cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pharmacogenomic biomarkers: validation needed for both the molecular genetic mechanism and clinical effect

Drug therapy can be ineffective or cause adverse reactions in a subset of patients. Pharmacogenomic biomarkers afford the opportunity to optimize an individual’s therapy. Yet, few tests are currently part of standard care. To validate biomarkers, clinical replication studies are essential. Equally important, but less appreciated, the genetic mechanisms must also be understood to facilitate translation into clinical use. Representing main contributors to genetic variability, regulatory polymorphisms in particular are still poorly studied (e.g., 5-HTTLPR). This article focuses on molecular and functional diversity of genetic biomarkers, as a guide to optimal use in personalized medicine.
Current progress in the development of a prophylactic vaccine for HIV-1.

Since its discovery and characterization in the early 1980s as a virus that attacks the immune system, there has been some success for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection. However, due to the overwhelming public health impact of this virus, a vaccine is needed urgently. Despite the tireless efforts of scientist and clinicians, there is still no safe and effective vaccine that provides sterilizing immunity. A vaccine that provides sterilizing immunity against HIV infection remains elusive in part due to the following reasons: 1) degree of diversity of the virus, 2) ability of the virus to evade the hosts’ immunity, and 3) lack of appropriate animal models in which to test vaccine candidates. There have been several attempts to stimulate the immune system to provide protection against HIV-infection. Here, we will discuss attempts that have been made to induce sterilizing immunity, including traditional vaccination attempts, induction of broadly neutralizing antibody production, DNA vaccines, and use of viral vectors. Some of these attempts show promise pending continued research efforts.
Early prognosis of noise-induced hearing loss: prioritising prevention over prediction.

Moshammer et al 1 have recommended routine implementation of a temporary threshold shift (TTS) screening test to identify workers particularly at risk of developing noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) from occupational exposure to hazardous noise. Their work addresses an important occupational health problem. NIHL ranks among the most common work-related injuries in many countries, with an estimated global annual incidence of 1.6 million cases, and accounts for approximately 16% of disabling adult hearing losses worldwide.2 ,3 Individuals vary in their susceptibility to the damaging effects of noise and no suitable method currently exists to predict the susceptibility of a particular worker. In their study, Moshammer et al measured TTS in newly hired employees following exposure to a 20 min, high-intensity, low-frequency experimental noise. They then followed the workers over time to see who ultimately developed a permanent threshold shift (PTS). The authors report that a TTS of 14 dB or more measured 2.5 min after the experimental exposure identifies workers at greater risk for PTS. They recommend routinely using this procedure to screen for susceptibility to noise in workplace hearing loss prevention programmes. However, this recommendation is premature in view of the study results. The TTS measure had a sensitivity of 82%, meaning that 18% of those who developed PTS were not identified by the TTS screening—a …
Domain decomposition methods for parallel laser-tissue models with Monte Carlo transport

Achieving parallelism in simulations that use Monte Carlo transport methods presents interesting challenges. For problems that require domain decomposition, load balance can be harder to achieve. The Monte Carlo transport package may have to operate with other packages that have different optimal domain decompositions for a given problem. To examine some of these issues, we have developed a code that simulates the interaction of a laser with biological tissue; it uses a Monte Carlo method to simulate the laser and a finite element model to simulate the conduction of the temperature field in the tissue. We will present speedup and load balance results obtained for a suite of problems decomposed using a few domain decomposition algorithms we have developed.
Conservation and innovation in spiralian development

It is clear that the spiralian developmental program represents a highly flexible platform for the generation of diverse larval and adult body plans. The widespread occurrence of this pattern of early development attests to its tremendous evolutionary success. Despite the large degree of conservation in the spiral cleavage pattern and other basic aspects of early development, changes in cell fate maps and in the mechanisms of blastomere specification have arisen. While we have learned a great deal about this mode of development, a number of important questions remain to be answered. To what extent do these conditions apply to the lesser studied spiralian phyla? What constraints have led to the preservation of the early spiral cleavage program? How has this developmental program been adapted for the construction of the various spiralian body plans (e.g. the segmental body plans of annelids or to the potential secondary loss of segmentation)? Are most changes associated with the elaboration of these different larval and adult body plans restricted to the late period of development? What molecular/genetic processes underlie this developmental program? Clearly, the spiralian phyla represent an important group of organisms for further studies on development and evolution.
Trading Off Cache Capacity for Low-Voltage Operation

Two proposed techniques let microprocessors operate at low voltages despite high memory-cell failure rates. They identify and disable defective portions of the cache at two granularities: individual words or pairs of bits. Both techniques use the entire cache during high-voltage operation while sacrificing cache capacity during low-voltage operation to reduce the minimum voltage below 500 mV.
Plasma glycerol during the acute post-exercise recovery period: influence of exercise intensity

Intensity of exercise can influence substrate utilization, with increasing intensity resulting in lower rates of fat oxidation and the reliance on carbohydrate as the preferred fuel. Fat oxidation (or more specifically, mobilization) can be assessed via the measurement of circulating glycerol, with most prior research focusing on aerobic exercise and measurements obtained during the actual exercise bout. The present study determined the degree of fat oxidation/mobilization by measuring plasma glyctierol concentrations during the one hour post-exercise recovery period following three difference exercise bouts. On four different days, exercise trained men (n=12; 23.7±1.1 years) either rested quietly or performed aerobic cycle exercise (60 min at 70% heart rate reserve), 60 s cycle sprints at 100% max wattage obtained during graded exercise testing (GXT) - a total of five, or 15 s cycle sprints at 200% max wattage obtained during GXT - a total of 10. Blood was collected before and at 1, 30 and 60 min post-ex...
Alternative Estimators of Wavelet Variance

The wavelet variance is a scale-based decomposition of the process variance that is particularly well suited for analyzing intrinsically stationary processes. This decomposition has proven to be useful for studying various geophysical time series, including some related to sub-tidal sea level variations, vertical shear in the ocean and variations in soil composition along a transect. Previous work has established the large sample properties of an unbiased estimator of the wavelet variance formed using the non-boundary wavelet coefficients from the maximal overlap discrete wavelet transform (MODWT). The present work considers two alternative estimators, one of which is unbiased, and the other, biased. The new unbiased estimator is appropriate for asymmetric wavelet filters such as the Debaucheries filters of width four and higher and is obtained from the non-boundary coefficients that result from running a wavelet filter through a time series in both a forward and a backward direction. The biased estimator is constructed in a similar fashion, but utilizes all wavelet coefficients that result from filtering a time series in forward and backward directions. While the two alternative estimators have the same asymptotic distribution as the original unbiased estimator (with some restrictions in the case of the biased estimator), they can have substantially better statistical properties in small sample sizes. Formula for evaluating the mean squared errors of the usual unbiased estimator and the two alternative estimators are developed and verified for several fractionally differenced processes via Monte Carlo experiments.
Bone Marrow Stem Cells and Bone Turnover in Diabetic Disease

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2012 indicated that over 29 million Americans have diabetes. Hyperglycemia is a diagnostic indicator of diabetes. Diabetes has two main forms: type 1 (T1D) and type 2 (T2D). In T1D, hyperglycemia occurs as a result of little or no insulin production by pancreatic beta cells, thus glucose is unable to be taken up by cells that have insulin-dependent glucose channels. In T2D, hyperglycemia results from insulin resistance that leads to reduced insulin signaling and glucose uptake in insulin-dependent cells. Long-term diabetes affects multiple organ systems resulting in complications such as neuropathy, nephropathy, and retinopathy as well as less well-known complications such as increased fracture risk. Both T1D and T2D patients are at risk for fractures but the underlying pathophysiology is somewhat different [1–6]. T1D is associated with reduced bone density while T2D is often linked with increased or unaltered bone density. Thus, there are likely separate and overlapping mechanisms. In this chapter we will focus on understanding the effects of T1D and T2D on the bone microenvironment, stem cell maturation and bone remodeling with particular emphasis on osteoblast, osteoclast, and immune cell activity and composition. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of diabetic bone changes is critical for identifying and developing effective therapeutics.
TIEG proteins join the Smads as TGF-β-regulated transcription factors that control pancreatic cell growth

The control of epithelial cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis requires a balance between signaling and transcriptional regulation. Recent developments in pancreatic cell research have revealed that transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling is important for the regulation of each of these phenomena. More importantly, perturbations in this pathway are associated with pancreatic cancer. A chief example of these alterations is the mutation in the TGF-β-regulated transcription factor Smad4/DPC4 that is found in a large percentage of pancreatic tumors. Surprisingly, studies on transcription factors have remained an underrepresented area of pancreatic research. However, the discovery of Smad4/DPC4 as a transcription factor fueled further studies aimed at characterizing transcription factors involved in normal and neoplastic pancreatic cell growth. Our laboratory recently described the existence of a novel family of zinc finger transcription factors, TGF-β-inducible early-response gene (TIEG)1 and TIEG2, from the exocrine pancreas that, similarly to Smads, participate in the TGF-β response and inhibit epithelial cell proliferation. This review therefore focuses on describing the structure and function of these two families of transcription factor proteins that are becoming key players in the regulation of pancreatic cell growth.
VLSI architectures for real-time image processing

Image processing has left the labs for the field. Computer vision has gone through feasibility demonstration in a number of applications - visual inspection,automatic assembly and robotics and is ready for real-time cost effective implementations. This is especially true of military applications, in real-time scene analysis for the detection, recognition and tracking of targets in video from real-time (TV-like) sensors. Real-time implementation provides an exceptional challenge because of the extremely high data rates (in excess of 20 MHz), which result in computational throughputs of several thousand mega operations per second (MOPS). Even harder to realize are the requirements of low cost and size of the hardware integrated with the sensors.
Leukocytes Link Local and Systemic Inflammation in Ischemic Cardiovascular Disease: An Expanded “Cardiovascular Continuum”

Physicians have traditionally viewed ischemic heart disease in a cardiocentric manner: plaques grow in arteries until they block blood flow, causing acute coronary and other ischemic syndromes. Recent research provides new insight into the integrative biology of inflammation as it contributes to ischemic cardiovascular disease. These results have revealed hitherto unsuspected inflammatory signaling networks at work in these disorders that link the brain, autonomic nervous system, bone marrow, and spleen to the atherosclerotic plaque and to the infarcting myocardium. A burgeoning clinical published data indicates that such inflammatory networks-far from a mere laboratory curiosity-operate in our patients and can influence aspects of ischemic cardiovascular disease that determine decisively clinical outcomes. These new findings enlarge the circle of the traditional "cardiovascular continuum" beyond the heart and vessels to include the nervous system, the spleen, and the bone marrow.
A Pierre Fabre-Ügy: Az Online Kereskedelem Korlátozásának Korlátai (The Pierre Fabre-Case: Limitations to Restricting Online Trading)

The paper discusses the recent judgement of the ECJ in the Pierre Fabre case (C-439/09). The European Court of Justice delivered an important judgement, ruling on the validity of restrictions to online trading.
A Class of Co-Design Problems With Cyclic Constraints and Their Solution

Co-design problems in the field of robotics involve the tradeoff of “resources” usage, such as cost, execution time, and energy, with mission performance, under recursive constraints that involve energetics, mechanics, computation, and communication. This letter shows that a large class of codesign problems have a common structure, as they are described by two posets, representing functionality, and resources. The codesign constraints can be expressed as two maps in opposite directions between the two posets. Finding the most resource-economical feasible solution is equivalent to finding the least fixed point of the composition of those two maps. If the two maps are monotone, results from order theory allow concluding uniqueness and systematically deriving an optimal design or a certificate for infeasibility.
Pre- and post-natal development of the spinal cord: increased acetylcholinesterase activity.

SummaryAcetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity of the spinal cord in rats was determined colorimetrically during pre- and postnatal development. The enzyme activity increased progressively from 11 days before birth to 2 days after birth. The presence of AChE activity at the early prenatal period is correlated with morphological and functional development of the synapse in the rat spinal cord.
Esterase inhibition in organophosphorus poisoning of house flies.

The inhibition of hydrolysis of acetylcholine phenyl acetate, tributyrin and methyl butyrate by house flies ( Musca domestica L.) has been studied at various times after poisoning by four organophosphates: parathion, malathion, Diazinon® ( O, O -dicthyl O -2-isopropyl-4-methyl-6-pyrimidinyl phosphorothioate) and Co-ral® ( O, O -diethyl O -3-chloro-4-methyl-2-oxo-2 H -1-benzopyran-7-yl phosphorothioate). In surviving flies, cholinesterase was invariably the least inhibited enzyme. But in killed flies, cholinesterase was usually the most inhibited enzyme, being 75% to 99% inactivated. The difference between enzyme levels of killed and surviving flies at any time was also greatest for cholinesterase. It is concluded that death is associated with, and probably due to, cholinesterase inhibition.
Antidiuretic hormone levels during cardiopulmonary bypass.

The effect of CPB on plasma ADH levels, urine flow, and urine osmolality was studied in nine patients. All patients received morphine, 1 mg. per kilogram, and 50 per cent nitrous oxide-50 per cent oxygen for anesthesia. CPB utilized a Travenol disposable bubble oxygenator and the prime consisted of 3 L. of Ringer's lactate. Measurements were made prior to induction of anesthesia, at 30 minutes following surgical incision, and at 15, 30, and 45 minutes during CPB. There were no statistically significant changes in mean arterial BP, cardiac index, serum sodium, or serum osmolality in any period. Urine flow increased from 0.99 ± 0.3 ml. per minute to a high of 6.13 ± 2.0 ml. per minute at 30 minutes on CPB (p
Got technical debt?: surfacing elusive technical debt in issue trackers

Concretely communicating technical debt and its consequences is of common interest to both researchers and software engineers. In the absence of validated tools and techniques to achieve this goal with repeatable results, developers resort to ad hoc practices. Most commonly they report using issue trackers or their existing backlog management practices to capture and track technical debt. In a manual examination of 1,264 issues from four issue trackers from open source industry and government projects, we identified 109 examples of technical debt. Our study reveals that technical debt and its related concepts have entered the vernacular of developers as they discuss development tasks through issue trackers. Even when issues are not explicitly tagged as technical debt, it is possible to identify technical debt items in these issue trackers using a categorization method we developed. We use our results and data to motivate an improved definition and an approach to explicitly report technical debt in issue trackers.
Range of attraction of pheromone lures and dispersal behavior of cerambycid beetles

Cerambycid beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) can locate suitable hosts and mates by sensing pheromones and plant volatiles. Many cerambycid pheromone components have been identified and are now produced synthetically for trap lures. The range over which these lures attract cerambycids within a forest, and the tendency for cerambycids to move out of a forest in response to lures, have not been explored previously. We conducted two field experiments using baited and unbaited panel traps in northern Delaware to investigate these questions. Within forest fragments, unbaited traps that were 2 m from a baited trap captured more beetles than unbaited control traps, suggesting increased cerambycid activity leading to more by-catch in unbaited traps at 2 m from the pheromone source. Traps at further distances from a baited trap did not catch significantly more beetles than equivalent controls. In contrast, male Prionus laticollis (Drury), which were attracted by the likely female-produced sex pheromone 3,5-dimethyldodecanoic acid, were rarely collected in unbaited traps at any distance from baited traps. Outside the forest, baited traps attracted significantly more cerambycids than unbaited traps at distances up to 40 m from the forest edge, with catch generally decreasing between 8 and 40 m from the forest. Some cerambycids were collected in both baited and unbaited traps at all distances from the forest edge, indicating that at least some species dispersed out of the forest independent of any pheromonal attractants. Our results provide context to previous studies that used these pheromone lures, and offer insights into cerambycid dispersal behavior.
On the uplink outage throughput capacity of hybrid wireless networks with Massive MIMO

Abstract In this paper, we investigate theoretical transmission capacity limit of the uplink hybrid wireless network under infrastructure mode. Massive MIMO technology is assumed to be equipped on the base station to further increase the whole network throughput. Multi-user MIMO is preferred over Point-to-Point MIMO to achieve improved scalability and simplify UE design. Another perspective of this paper is to include the fading effect on capacity. Under favorable propagation condition, Massive MIMO greatly mitigates small scale fading effect between each user and base station antenna. Then closed-form outage capacity over large scale fading channel is derived in both low SNR and high SNR scenarios.
Introductory Review of Solar-Terrestrial Weather and Climate Relationships

I shall review some of the best established empirical Sun-weather relationships, and suggest how these relationships identify certain atmospheric parameters and phenomena that merit intensified observation and theoretical study. It is a matter of practical and theoretical importance to know whether there is indeed a significant Sun-weather interaction at short or long time scales. Some data suggest that short-term weather forecasting accuracy suffers at the same epochs that we find short-term responses to solar sector boundary passages and other Sun-weather effects.
Developing Soft Skills through Multi-Disciplinary Cooperative and Situated Learning

Authors propose a teaching method to enhance student acquisition of soft skills through a more social application of their specific discipline knowledge. Objectives of this study were to increase (1) student application of current discipline knowledge in the assigned activities, (2) student gains in advanced knowledge through practical performance, and (3) student development of soft skills through the cooperative and collaborative process.
Divine and Human Agency from the Standpoint of Historicalism, Scientism, and Phenomenological Realism

Phenomenological realism, in the tradition of Dietrich von Hildebrand, is advanced as a promising methodology for a theistic philosophy of divine and human agency. Phenomenological realism is defended in contrast to the practice of historicalism – the view that a philosophy of mind and God should always be done as part of a thoroughgoing history of philosophy, e.g. the use of examples in analytic theology should be subordinated to engaging the work of Kant and other great philosophers. The criticism of theism based on forms of naturalism that give exclusive authority to the physical sciences (or scientism) is criticized from a phenomenological, realist perspective.
Fluorouracil Enhances Photodynamic Therapy of Squamous Cell Carcinoma via a p53-Independent Mechanism that Increases Protoporphyrin IX levels and Tumor Cell Death

Photodynamic therapy (PDT), using 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) to drive synthesis of protoporphryin IX (PpIX) is a promising, scar-free alternative to surgery for skin cancers, including squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and SCC precursors called actinic keratoses (AK). In the United States, PDT is only FDA approved for treatment of AK; this narrow range of indications could be broadened if PDT efficacy were improved. Toward that goal, we developed a mechanism-based combination approach using 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) as a neoadjuvant for ALA-based PDT. In mouse models of SCC (orthotopic UV-induced lesions, and subcutaneous A431 and 4T1 tumors), pretreatment with 5-FU for 3 days followed by ALA for 4 hours led to large, tumor-selective increases in PpIX levels, and enhanced cell death upon illumination. Several mechanisms were identified that might explain the relatively improved therapeutic response. Firstly, the expression of key enzymes in the heme synthesis pathway was altered, including upregulated coproporphyrinogen oxidase and downregulated ferrochelatase. Secondly, a 3- to 6-fold induction of p53 in 5-FU pretreated tumors was noted. The fact that A431 contains a mutant form p53 did not prevent the development of a neoadjuvantal 5-FU effect. Furthermore, 5-FU pretreatment of 4T1 tumors (cells that completely lack p53), still led to significant beneficial inductions, i.e., 2.5-fold for both PpIX and PDT-induced cell death. Thus, neoadjuvantal 5-FU combined with PDT represents a new therapeutic approach that appears useful even for p53-mutant and p53-null tumors.
Elements including metals in the atomizer and aerosol of disposable electronic cigarettes and electronic hookahs.

Author(s): Williams, Monique; Bozhilov, Krassimir; Ghai, Sanjay; Talbot, Prue | Abstract: ObjectiveOur purpose was to quantify 36 inorganic chemical elements in aerosols from disposable electronic cigarettes (ECs) and electronic hookahs (EHs), examine the effect of puffing topography on elements in aerosols, and identify the source of the elements.MethodsThirty-six inorganic chemical elements and their concentrations in EC/EH aerosols were determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, and their source was identified by analyzing disassembled atomizers using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.ResultsOf 36 elements screened, 35 were detected in EC/EH aerosols, while only 15 were detected in conventional tobacco smoke. Some elements/metals were present in significantly higher concentrations in EC/EH aerosol than in cigarette smoke. Concentrations of particular elements/metals within EC/EH brands were sometimes variable. Aerosols generated at low and high air-flow rates produced the same pattern of elements, although the total element concentration decreased at the higher air flow rate. The relative amount of elements in the first and last 60 puffs was generally different. Silicon was the dominant element in aerosols from all EC/EH brands and in cigarette smoke. The elements appeared to come from the filament (nickel, chromium), thick wire (copper coated with silver), brass clamp (copper, zinc), solder joints (tin, lead), and wick and sheath (silicon, oxygen, calcium, magnesium, aluminum). Lead was identified in the solder and aerosol of two brands of EHs (up to 0.165 μg/10 puffs).ConclusionThese data show that EC/EH aerosols contain a mixture of elements, including heavy metals, with concentrations often significantly higher than in conventional cigarette smoke. While the health effects of inhaling mixtures of heated metals is currently not known, these data will be valuable in future risk assessments involving EC/EH elements/metals.
Effects of long-term rainfall decline on the structure and functioning of Hawaiian forests

Climate change is altering the dynamics of terrestrial vegetation, with consequences for the functioning of Earth's biomes and the provisioning of ecosystem services. Changes in forest dynamics due to drought events or short-term drying trends have been described at different ecological scales, but few observational studies have determined the relative effects of short- and long-term precipitation trends (e.g. decade and century, respectively) on forest canopy structure and functioning. Using gridded annual precipitation maps from 1920 to 2012, and temporal data from airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), we present evidence for a large-scale decline in forest canopy volume (area vs. height) and greenness (a metric of photosynthetic function) driven by a long-term drying trend on Hawaii island. Decreases in canopy greenness were observed in step with shorter-term (10 y) precipitation declines, but decreases in greenness were two-fold greater where longer-term (~100 y) precipitation declines had occurred. Canopy volume mainly reduced where long-term precipitation declines occurred. We conclude that long-term precipitation trends critically impact forest canopy structure and functioning, which likely has cascading consequences for numerous ecological processes such as subcanopy light availability, species interactions, carbon storage, and animal habitat.
Abstract WP339: Cerebral Blood Flow Response to Bolus Normal Saline

Introduction: Intravenous infusion of 0.9% normal saline (NS) is used routinely after acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Since cerebral autoregulation is impaired after AIS, volume expansion due to NS in...
Phosphate signaling through alternate conformations of the PstSCAB phosphate transporter

Phosphate is an essential compound for life. Escherichia coli employs a signal transduction pathway that controls the expression of genes that are required for the high-affinity acquisition of phosphate and the utilization of alternate sources of phosphorous. These genes are only expressed when environmental phosphate is limiting. The seven genes for this signaling pathway encode the two-component regulatory proteins PhoB and PhoR, as well as the high-affinity phosphate transporter PstSCAB and an auxiliary protein called PhoU. As the sensor kinase PhoR has no periplasmic sensory domain, the mechanism by which these cells sense environmental phosphate is not known. This paper explores the hypothesis that it is the alternating conformations of the PstSCAB transporter which are formed as part of the normal phosphate transport cycle that signal phosphate sufficiency or phosphate limitation. We tested two variants of PstB that are predicted to lock the protein in either of two conformations for their signaling output. We observed that the pstBQ160K mutant, predicted to reside in an inward-facing, open conformation signaled phosphate sufficiency whereas the pstBE179Q mutant, predicted to reside in an outward-facing, closed conformation signaled phosphate starvation. Neither mutant showed phosphate transport. These results support the hypothesis that the alternating conformations of the PstSCAB transporter are sensed by PhoR and PhoU. This sensory mechanism thus controls the alternate autokinase and phospho-PhoB phosphatase activities of PhoR, which ultimately control the signaling state of the response regulator PhoB.
Use of adenosine triphosphate to audit reprocessing of flexible endoscopes with an elevator mechanism.

Background There have been reported outbreaks of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae infections linked to endoscopes with elevator mechanisms. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) testing has been used as a marker for bioburden and monitoring manual cleaning for flexible endoscopes with and without an elevator mechanism. The objective of this study was to determine whether routine ATP testing could identify areas of improvement in cleaning of endoscopes with an elevator mechanism. Methods ATP testing after manual cleaning of TJF-Q180V duodenoscopes and GF-UCT180 linear echoendoscopes (Olympus America Inc, Center Valley, PA) was implemented. Samples were tested from the distal end, the elevator mechanism, and water flushed through the lumen of the biopsy channel. Data were recorded and compared by time point, test point, and reprocessing technician. Results Overall failure rate was 6.99% (295 out of 4,219). The highest percentage of failed ATP tests (17.05%) was reported in the first quarter of routine testing, with an overall decrease in rates over time. The elevator mechanism and working channel lumen had higher failure rates than the distal end. Quality of manual cleaning between reprocessing technicians showed variation. Conclusion ATP testing is effective in identifying residual organic material and improving quality of manual cleaning of endoscopes with an elevator mechanism. Cleaning efficacy is influenced by reprocessing technicians and location tested on the endoscope. Close attention to the working channel and elevator mechanism during manual cleaning is warranted.
Finding the leaders: an examination of social network analysis and leadership identification in STEM education change

Social network analysis (SNA) literature suggests that leaders should be well connected and can be identified through network measurements. Other literature suggests that identifying leaders ideally involves multiple methods. However, it is unclear using SNA alone is sufficient for identifying leaders for higher education change initiatives. We used two sets of data, teaching discussion network data taken at three different times and respondent nominations for leaders, to determine whether these two methods identify the same individuals as leaders. Respondent-nominated leaders have more direct and indirect ties on average than non-leaders, which aligns with the SNA literature. However, when looking at individuals as leaders, many respondent-nominated leaders would not be identified using SNA because they are poorly connected. Also, many individuals who were not nominated would have been considered leaders because they are well connected. Further examining these results did not indicate why there is such a difference between the SNA-identified and respondent-nominated leaders. While these two methods identify some of the same individuals as leaders, there are many differences between the two methods. Using just one method may not be adequate for ensuring that suitable individuals are selected to lead these projects. We recommend multiple methods when selecting leaders.
Diversity in Glycine and NMDA Receptor Subunit Composition in the Rat Cochlear Nucleus and Superior Olivary Complex and Changes with Deafness

Much of the processing of ascending auditory information in the auditory brain stem is mediated by synapses using an excitatory or an inhibitory amino acid as transmitters and acting at an amino acid receptor. When adjacent sections are immunostained for gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine or glutamate, over 90% of the terminals on ventral cochlear nucleus and lateral superior olivary complex principal cells are im- munoreactive for one or more of these amino acids (Altschuler et al, 1993, Juiz et al, 1996, Helfert et al, 1992). While other neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine (e.g. Godfrey et al, 1993) and neuropeptides (e.g. Adams et al, 1993) also have important roles in the auditory brain stem and may often be co-contained in terminals with an amino acid transmitter, certainly amino acid transmitters and receptors have a major role in acoustic signal processing. There is now increasing information that the properties of excitatory and inhibitory amino acid synapses can be influenced by the composition of their receptors. The excitatory amino acid, most likely to be glutamate and the inhibitory amino acids GABA and glycine all act at ionotropic receptors whose properties can vary as a function of their subunit composition. These ionotropic receptors are pentamers with five mem-brane spanning subunits clustered around an ion channel. Depending upon which subunits a neuron uses to compose the complete receptor there can be different binding properties, actions on the ion channel and recovery at the synapses.
Critical cooling rate for Fe48Cr15Mo14Y2C15B6 bulk metallic glass formation

Abstract The critical cooling rate for glass formation was measured for an Fe-based easy glass forming alloy using a wedge casting technique combined with direct temperature measurements and finite element heat transfer analysis. For an alloy with a nominal composition Fe 48 Cr 15 Mo 14 Y 2 C 15 B 6 , the critical cooling rate was measured to be in the range 140–190 K/s. The low critical cooling rate indicates that this alloy may be suitable for use in thermal spray processes. The main crystalline phase competing with glass formation during continuous cooling appears to be a M 23 C 6 type phase.
Clostridium difficile infection in acute myeloid leukemia patients.

e18503Background: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the most important cause of nosocomial infectious diarrhea. Studies suggest patients (pts) undergoing acute myeloid leukemia (AML) chemoth...
Intraprocedural Transesophageal Echocardiography

The use of transcatheter approaches in the management of severe valvular heart disease is increasing worldwide. Left atrial appendage closure device implantation for patients with atrial fibrillation is also on the rise. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) plays an essential role in proper patient selection and in real-time guidance of these procedures. In the following chapter, we review the role of echocardiography, specifically 2D and 3D TEE, in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), mitral valve repair with MitraClip, and left atrial appendage closure with the Watchman device. For each procedure, we review the most important echocardiographic views, measurements, and considerations for pre-procedural patient and device selection, intra-procedural guidance of device placement and positioning, and post-procedural monitoring for complications.
Summary of recommendations from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, 2006-2014.

Abstract Introduction: The NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP) conducts independent investigations of selected fire fighter line-of-duty deaths (LODD) and offers recommendations to prevent similar deaths. The purpose of the current study was to provide information on more recent FFFIPP recommendations and to determine if recommendations have changed over time. Methods: Fatality investigations completed from 2006 to 2014 were selected for this study with recommendations being assigned into twelve major categories when possible. The most frequently occurring recommendations were then rank ordered overall and then by medical and traumatic fire fighter LODD. Results: There were 1,067 total recommendations made in the published fire fighter investigative reports for both medical and trauma-related fire fighter fatalities for the period 2006–2014. Of these, 784 (73%) could be placed within one of the 12 categories noted previously. The top 10 recommendation categories overall were: 1. Medical screening, 2. Fitness and wellness program, 3. Training, 4. Medical clearance, 5. Standard Operating Procedures/Standard Operating Guidelines (SOPs/SOGs), 6. Incident command, 7. Strategy and tactics, 8. Communications, 9. Personal protective equipment and 10. Staffing. Conclusions: The leading recommendations from the NIOSH FFFIPP medical investigations between 2006 and 2014 did not change compared to those made between 1998 and 2005, with the exception of the addition of “medical clearance for duty”. There were changes for the traumatic injury leading recommendations for 2006–2014, with the major change being “training”, which was the leading FFFIPP recommendation for traumatic injuries for this time period. Practical applications: The intent of the FFFIPP is to influence fire departments and fire fighters to critically assess and evaluate situations/circumstances similar to those identified by NIOSH investigations and implement the recommendations offered to prevent additional fire fighter fatalities.
Yggdrasil: A Python package for integrating computational models across languages and scales

Thousands of computational models have been created within both the plant biology community and broader scientific communities in the past two decades that have the potential to be combined into complex integration networks capable of capturing more complex biological processes than possible with isolated models. However, the technological barriers introduced by differences in language and data formats have slowed this progress. We present yggdrasil (previously cis_interface), a Python package for running integration networks with connections between models across languages and scales. yggdrasil coordinates parallel execution of models in Python, C, C++, and Matlab on Linux, Mac OS, and Windows operating systems, and handles communication in a number of data formats common to computational plant modelling. yggdrasil is designed to be user-friendly and can be accessed at https://github.com/cropsinsilico/yggdrasil. Although originally developed for plant models, yggdrasil can be used to connect computational models from any domain.
Cigarettes vs. E-Cigarettes: Policy Implications from a Focus Group Study.

AbstractBackground: Rates of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarette) use (vaping) have increased among college students over the past decade. Objectives: The current study sought to provide an in-depth...
Methadone and a Clinical Pathway in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Surgery: A Historically Controlled Study:

Study Design:Historically controlled clinical trial.Objectives:Patients presenting for correction of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) by posterior spinal fusion may benefit from structured cli...
Cold-water coral habitat in the Bari Canyon System, Southern Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea)

Abstract The Bari Canyon System (BCS) is located on the southwestern Adriatic margin, in the Central Mediterranean Sea indenting the continental shelf at approximately 200 m. It is characterized by a rough morphology, with two main parallel branches and a channel–levee complex with subvertical flanks, and a variable substrate with rocky outcrops along the canyon flanks. The geological context and the presence of two different dense water masses, the Levantine Intermediate Water (flowing along slope) and the North Adriatic Dense Water (cascading down slope), impacting the canyon act as major drivers for the settlement of valuable biota, such as cold-water corals (CWC), among which Madrepora oculata is the main frame builder. Due to the relevance of its CWC habitat, the BCS has been explored since 2003 by several oceanographic cruises and a huge amount of multidisciplinary data (e.g., geophysical data, sediment samples, ROV images, CTD and mooring deployments) was collected to map the BCS habitat at different scales with different methodologies. The abiotic and biotic components of the BCS benthic habitats were manually mapped and classified, applying a hierarchical scheme (CoCoNet classification scheme) to categorize and integrate at different scales every habitat component to obtain a comprehensive view of the benthoscape. The CWC habitat mapping was also supported by habitat suitability models implemented for the BCS (Ecological Niche Factor Analysis, Maximum Entropy—Maxent; Generalized Linear Models), to infer the habitat extent within the canyon.
Surface prediction model for thermocapillary regime pulsed laser micro polishing of metals

Abstract The objective of this work is to develop a surface prediction model for thermocapillary regime pulsed laser micro polishing (PLμP). Two distinct polishing regimes have been discovered: capillary and thermocapillary. The difference between the two regimes is the melt pool flow mechanisms. A surface prediction model for capillary regime PLμP has been developed with results within 10% of experimental measurements. However, this model's predictions deviate from measured outcomes for longer pulse durations due to the presence of thermocapillary flow, which is not included in the capillary regime model. Previous work has also shown that this thermocapillary flow can be well predicted by multiphysics modeling [5] and that a simpler analytical relation can be derived to predict the extent of thermocapillary flow in the form of a normalized average displacement (NAD) of the liquid metal during laser polishing [5] . The current work incorporates the NAD analytical prediction for thermocapillary flow into the capillary regime surface prediction method to create a model that is valid for both the capillary and thermocapillary polishing regimes. The proposed thermocapillary flow model was tested for area polishing of titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V and S7 tool steel. Conditions were chosen to include both the capillary and thermocapillary regimes. In all cases, the predicted average surface roughnesses were within 15% of the measured values. The results indicate that the proposed prediction model adequately captures the process physics and can provide a guide for parameter selection and process optimization of PLμP across a wide processing window.
Field Cancerization: Definition, epidemiology, risk factors, and outcomes.

Field cancerization was first described in 1953 when pathologic atypia was identified in clinically normal tissue surrounding oropharyngeal carcinomas. The discovery of mutated fields surrounding primary tumors raised the question of whether the development of subsequent tumors within the field represented recurrences or additional primary tumors. Since this initial study, field cancerization has been applied to numerous other epithelial tissues, including the skin. Cutaneous field cancerization occurs in areas exposed to chronic ultraviolet radiation, which leads to clonal proliferations of p53-mutated fields and is characterized by multifocal actinic keratoses, squamous cell carcinomas in situ, and cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas. In the first article in this continuing medical education series, we define field cancerization, review the available grading systems, and discuss the epidemiology, risk factors, and outcomes associated with this disease.
c-Axis orientation determination of α-titanium using Computational Polarized Light Microscopy

Abstract Uniaxial materials such as α-titanium exhibit anisotropic optical properties when illuminated using polarized light, i.e., individual grains in a polycrystalline sample reflect different light intensities depending on their orientation. By analyzing the reflected intensities to extract the c-axis orientation of the α-titanium grains, orientation mapping can be carried out. We report on a forward model that was developed to predict the observed images formed from the reflection of polarized light from the α-titanium sample surface. Compared to electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD), the Computational Polarized Light Microscopy (CPLM) method is low cost, easy to use, and able to accommodate large samples, making it a technique suitable for high-throughput texture analysis.
Low-frequency neural tracking of natural speech envelope reflects evoked responses to acoustic edges, not oscillatory entrainment

Abstract The amplitude envelope of speech is crucial for accurate comprehension, and several studies have shown that the phase of neural activity in the theta-delta bands (1 - 10 Hz) tracks the phase of the speech amplitude envelope during listening, a process referred to as envelope tracking. However, the mechanisms underlying envelope tracking have been heavily debated. A dominant model posits that envelope tracking reflects continuous entrainment of endogenous low-frequency oscillations to the speech envelope. However, it has proven challenging to distinguish this from the alternative that envelope tracking reflects evoked responses to acoustic landmarks within the envelope. Here we recorded magnetoencephalography while participants listened to natural and slowed speech to test two critical predictions of the entrainment model: (1) that the frequency range of phase-locking reflects the stimulus speech rate and (2) that an entrained oscillator will resonate for multiple cycles after a landmark-driven phase reset. We found that peaks in the rate of envelope change, acoustic edges, induced evoked responses and theta phase locking. Crucially, the frequency range of this phase locking was independent of the speech rate and transient, in line with the evoked response account. Further comparisons between regular and slowed speech revealed that encoding of acoustic edge magnitudes was invariant to contextual speech rate, demonstrating that it was normalized for speech rate. Taken together, our results show that the evoked response model provides a better account of neural phase locking to the speech envelope than oscillatory entrainment.