PTSD symptoms compared to outpatient veterans; the groups reported similar levels of depression sy...
Ten Fundamental Legal Terms and Concepts That Are Useful in Understanding Laboratory Animal Law Across Nations

Almost all researchers, veterinarians, technicians, and students who work with laboratory animals are familiar with the laws, regulations, and policies governing the use of animals in their jurisdictions. This knowledge can be learned in an academic setting, but is often gained by "on the job" training conducted by facilities and institutions where these professionals work. In addition, these laws and regulations exist along a continuum; some countries have detailed and expansive animal law regimes, while others have few, if any laws. Accordingly, those who carry out research involving animals know local laws and regulations, but might not be aware of the laws, regulations, and policies of other jurisdictions.As scientific research becomes increasingly globalized, there is a growing need to gain an understanding of the laws and regulations of other countries. This article seeks to help bridge this gap in knowledge by defining 10 fundamental legal terms and concepts that are important in understanding the similarities and differences among the legal traditions of different nations and international agreements that impact laboratory animal research. The article focuses on Western law terms and concepts, because many laboratory animal statutes that have been enacted in these countries and international treaties and protocols can be viewed through a Western legal lens.
Salt Taste Recognition in a Heart Failure Cohort.

Abstract Background Heart failure (HF) disproportionately affects older adults. Dietary sodium indiscretion is frequently implicated in HF decompensation. The affinity for and ability to taste salt in this process is unexplored. We sought to evaluate differences in salt taste by age and HF diagnosis and to map changes after hospitalization for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). Methods Seventy-two subjects underwent initial salt-taste testing during hospitalization for ADHF. Follow-up taste testing occurred at discharge and 1, 4, and 12 weeks after hospitalization. Three different groups were included as control subjects and underwent 1-time salt-taste testing: 10 patients with stable HF, 10 healthy older adults, and 10 healthy younger adults. Salt-taste testing was completed with the use of commercially available and validated Salsave test strips with increasing concentrations of NaCl (0.6–1.6 mg/cm 2 ) to identify salt taste recognition threshold. Respectively, 2-sample t tests, multiple regression, and linear mixed-effects modeling were used for intergroup comparisons, to adjust for confounders, and to assess the effect of time after discharge from ADHF hospitalization. Results The baseline salt taste recognition threshold was lowest in the young healthy control group (0.62 [SD 0.05] mg/cm 2 NaCl) compared with the healthy older control subjects (0.92 [SD 0.29] mg/cm 2 NaCl), stable HF outpatients, (1.06 [SD 0.22] mg/cm 2 NaCl), and ADHF subjects on admission (1.06 [SD 0.48] mg/cm 2 NaCl). There was a strong trend toward higher recognition threshold in HF patients ( P = .051) that was independent from age and other potential confounders. Serial salt-taste testing in the ADHF group demonstrated a decrease in recognition threshold that persisted over the 12 weeks after discharge (1.04 [SD 0.44] to 0.76 [SD 0.22] mg/cm 2 NaCl; P = .003). Discussion When compared with young healthy control subjects, HF patients have impaired recognition of salt taste. The salt taste recognition threshold decreases after hospitalization for ADHF. This change demonstrates the first evidence of the phenomenon known as the “hedonic shift” in HF, in which the threshold to recognize salt taste decreases after prescribed sodium restriction.
A Recursive Algorithm for Default Risk Adjustment in Interest Rate Swaps

Abstract This paper provides empirical evidence on the cross-sectional and timeseries variation for the pricing of contracts that swap fixed-for floating-rate interest payments in eight international markets. Swap spreads defined as the difference between the fixed swap rate and the yield of a risk-free security of equal maturity are analyzed across markets. A framework, which allows to assess the ability of asymmetric default risk to generate observed spreads, is introduced and used to simulate default risk-adjusted swap rates. For typical yield curve and default conditions asymmetric default risk cannot generate positive swap spreads of the magnitude found in the data. These results are unchanged when incorporating expected or realized LIBOR spreads in the analysis.
Science and Conceptualizations of Nature

The research asked to what extent students enjoin scientific knowledge vis-a-vis other domains of knowledge in a discussion about Nature, given that science is unarguably relevant to the topic of Nature; and yet, Nature is a topic that most people do not explicitly associate with science? Moreover, the research asked what are the concepts that appear to have scope and force in the thinking on this topic? The answers from the research are stated in assertions that begin in this chapter. The four assertions discussed in Chapter 5 are assertions specifically related to science.
Admission After Intervention: When and Why

Hospitalization of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a major morbidity to the patient and cost to the payer. Forty-eight percent decline has been noted in admissions related to vascular access in 2009 compared to 1994, and the number one reason for hospitalization in ESRD patients now is infection-related admissions. Interventionists are routinely performing these procedures at outpatient vascular access centers providing limiting disruptions in dialysis care. Invasive procedures have associated complications and require that the operator has in-depth knowledge of rescue when required and use inpatient admission if indicated. Procedure sedation analgesia (PSA) plays an integral role in managing invasive procedures and has risks that should be weighed prior to each encounter. Comprehensive intraoperative care and on occasion’s inpatient observation is warranted after a complication is witnessed. This chapter reviews the conditions that warrant the patient to be operated inpatient or placed in observation after the procedure.
Disciplinary Core Ideas

Disciplinary Core ideas comprise the third dimension in the National Research Council’s (NRC) A Framework for K-12 Science Education which provides the basis for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
Inclusion of 100% Concord grape juice reduces glucose release following in vitro digestion of a model carbohydrate rich meal

Growing evidence suggest that phenolics from fruits and juices including 100% grape juice (GJ) may impact glucose homeostasis by independently inhibiting carbohydrate digestion and modulating intes...
Symptom Cluster Science in Chronic Kidney Disease: A Literature Review:

The purpose of this review was to synthesize evidence on symptom clusters in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The quality of studies was evaluated using the Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. Twelve articles met inclusion criteria. Patients had CKD ranging from Stages 2 through 5. Most studies determined clusters using variable-centered approaches based on symptoms; however, one used a person-centered approach based on demographic and clinical characteristics. The number of clusters identified ranged from two to five. Several clusters were prominent across studies including symptom dimensions of fatigue/energy/sleep, neuromuscular/pain, gastrointestinal, skin, and uremia; however, individual symptoms assigned to clusters varied widely. Several clusters correlated with patient outcomes, including health-related quality of life and mortality. Identifying symptom clusters in CKD is a nascent field, and more research is needed on symptom measures and statistical methods for clustering. The clinical implications of symptom clusters remain unclear.
X-Ray Beam Induced Voltage: A Novel Technique for Electrical Nanocharacterization of Solar Cells

The efficiency of solar cells with a polycrystalline absorber is typically limited by grain boundaries. Many questions need to be answered such as: which roles do elemental and structural inhomogeneities play with respect to electrical performance? By which mechanisms does degradation occur and how can it be mitigated? The answers to these questions lie at the nanoscale. Ideally, we would measure performance, composition, and structure in-situ and operando all at once. Correlative, synchrotron-based X-ray microscopy offers a step in this direction. Here, we present a novel technique, X-ray beam induced voltage (XBIV) measurements, which complements the set of X-ray microscopy techniques. Combining the penetration depth of visible-light microscopy with the spatial resolution of electron-beam methods, XBIV measurements shine light on recombination and absorber-layer bandgap variations at nanoscale resolution. We give experimental details and discuss the use of lock-in amplification based on first applications of XBIV measurements to $\text{CuIn}_{x} \text{Ga}_{1}-x\text{Se}_{2}$ solar cells.
Drugs or Dietary Supplements: FDA's Enforcement of DSHEA:

The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act broadened the definition of a dietary supplement and loosened the restrictions for health claims on supplement labeling. The Act has left an unclear ...
Financial Stress and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in the Jackson Heart Study.

Introduction Financial hardship is associated with coronary heart disease risk factors, and may disproportionately affect some African American groups. This study examines whether stress because of financial hardship is associated with incident coronary heart disease in African Americans. Methods The Jackson Heart Study is a longitudinal cohort study of cardiovascular disease risks in African Americans in the Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan statistical area. Participant enrollment began in 2000. Analyses were performed in 2017 and included adjudicated endpoints through December 2012. Financial stress was assessed from the Jackson Heart Study Weekly Stress Inventory and categorized into four levels: (1) did not experience financial stress, (2) no stress, (3) mild stress, and (4) moderate to high stress. Incident coronary heart disease was defined as the first event of definite or probable myocardial infarction, definite fatal myocardial infarction, definite fatal coronary heart disease, or cardiac procedure. There were 2,256 individuals in this analysis. Results Participants with moderate to high (versus no) financial stress were more likely to have incident coronary heart disease events after controlling for demographics, SES, access to care, and traditional clinical risk factors (hazard ratio=2.42, 95% CI=1.13, 5.17). The association between financial stress and coronary heart disease was no longer statistically significant in a model adjusting for three specific risk factors: depression, smoking status, and diabetes (hazard ratio=1.99, 95% CI=0.91, 4.39). Conclusions Financial stress may be an unrecognized risk factor for coronary heart disease for African Americans. Additional research should examine these associations in intervention studies that address perceived stress, in addition to other coronary heart disease risk factors, in patients experiencing financial stress.
Tangents to Subsolutions Existence and Uniqueness, II

This second part of the paper (see Ann Math de Toulouse, arXiv:1408.5797 for part I) is concerned with questions of existence and uniqueness of tangents in the special case of \(\varvec{\mathbb {G}}\)-plurisubharmonic functions, where \(\varvec{\mathbb {G}}\subset G(p,\mathbf{R}^n)\) is a compact subset of the Grassmannian of p-planes in \(\mathbf{R}^n\). An u.s.c. function u on an open set \(\Omega \subset \mathbf{R}^n\) is \(\varvec{\mathbb {G}}\)-plurisubharmonic if its restriction to \(\Omega \cap W\) is subharmonic for every affine \(\varvec{\mathbb {G}}\)-plane W. Here \(\varvec{\mathbb {G}}\) is assumed to be invariant under a subgroup \(K\subset \mathrm{O}(n)\) which acts transitively on \(S^{n-1}\). Tangents to u at a point \(x\) are the cluster points of u under a natural flow (or blow-up) at \(x\). They always exist and are \(\varvec{\mathbb {G}}\)-harmonic at all points of continuity. A homogeneity property is established for all tangents in these geometric cases. This leads to principal results concerning the Strong Uniqueness of Tangents, which means that all tangents are unique and of the form \(\Theta K_p\) where \(K_p\) is the Riesz kernel and \(\Theta \) is the density of u at the point. Strong uniqueness is a form of regularity which implies that the sets \(\{\Theta (u,x)\ge c\}\) for \(c>0\) are discrete. When the invariance group \(K= \mathrm{O}(n), \mathrm{U}(n)\) or Sp(n) strong uniqueness holds for all but a small handful of cases. It also holds for essentially all interesting \(\varvec{\mathbb {G}}\) which arise in calibrated geometry. When strong uniqueness fails, homogeneity implies that tangents are characterized by a subequation on the sphere, which is worked out in detail. In the cases corresponding to the real, complex, and quaternionic Monge–Ampere equations (convex functions, and complex and quaternionic plurisubharmonic functions), tangents, which are far from unique, are then systematically studied and classified.
Preclinical evaluation of a 64Cu-labeled disintegrin for PET imaging of prostate cancer

A novel recombinant disintegrin, vicrostatin (VCN), displays high binding affinity to a broad range of human integrins in substantial competitive biological advantage over other integrin-based antagonists. In this study, we synthesized a new 64Cu-labeled VCN probe and evaluated its imaging properties for prostate cancer in PC-3 tumor-bearing mice. Macrocyclic chelating agent 1,8-diamino-3,6,10,13,16,19-hexaazabicyclo[6.6.6]-eicosine (DiAmSar) was conjugated with PEG unit and followed by coupling with VCN. The precursor was then radiolabeled with positron emitter 64Cu (t1/2 = 12.7 h) in ammonium acetate buffer to provide 64Cu-Sar-PEG-VCN, which was subsequently subjected to in vitro studies, small animal PET, and biodistribution studies. The PC-3 tumor-targeting efficacy of 64Cu-Sar-PEG-VCN was compared to a cyclic RGD peptide-based PET probe (64Cu-Sar-RGD). 64Cu labeling was achieved in 75% decay-corrected yield with radiochemical purity of > 98%. The specific activity of 64Cu-Sar-PEG-VCN was estimated to be 37 MBq/nmol. MicroPET imaging results showed that 64Cu-Sar-PEG-VCN has preferential tumor uptake and good tumor retention in PC-3 tumor xenografts. As compared to 64Cu-Sar-RGD, 64Cu-Sar-PEG-VCN produces higher tumor-to-muscle (T/M) imaging contrast ratios at 2 h (4.66 ± 0.34 vs. 2.88 ± 0.46) and 24 h (4.98 ± 0.80 vs. 3.22 ± 0.30) post-injection (pi) and similar tumor-to-liver ratios at 2 h (0.43 ± 0.09 vs. 0.37 ± 0.04) and 24 h (0.57 ± 0.13 vs. 0.52 ± 0.07) pi. The biodistribution results were consistent with the quantitative analysis of microPET imaging, demonstrating good T/M ratio (2.73 ± 0.36) of 64Cu-Sar-PEG-VCN at 48 h pi in PC-3 tumor xenografts. For both microPET and biodistribution studies at 48 h pi, the PC-3 tumor uptake of 64Cu-Sar-PEG-VCN is lower than that of 64Cu-Sar-RGD. 64Cu-Sar-PEG-VCN has the potential for in vivo imaging of prostate cancer with PET, which may provide a unique non-invasive method to quantitatively localize and characterize prostate cancer.
Palliative Care, Hospice, and End of Life

Cancer is a deadly disease, but the treatments for cancer are toxic, debilitating, and, all too often, ineffective. Universally, therefore, suffering, both physical and psychological, is integral to the cancer patient experience. Palliative care is a supportive therapy that is directed toward lessening the suffering of cancer patients. It operates in parallel with disease-directed therapy to help preserve the cancer patient’s quality of life to the greatest degree possible, whether or not the disease-directed therapy is able to increase their quantity of life. Palliative care is patient-directed therapy. It addresses the personal needs of the patient but also provides support to families and caregivers. In order to meet the broadest range of needs, palliative care is inherently cross-disciplinary and wide-ranging. It addresses problems ranging from the physical to those of a psychosocial or spiritual nature. This type of care should begin with the patient’s diagnosis and follow through the patient’s entire course, providing what is needed at every phase. When the probability of increasing the patient’s quantity of life with disease-directed treatment is or becomes low to naught, palliative care may follow the patient into hospice care, where all disease-directed therapy is discontinued. With hospice care, all efforts are directed toward the quality of the patient’s remaining life and the quality of their death. Although rational, ethical, and medically sound, palliative care is widely underutilized. Instead, with little to no medical justification for doing so, futile disease-directed treatment of cancer patients often continues inappropriately up to the last weeks of a patient’s life. This chapter discusses the importance of and the need for palliative care for all cancer patients and, for patients with advanced, untreatable disease, the value of hospice and end-of-life support.
Alteration of retinal gene expression pathways in anemic rodent pups

Background: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) remains as prevalent today as it was 30 years ago due to an incomplete understanding of mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis. A gap exists in understanding how common comorbidities experienced by preterm infants, particularly phlebotomy-induced anemia (PIA), impact the development of neovascularization. Previous transcriptomic analysis of a rodent model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) revealed key altered genes. We hypothesized that PIA would exacerbate changes in expression of retinal genes within the hypoxia-sensitive mechanisms central to both processes. Objective: Determine the …
A preliminary validation of the adolescent e-cigarette consequences questionnaire.

Abstract Introduction Given the recent dramatic increase among adolescents in the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) or electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), there is a growing need to identify outcome expectancies that influence the initiation or continued use of e-cigarettes. While a self-report measure exists for assessing adolescent outcome expectancies for cigarette use, there is currently not one available for e-cigarette use. Validation and use of such a measure would provide insight into the growing popularity of e-cigarettes. Methods The sample consisted of 264 (50.76 % female, 86.36 % White, 84.47 % Hispanic/Latinx) freshmen and sophomores from South Florida high schools who were identified as at-risk for e-cigarette use. The current study adapted the Adolescent Smoking Consequences Questionnaire (ASCQ) to derive the Adolescent E-Cigarette Consequences Questionnaire (AECQ) to characterize e-cigarette outcome expectancies. A confirmatory factor analysis was estimated to test the underlying factor structure. Results The confirmatory factor analysis provided support for a seven-factor structure (negative affect reduction, taste/sensorimotor manipulation, social facilitation, weight control, negative physical feelings, boredom reduction, and negative social impression) after removing two items with low factor loadings from the social facilitation subscale. After removing these items, factor loadings ranged from 0.46 to 0.86. Conclusion The current study provides preliminary evidence to suggest that the Adolescent E-Cigarette Consequences Questionnaire is a psychometrically sound measure. Future work should continue to test this measure among diverse samples of adolescents (e.g., non-Latinx samples) with varying levels of use.
Research on Network Optimization and Network Security in Power Wireless Private Network

In view of the problems of electric power wireless communication and to serve the power consumer better, on the basis of the basic principles of TD-LTE’s network structure, traffic model of power service is analyzed in detail, and in the actual case, through the data processing method and comparison analysis method, the technical parameters, theoretical analysis and field test results of 1.8 G and 230 M LTE systems are compared, and the ability of power wireless private network to support power service is verified. The analysis and testing provide a technology support for electric power communication access network construction and lays the foundations for popularization and application of LTE power wireless private network.
Differences in [18F]FDG uptake in BAT of UCP1 -/- and UCP1 +/+ during adrenergic stimulation of non-shivering thermogenesis.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a fat tissue found in most mammals that helps regulate energy balance and core body temperature through a sympathetic process known as non-shivering thermogenesis. BAT activity is commonly detected and quantified in [18F]FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scans, and radiotracer uptake in BAT during adrenergic stimulation is often used as a surrogate measure for identifying thermogenic activity in the tissue. BAT thermogenesis is believed to be contingent upon the expression of the protein UCP1, but conflicting results have been reported in the literature concerning [18F]FDG uptake within BAT of mice with and without UCP1. Differences in animal handling techniques such as feeding status, type of anesthetic, type of BAT stimulation, and estrogen levels were identified as possible confounding variables for [18F]FDG uptake. In this study, we aimed to assess differences in BAT [18F]FDG uptake between wild-type and UCP1-knockout mice using a protocol that minimizes possible variations in BAT stimulation caused by different stress responses to mouse handling. [18F]FDG PET/CT scans were run on mice that were anesthetized with pentobarbital after stimulation of non-shivering thermogenesis by norepinephrine. While in wild-type mice [18F]FDG uptake in BAT increased significantly with norepinephrine stimulation of BAT, there was no consistent change in [18F]FDG uptake in BAT of mice lacking UCP1. [18F]FDG uptake within adrenergically stimulated BAT of wild-type and UCP1-knockout mice can significantly vary such that an [18F]FDG uptake threshold cannot be used to differentiate wild-type from UCP1-knockout mice. However, while an increase in BAT [18F]FDG uptake during adrenergic stimulation is consistently observed in wild-type mice, in UCP1-knockout mice [18F]FDG uptake in BAT seems to be independent of β3-adrenergic stimulation of non-shivering thermogenesis.
Interferon gamma release assay tests are associated with persistence and completion of latent tuberculosis infection treatment in the United States: Evidence from commercial insurance data.

Background Risk-targeted testing and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is a critical component of the United States’ (US) tuberculosis (TB) elimination strategy, but relatively low treatment completion rates remain a challenge. Both treatment persistence and completion may be facilitated by diagnosing LTBI using interferon gamma release assays (IGRA) rather than tuberculin skin tests (TST). Methods We used a national sample of administrative claims data to explore associations diagnostic test choice (TST, IGRA, TST with subsequent IGRA) and treatment persistence and completion in persons initiating a daily dose isoniazid LTBI treatment regimen in the US private healthcare sector between July 2011 and March 2014. Associations were analyzed with a generalized ordered logit model (completion) and a negative binomial regression model (persistence). Results Of 662 persons initiating treatment, 327 (49.4%) completed at least the 6-month regimen and 173 (26.1%) completed the 9-month regimen; 129 (19.5%) persisted in treatment one month or less. Six-month completion was least likely in persons receiving a TST (42.2%) relative to persons receiving an IGRA (55.0%) or TST then IGRA (67.2%; p = 0.001). Those receiving an IGRA or a TST followed by an IGRA had higher odds of completion compared to those receiving a TST (aOR = 1.59 and 2.50; p = 0.017 and 0.001, respectively). Receiving an IGRA or a TST and subsequent IGRA was associated with increased treatment persistence relative to TST (aIRR = 1.14 and 1.25; p = 0.027 and 0.009, respectively). Conclusions IGRA use is significantly associated with both higher levels of LTBI treatment completion and treatment persistence. These differences are apparent both when IGRAs alone were administered and when IGRAs were administered subsequent to a TST. Our results suggest that IGRAs contribute to more effective LTBI treatment and consequently individual and population protections against TB.
The Informatics of Domination and the Necessity for Feminist Vigilance Toward Digital Technology

This chapter proposes understanding feminist vigilance as a methodology for critiquing patriarchal aspects of today’s digital technologies. Bell revisits Haraway’s diagnosis of the late twentieth-century political, economic, and cultural shift to an “informatics of domination” in order to show how her theory of situated knowledges is as important for questions of technology as it was for the natural sciences. The chapter concludes by describing how the proposed methodology for feminist vigilance might result in political interventions in the deployment of sexist, racist, and anti-democratic technologies.
Greedy Spanners in Euclidean Spaces Admit Sublinear Separators

The greedy spanner in a low dimensional Euclidean space is a fundamental geometric construction that has been extensively studied over three decades as it possesses the two most basic properties of a good spanner: constant maximum degree and constant lightness. Recently, Eppstein and Khodabandeh showed that the greedy spanner in $\mathbb{R}^2$ admits a sublinear separator in a strong sense: any subgraph of $k$ vertices of the greedy spanner in $\mathbb{R}^2$ has a separator of size $O(\sqrt{k})$. Their technique is inherently planar and is not extensible to higher dimensions. They left showing the existence of a small separator for the greedy spanner in $\mathbb{R}^d$ for any constant $d\geq 3$ as an open problem. In this paper, we resolve the problem of Eppstein and Khodabandeh by showing that any subgraph of $k$ vertices of the greedy spanner in $\mathbb{R}^d$ has a separator of size $O(k^{1-1/d})$. We introduce a new technique that gives a simple characterization for any geometric graph to have a sublinear separator that we dub $\tau$-lanky: a geometric graph is $\tau$-lanky if any ball of radius $r$ cuts at most $\tau$ edges of length at least $r$ in the graph. We show that any $\tau$-lanky geometric graph of $n$ vertices in $\mathbb{R}^d$ has a separator of size $O(\tau n^{1-1/d})$. We then derive our main result by showing that the greedy spanner is $O(1)$-lanky. We indeed obtain a more general result that applies to unit ball graphs and point sets of low fractal dimensions in $\mathbb{R}^d$. Our technique naturally extends to doubling metrics. We use the $\tau$-lanky characterization to show that there exists a $(1+\epsilon)$-spanner for doubling metrics of dimension $d$ with a constant maximum degree and a separator of size $O(n^{1-\frac{1}{d}})$; this result resolves an open problem posed by Abam and Har-Peled a decade ago.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: A Powerful Agency with a Questionable Legal Status

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 to protect consumers from the predatory practices of businesses involved in the provision of consumer finance, whether that be a retail bank making housing loans to individual debtors, or retail stores providing store credit to customers. Concerns exist about the Bureau’s insulation from the checks and balances to which other government agencies are subject, including budget checks via the congressional appropriations process and command and control by the President via his or her authority over the executive branch of government. The judiciary is the only branch of government from which the CFPB was not insulated by the law creating the Bureau, and they have already acted, via the Supreme Court, to limit the Bureau’s independence by requiring that the director of the CFPB be required to serve at the President’s sole will and discretion. The Bureau serves a valiant and critical purpose, but as a government agency staffed with human beings, it is not immune from abusing its power when carrying out its mission. As a result, it must be subject to restrictions to protect the public, which includes businesses, from what James Madison termed “government tyranny” at the time of the formation of our government.
Antifungal activity of thiosemicarbazones, bis(thiosemicarbazones), and their metal complexes.

Abstract Fungi are ubiquitous in nature, and typically cause little or no environmental or pathogenic damage to their plant, animal, and human hosts. However, a small but growing number of pathogenic fungi are spreading world-wide at an alarming rate threatening global ecosystem health and proliferation. Many of these emerging pathogens have developed multi-drug resistance to front line therapeutics increasing the urgency for the development of new antifungal agents. This review examines the development of thiosemicarbazones, bis(thiosemicarbazones), and their metal complexes as potential antifungal agents against more than 65 different fungal strains. The fungistatic activity of the compounds are quantified based on the zone of inhibition, minimum inhibitory concentration, or growth inhibition percentage. In this review, reported activities were standardized based on molar concentrations to simplify comparisons between different compounds. Of all the fungal strains reported in the review, A. niger in particular was very resistant towards a majority of tested compounds. Our analysis of the data shows that metal complexes are typically more active than non-coordinated ligands with copper(II) and zinc(II) complexes generally displaying the highest activity.
Nuclear Fuel Cycle

Nuclear power has unresolved challenges in the long-term management of radioactive wastes. A critical factor for the future of an expanded nuclear power industry is the choice of the fuel cycle – what type of fuel is used, what types of reactors “burn” the fuel, and the method of disposal of spent fuel.
PARAMETERS IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF FATIGUE LIFE

In the third asymptotic distribution of smallest values, or Weibull distribution, three parameters exist. One is a location parameter in which the probability of surviving θ number of cycles is fixed at 1/e. A second is a shape parameter, α, and the third parameter, u\Do\N, is the lower limit of the distribution. It is this lower limit which is of great interest in fatigue studies for the design of structures, since the existence of a positive u\Do\N enables the design of a structure in which, if the number of cycles is kept below this critical value for a given stress, no fatigue failure will ever occur. The three parameters may or may not be a function of stress, and appropriate changes in notation are made when applicable. The interdependence of the three parameters is also studied. Reduction to two parameters by the introduction of a reduced life and a reduced minimum life is carried through. By introducing a standardization of the number of cycles N, the number of parameters is lessened to one. A table of this standardized life then facilitates the estimation of the three parameters by the method of moments procedure.