cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Screening for bipolar disorders: Clinical utilization of the Mood Disorders Questionnaire on an inpatient mood disorders unit.

Abstract Background The Mood Disorders Questionnaire (MDQ) is a widely used screening instrument for bipolar disorders. The MDQ has seldom been used in the inpatient setting, and we report a clinical, real-world inpatient validation. Methods Between April 2011 and August 2013, patients admitted to the inpatient Mood Disorders Unit completed an MDQ as part of their admission process. Patients with a discharge diagnosis of unipolar or bipolar disorders were included. The sensitivity and specificity were calculated for each number of questionnaire items checked positive, as well as the symptoms clustered around the same time and with moderate impairment in functioning. Results A total of 1330 patient MDQ’s were identified, and after excluding incomplete MDQ’s and non-unipolar or bipolar diagnoses (e.g. anxiety, adjustment, or schizoaffective diagnoses), 860 MDQ’s remained. One hundred fifty four patients (18%) were diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and 706 (82%) with unipolar depressive disorder. The average length of stay was 7.6 days. The optimal cutoff score was 8, resulting in a sensitivity/specificity of 86%/71%, compared to 92%/64% with a cutoff of 7. Limitations Retrospective study using clinical diagnoses instead of research instrument diagnoses. Conclusions The sensitivity of the MDQ in an inpatient mood disorders setting was higher than an outpatient psychiatric population, but the specificity was lower. A cutoff of 8 instead of the recommended outpatient cutoff of 7 was optimal. In today's busy clinical practices, a screening instrument for bipolar disorder is still useful, and the MDQ can be effectively utilized on an inpatient psychiatry mood disorders unit.
Toward a Road Map for Global -Omics: A Primer on -Omic Technologies

As highlighted in a recent editorial in the Journal (Am J Epidemiol. 2014;180(2):127-128), the research area of "-omics" includes genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and nascent fields of scientific inquiry such as epigenomics and exposomics. These fields can be collectively referred to as "global -omics." Increasing efforts have been made over the past 2 decades to identify and modify environmental risk factors among persons who are susceptible to disease because of their genotype and to integrate genetic information and other biological variables with information about individual-level risk factors and group-level or societal factors related to the broader residential, behavioral, or cultural context. In genome-wide association studies, only a small proportion of heritability is explained by genetic variants identified to date, which has prompted researchers in bioinformatics and biostatistics to take into account nonlinear relationships due to gene-environment or gene-gene interactions. The exposome, which is dynamic and variable, consists of all of the internal and external exposures an individual incurs over a lifetime. Both the epigenome and exposome change with age. The prenatal and perinatal periods are thought to be important times for epigenetic marking. Once the human epigenome has been fully mapped, identification of the effects of all deleterious environmental exposures according to duration of exposure and time period will be a complex undertaking, requiring collaborative epidemiologic studies. Language: en
Properties of a tunneling injection quantum-well laser: Recipe for 'cold' device with a large modulation bandwidth

A quantum-well laser in which electrons are directly injected into the lasing quantum well by resonant tunneling is proposed and demonstrated. The preliminary GaAs-based devices, grown by molecular beam epitaxy have an 80-AA In/sub 0.1/Ga/sub 0.9/As active single quantum well and AlAs tunneling barriers. I/sub th/ is 15 mA in a single-mode ridge device and the differential gain is approximately 2*10/sup -16/ cm/sup -2/. The principle of operation promises a 'cold' laser at high injection levels, and therefore Auger recombination and chirp are expected to be suppressed. In addition, tunneling of carriers into the active well as the potential to achieve large modulation bandwidths. >
A printable form of single crystal silicon for high performance thin film transistors on plastic

This talk describes the fabrication and electrical characteristics of high performance thin film transistors derived from printed and solution cast micro/nanoscale objects of single crystal silicon. These elements are fabricated from conventional bulk silicon substrates or from silicon-on-insulator wafers by patterning a layer of resist by soft lithography, anisotropically wet etching the exposed silicon, and then lifting off the silicon. A large collection of such objects - which can have geometries that range from ribbons to platelets, sheets, disks and other shapes - constitutes a type of material, which we refer to as microstructured silicon (ps-Si), that can be deposited and patterned, by dry transfer printing or solution casting, onto plastic substrates to yield mechanically flexible thin film transistors that have excellent electrical properties.
Impact of the number of metastatic brain lesions on survival after Gamma Knife radiosurgery.

Abstract Effectiveness of Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS: Elekta AB, Stockholm, Sweden) for patients with metastatic brain disease and the prognostic factors influencing their survival were analyzed in a 5 year retrospective data analysis (July 2001 to June 2006). Kaplan–Meier survival curves were constructed using univariate and multivariate analyses with the respective salient prognostic factors. This study analyzed data on 330 patients with brain metastases who underwent GKRS. Lung carcinoma (55%) was the most common primary cancer followed by breast (17.8%), melanoma (9.4%), colorectal (4.8%) and renal (3.9%). The median survival for all patients was 8 months. Survival ranged from 13 months for breast metastases, 10 months for renal, and 8 months for lung to 5 months for colorectal and melanoma. Mean age of patients was 58.5 years (range 18–81). Melanoma patients were younger with a mean age of 49 and also had the highest number of lesions (3.8) when compared to patients with renal (2.5), lung (2.8), colorectal (3) and breast (3.6). When stratified according to the number of lesions patient survival was 8 months (one to three lesions), 7.5 months (four or five lesions) and 7 months (six lesions or more). Mean Karnofsky Performance Status score (KPS) was 77 and survival dropped significantly from 8 months to 4.5 months if KPS was less than 70. Survival improved with a KPS of 70 or more, regardless of the number of lesions treated. Selection of patients based on the number of lesions may not be justified. A prospective trial is required to further define the prognostic factors affecting survival.
Epithelioid Leiomyosarcoma Originating in a Hamartomatous Polyp From a Patient With Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome

A case of Peutz-Jeghers syndrome with long history and multiple resections is presented. Despite the large number of intestinal polyps in these patients, malignant transformations are rare. In this case, an epithelioid leiomyosarcoma developed within a single polyp. At the time of resection this tumor had already metastasized to the liver. The histology and ultrastructure of this tumor is presented. Reviews of the clinical syndrome and leiomyosarcoma are given, with discussion of the possible interaction of these two processes as presented in this patient.
Comparative evaluation of 6kV Si and SiC power devices for medium voltage power electronics applications

In order to better assist researchers to select the appropriate power device for medium voltage power electronics applications, this paper presents a comparative evaluation on three typical 6kV level Si and SiC power devices, including 6.5kV/25A Si IGBT from ABB, 6.5kV/15A normally off SiC JFET from USCi and a FREEDM System Center developed 6kV/26A SiC series-connected JFET. The 6.5kV Si IGBT and 6.5kV SiC JFET are packaged in the same module to minimize the effect of different parasitic inductance on the comparison. The 6kV SiC series-connected JFET is developed based on one 1.2kV SiC MOSFET from Cree and four 1.2kV SiC JFETs from Infineon, in this paper, named FREEDM Super-Cascode. A short introduction on the three selected devices are first given, then their forward conduction and switching performances are compared. Also, some additional features are discussed and compared, including the device size, cost, gate driver circuit complexity.
SLAM: Stereotactic Radiosurgery of Large Arteriovenous Malformations: Meta-analysis of Hemorrhage in High-Grade Pollock-Flickinger Arteriovenous Malformations.

Background The prognosis of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) after treatment has been predicted largely by 2 grading scales: the Spetzler-Martin and Pollock-Flickinger. Although there are studies that examine the rate of hemorrhage with the Spetzler-Martin scale, there have not been studies examining hemorrhage in which the Pollock-Flickinger score was used. The annual hemorrhage rate after radiosurgery of Pollock-Flickinger AVM scores >2 is analyzed. Methods Literature search for radiosurgery of large AVMs from January 1, 2000 to June 1, 2014 was conducted. Articles were examined for individual patient data and aggregate patient data that reported hemorrhage rates and mortality. Patients were only included if they had an AVM score ≥2. Results Annual AVM hemorrhage rate after radiosurgery for all patients (n = 673) was 3.22% (99.3 hemorrhages, 3080.5 follow-up years, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 2.64%-3.89%). Mortality rate from hemorrhage was 40.08% (95% CI 31.21%–49.90%). A total of 203 patients presented with hemorrhage and 395 did not. In patients with first-time hemorrhage, the annual hemorrhage rate was 3.53% (95% CI 2.66%–4.77%). The annual hemorrhage rate of those with hemorrhagic presentation was 6.10% (95% CI 4.65%–8.07%). The odds ratio comparing re-hemorrhage rate versus first-time hemorrhage is 1.768 (95% CI 1.1571–2.7014, P = 0.0084). Complete obliteration of all AVMs was equal to 33.27% (95% CI, 29.25%–37.54%). Conclusions The annual hemorrhage rate in AVMs with scores >2 treated with radiosurgery was comparable with baseline rupture rates reported for untreated AVMs. With further stratification by hemorrhagic versus nonhemorrhagic presentation, the subsequent annual hemorrhage rates are similar to their respective natural histories. Considering the mortality rate from hemorrhage at 40.08% (95% CI, 35.54%–44.62%), the consequences of radiosurgical treatment of large AVMs is significantly worse than the reported 10%–30% fatality rate from hemorrhage of an untreated AVM. Additionally, the overall mortality rate was 6.24% however the percentage of mortalities from hemorrhage was 97.62%.
Dispatches, digests and doodles: Exploring the significant properties of field notebooks

Whether a first-person narrative, a structured observational data source, or simply a diary of doodles, field notebooks are the material instantiation of most site-based social and natural sciences. In this poster, we present preliminary work that explores the significant properties of field notebooks across three diverse disciplines: Paleontology, Archaeology, and Field Biology. This work is meant to supplement existing norms in digitization processes, and begin moving many of those projects towards a more general, interoperable approach to preserving the rich content held within field note collections.
Conodonts of the Lower Ordovician Prairie du Chien Group of Wisconsin and Minnesota

The Oneota and Shakopee Formations of the Lower Ordovician Prairie du Chien Group of Wisconsin and Minnesota are readily differentiated on the basis of their distinctive conodont faunas. These faunas are part of the North American Midcontinent Province fauna (NAMP). The Oneota Formation contains elements of Ibexian fauna C, and represents the upper Skullrockian Stage of the Ibexian Series. The Shakopee Formation contains elements of Ibexian fauna D (NAMP), and represents at least part of the lower Stairsian Stage. The Skullrockian-Stairsian boundary and Ibexian C-D faunal boundary correspond to the Oneota-Shakopee disconformity. The Skullrockian and Stairsian Stages are the only stages of the Ibexian Series represented in the Prairie du Chien outcrop area studied for this report. Strata of the Shakopee in its type area at Shakopee, Minnesota, contain conodont elements of Ibexian fauna C. We interpret these strata to represent older strata of the Oneota Formation instead of younger, Stairsian-age strata of the Shakopee Formation, and accordingly, we reassign these strata to the Oneota.
Electrokinetic Alignment of Polymer Microspheres for Biomedical Applications

One of the applications of clinical proteomics is the development of protein sensor platform technologies for rapid bedside detection of disease biomarkers. Multiplexed protein biomarker analysis is a new way to predict the disease earlier and monitor its progress with more specificity and accuracy. We present here the development of a prototype electrical protein biomarker detection system. It comprises of a silicon based microelectrode array also known as the sensor chip. Polystyrene beads act as the carriers or transportation agents for the proteins and provide surface area for immobilizing protein receptors (antibodies) on the surface of the sensor chip. Polystyrene “microbridge” structures are patterned on the surface of the sensor chip, such that they form conductive paths between the selected electrodes. This is achieved by the electrokinetic assembly of the antibody functionalized polystyrene beads. The electrical assembly is achieved using dielectrophoresis. The “microbridge” structures couple signals arising due to the antibody-antigen binding event that occurs when the test sample is flowed on to the sensor platform. We demonstrate the functioning of this device in the detection for an inflammation marker, namely, C-reactive protein at microgram/ml sensitivity.
The Cross-Pressured Citizen in the 2012 Presidential Campaign Formative Factors and Media Choice Behavior

The cross-pressured citizen—a person who affiliates with one political party but plans to vote for the nominee of another—embodies the complicated nature of political decision making. Enduring considerable scrutiny since the pioneering campaign studies of the 1940s and 1950s, the role of the cross-pressured partisan in a presidential election campaign is still not fully understood by scholars. First, this study explores who the cross-pressured partisan was in the 2012 presidential campaign by examining the formative factors that influenced the likelihood of prospective defection from one’s “home” party. Second, we explain how cross-pressured citizens behaved when seeking out news media compared to their consistent counterparts. Using national survey data collected at the midpoint of the 2012 campaign, we find that approval of President Barack Obama was a critical factor in understanding cross-pressured partisanship. Furthermore, cross-pressured Republicans were significantly less likely to attend to conse...
Interaction of Supplemental Vitamin A and E on Health and Performance of Crossbred and Holstein Calves During the Receiving Period

Abstract Two levels of supplemental vitamin A (VA; 2,200 and 11,000 IU/kg as retinyl palmitate) were compared across three supplemental vitamin E (VE) treatments (none, 100 mg/kg all rac α-tocopheryl acetate [TA-100], and 100 mg/kg RRR α-tocopherol [TO-100]). Trial 1 involved 90 crossbred calves (199 kg). There were no interactions (P>0.10) between VA and VE on health and performance. Increasing VA depressed gain (20%, P 0.10) by VA. There were no effects (P>0.10) of VE on health and performance. Trial 2 involved 108 Holstein steers. There was an interaction (P
Calcium-Dependent Rubella Virus Fusion Occurs in Early Endosomes

UNLABELLED The E1 membrane protein of rubella virus (RuV) is a class II membrane fusion protein structurally related to the fusion proteins of the alphaviruses, flaviviruses, and phleboviruses. Virus entry is mediated by a low pH-dependent fusion reaction through E1's insertion into the cell membrane and refolding to a stable homotrimer. Unlike the other described class II proteins, RuV E1 contains 2 fusion loops, which complex a metal ion between them by interactions with residues N88 and D136. Insertion of the E1 protein into the target membrane, fusion, and infection require calcium and are blocked by alanine substitution of N88 or D136. Here we addressed the requirements of E1 for calcium binding and the intracellular location of the calcium requirement during virus entry. Our results demonstrated that N88 and D136 are optimally configured to support RuV fusion and are strongly selected for during the virus life cycle. While E1 has some similarities with cellular proteins that bind calcium and anionic lipids, RuV binding to the membrane was independent of anionic lipids. Virus fusion occurred within early endosomes, and chelation of intracellular calcium showed that calcium within the early endosome was required for virus fusion and infection. Calcium triggered the reversible insertion of E1 into the target membrane at neutral pH, but E1 homotrimer formation and fusion required a low pH. Thus, RuV E1, unlike other known class II fusion proteins, has distinct triggers for membrane insertion and fusion protein refolding mediated, respectively, by endosomal calcium and low pH. IMPORTANCE Rubella virus causes a mild disease of childhood, but infection of pregnant women frequently results in miscarriage or severe birth defects. In spite of an effective vaccine, RuV disease remains a serious problem in many developing countries. RuV infection of host cells involves endocytic uptake and low pH-triggered membrane fusion and is unusual in its requirement for calcium binding by the membrane fusion protein. Here we addressed the mechanism of the calcium requirement and the required location of calcium during virus entry. Both calcium and low pH were essential during the virus fusion reaction, which was shown to occur in the early endosome compartment.
Investigation on Promotion Strategy and Development of Line Dance in China

Using the"Postal Cup"National Finals of Line Dance as a case study.Carrying out an in-depth investigation and analysis on the Line Dance development of China through literature,questionnaire,observation,interview survey method,mathematical statistics,to understand the current situation and find problems,summing up the advanced promotion experience and putting forward strategies and suggestions on relevant issues.To provide a theoretical basis and practical reference of the Line Dance promotion in China.
Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis during bowel preparation: an example of clinical translocation

During oral colonic lavage in preparation for colonoscopy, a patient had peritonitis in the absence of visceral perforation. Spontaneous peritonitis after mechanical bowel preparation has not been reported previously, and must be extremely rare. I speculate that it was due to translocation of bacteria from the gut to the peritoneal cavity.
Characterization of Pancreatic Cancer Cell Thermal Response to Heat Ablation or Cryoablation

One of the most lethal carcinomas is pancreatic cancer. As standard treatment using chemotherapy and radiation has shown limited success, thermal regimens (cryotherapy or heat ablation) are emerging as viable alternatives. Although promising, our understanding of pancreatic cancer response to thermal ablation remains limited. In this study, we investigated the thermal responses of 2 pancreatic cancer cell lines in an effort to identify the minimum lethal temperature needed for complete cell death to provide guidance for in vivo applications. PANC-1 and BxPC-3 were frozen (-10°C to -25°C) or heated (45°C-50°C) in single and repeated exposure regimes. Posttreatment survival and recovery were analyzed using alamarBlue assay over a 7-day interval. Modes of cell death were assessed using fluorescence microscopy (calcein acetoxymethyl ester/propidium iodide) and flow cytometry (YO-PRO-1/propidium iodide). Freezing to -10°C resulted in minimal cell death. Exposure to -15°C had a mild impact on PANC-1 survival (93%), whereas BxPC-3 was more severely damaged (33%). Exposure to -20°C caused a significant reduction in viability (PANC-1 = 23%; BxPC-3 = 2%) whereas -25°C yielded complete death. Double freezing exposure was more effective than single exposure. Repeat exposure to -15°C resulted in complete death of BxPC-3, whereas -20°C severely impacted PANC-1 (7%). Heating to 45°C resulted in minimum cell death. Exposure to 48°C yielded a slight increase in cell loss (PANC-1 = 85%; BxPC-3 = 98%). Exposure to 50°C caused a significant decline (PANC-1 = 70%; BxPC-3 = 9%) with continued deterioration to 0%. Double heating to 45°C resulted in similar effects observed in single exposures, whereas repeated 48°C resulted in significant increases in cell death (PANC-1 = 68%; BxPC-3 = 29%). In conclusion, we observed that pancreatic cancer cells were completely destroyed at temperatures 50°C using single thermal exposures. Repeated exposures resulted in increased cell death at less extreme temperatures. Our data suggest that thermal ablation strategies (heat or cryoablation) may represent a viable technique for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Bicycle helmet laws and persistent racial and ethnic helmet use disparities among urban high school students: a repeated cross-sectional analysis.

Bicycle helmet laws generally increase helmet usage, but few studies assess whether helmet laws reduce disparities. The objective of this study is to assess changes in racial/ethnic disparities in helmet use among high school students in urban jurisdictions where laws were previously determined to increase overall helmet use. Log-binomial models were fit to four districts’ 1991–2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data. Post-regression predictive margins were used to calculate adjusted bicycle helmet use proportions, assess before-to-after changes in race/ethnicity specific helmet use, and estimate changes in disparities from jurisdictions’ white subpopulations. Helmet use among white students increased by 10.2 percentage points in two Florida counties (p < 0.001), 20.1 points in Dallas (p < 0.001), and 24.4 points in San Diego (p < 0.001). Increases among African Americans were 6.1 percentage points in the Florida counties (p < 0.001), 8.2 points in Dallas (p < 0.001), and 6.3 points in San Diego (p = 0.070). Use increased among Latino students in the Florida counties (4.3 percentage points, p = 0.016) and Dallas (6.2, p = 0.002), but not significantly in San Diego. San Diego helmet use among Asian students increased by 12.8 percentage points (p < 0.001). Because helmet use increased more for white students, helmet laws were associated with increased disparities. In the Florida counties, disparities increased significantly by 5.9 percentage points for Latino students (p = 0.045). San Diego disparities worsened by 18.1 (p < 0.001), 21.3 (p < 0.001), and 11.6 (p = 0.013) percentage points among African American, Latino, and Asian students respectively. Dallas disparities increased by 11.9 (p = 0.015) and 14.0 (p = 0.003) percentage points among African American and Latino students. Increased disparities generally persisted for follow-up time of at least a decade. Main study limitations include the possibility of helmet use reporting error and limited socioeconomic variables in YRBS datasets. Helmet use increased across racial/ethnic subpopulations, but greater increases among white students increased disparities. Policymakers should couple laws with other approaches to reduce helmet disparities and cycling injuries.
898 Accuracy of novices’ perceptions of car seat installation mastery: a problem of overconfidence

Background Motor vehicle crashes are the 2 nd most common fatal unintentional injury in young children in the USA. Proper use of car seats reduces risk of death and serious injury by 78%, but 94% of parents instal car seats improperly. Parents must recognise when they instal car seats improperly in order to take corrective actions, but such recognition may be lacking. The objectives of this study were: 1) assess the accuracy of perceived mastery among novice car seat users, and 2) identify predictors of overconfidence among users who instal car seats improperly. Methods Novice users ages 18–29 (M = 25; SD = 2.4) were randomly assigned to receive installation instructions from the manufacturers’ guide or an expert technician via phone or merged reality app. Participants installed a car seat and strapped a life-like infant doll, then reported perceived mastery and quality of instructions. Trained assessors rated mastery using a structured coding sheet. Results 4 of 39 total participants (10%) installed the seat and strapped the doll with no errors. 27 (70%) made 2 or more errors with either the seat or straps and were judged to have failed, of whom 17 (63%) were overconfident (OC). 19 (49%) failed the seat, with 13 (68%) OC. 21 (49%) failed the straps, with 14 (67%) OC. Total errors were significantly lower in OC vs. non-OC participants among those who failed the seat and those who failed the straps ( t = 3.71, p = 0.002 and t = 2.41, p = 0.03, respectively). Among those who failed the straps, perceived quality of instructions was significantly higher in OC vs. non-OC participants ( t = 2.09, p = 0.05). Conclusions Expert instruction reduces car seat installation errors, but novices continue to unknowingly make life-threatening errors. Overconfidence may be more likely with fewer total errors and higher perceived quality of instructions. Among other strategies, merged reality apps may reduce overconfidence and errors.
Rasmussen’s Syndrome: EEG Study

The early and follow-up EEG characteristics of Rasmussen’s syndrome are reported in an 11-year-old girl studied at Ospedale Civile, Mantova, Italy.
A Study and Investigation on Processes Inducing Delamination in QFN Package Using Statistical Analysis

This paper elaborates on the EMC-leadframe interfacial delamination in QFN package. The study was conducted to check each factor and process which contributes to the package delamination. A list of the possible process/factor and their impact on the package interfacial delamination were first determined through brainstorming. Fractional factorial screening experiment was then conducted to determine the vital few factors in the current process flow from the trivial many by incorporating the blocking concept on material batch to batch and machine to machine variation. The screening experiment shows the metal finishing process is the major contributor for delamination. Further each cell in metal finishing process was studied and step by step root cause identification was done. Statistical Analysis was used to determine each affecting factor for delamination. This report discusses the detail DOE to identify the root cause for interfacial delamination.
Clean energy recovery in mining

Currently in the United States and across the world, clean energy is being pushed to the forefront as an environmental necessity for all facets of life. Clean energy generation that utilizes wind and solar, are faced with problems of geography and consistency. If we shift the idea of wind generation sourced from the weather into using wind turbines to “recapture” lost energy from underground mining processes, we can utilize a clean energy into resupplying the grid or equivalently lowering the current demand of energy that underground mining processes require. For demonstrating the concept, a coal mine in northern West Virginia is selected as a test bed and real historical data of ventilating air quantities, types of ventilation fans and energy costs related to ventilation are gathered. In this paper, we provide cost benefit analysis for energy recovery for the electric grid and mining industry thus improving regional economy, and show that such ventures can have less environmental impacts, improve efficiency and reduce losses.
The Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status and Clinical Outcomes in African Americans with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Abstract 3912 Background: Epidemiologic data compiled by the Survey Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) identifies important differences in incidence and survival for African Americans with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Although the incidence of CLL is lower among African Americans (AA) than Caucasians (Cauc) (4.4 and 6.1 per 100,000 men, respectively), age adjusted survival is inferior. The overall 5-year relative survival for 1999–2006 from 17 SEER geographic areas by race and sex was: 77.0% for Cauc men, 81.1% for Cauc women, 62.4% for AA men, and 68.3% for AA women; hence, AA CLL patients have an approximate 15% greater absolute risk of CLL-related death in the first 5 years after diagnosis. We have undertaken biologic and genetic investigations to identify factors that contribute to poorer outcomes among AA patients with CLL. A central unanswered question is whether the differences in biology and genetics are the primary cause of inferior overall survival, or whether differences in socioeconomic status (SES) also play a significant role in clinical outcomes. Methods: The Duke University CLL database contains information on greater than 550 CLL patients at Duke University Hospital and the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center. We performed a detailed retrospective analysis of this cohort, using average income by ZIP code as a surrogate marker for SES. This was compared with survival data abstracted from the Social Security Outcomes Database. The primary outcome measure was overall survival, and secondary outcome measure was time to treatment (TTT). These outcome measures were compared against average income by ZIP code in addition to other standard validated clinical risk parameters such as race, gender, age, and Rai stage. Statistical analyses were performed using JMP software, version 9.0.1 (SAS, Cary, NC). Average income by ZIP code is publicly available information via IRS tax returns; we used the average adjusted gross income from 2007. Results: Mean household income, as estimated by ZIP code, was $43,255/year for AA (n= 37) and $55,353/year for Cauc (n= 363) (p Conclusions: AA patients with CLL have poorer overall survival than Cauc. We have examined whether SES plays a role in these inferior outcomes. While the AA patients in our cohort have lower average household incomes, this was not an independent predictor of survival in a multivariable model. We conclude that clinical and biologic, rather than socioeconomic, factors are primary determinants of inferior clinical outcomes. However, SES is intrinsically a difficult construct to measure, and it is possible that using average incomes by ZIP code does not accurately approximate socioeconomic status. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
General Sisters, General Store / Big Rock Candy Mountain

The article is a summary of conversations with two artist pairs: Dana Bishop-Root and Ginger Brooks Takahashi of the collective General Sisters, General Store in North Braddock, USA, and Helen Reed...
Risk-based Monitoring of Clinical Trials: An Integrative Approach.

Abstract Purpose Clinical trial monitoring is an essential component of drug development aimed at safeguarding subject safety, data quality, and protocol compliance by focusing sponsor oversight on the most important aspects of study conduct. In recent years, regulatory agencies, industry consortia, and nonprofit collaborations between industry and regulators, such as TransCelerate and International Committee for Harmonization, have been advocating a new, risk-based approach to monitoring clinical trials that places increased emphasis on critical data and processes and encourages greater use of centralized monitoring. However, how best to implement risk-based monitoring (RBM) remains unclear and subject to wide variations in tools and methodologies. The nonprescriptive nature of the regulatory guidelines, coupled with limitations in software technology, challenges in operationalization, and lack of robust evidence of superior outcomes, have hindered its widespread adoption. Methods We describe a holistic solution that combines convenient access to data, advanced analytics, and seamless integration with established technology infrastructure to enable comprehensive assessment and mitigation of risk at the study, site, and subject level. Findings Using data from completed RBM studies carried out in the last 4 years, we demonstrate that our implementation of RBM improves the efficiency and effectiveness of the clinical oversight process as measured on various quality, timeline, and cost dimensions. Implications These results provide strong evidence that our RBM methodology can significantly improve the clinical oversight process and do so at a lower cost through more intelligent deployment of monitoring resources to the sites that need the most attention.
Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets in Melanoma: An Overview

Biomarkers that are of interest in patients with melanoma may relate to the individual host or to the tumor, and may represent molecules or other factors that indicate genetic predisposition, prognosis, clinical course or therapeutic outcome. Biomarkers include clinical covariates, host proteomic/genomic markers and tumor proteomic/genomic markers that allow improved prognostic assessment and/or serve to predict and subclassify patients in relation to their disease and/or its therapy.
Rat Carotid Artery Balloon Injury Model

Numerous and diverse experimental animal models have been used over the years to examine reactions to various forms of blood vessel disease and/or injury across species and in multiple vascular beds in a cumulative effort to relate these findings to the human condition. In this context, the rat carotid artery balloon injury model is highly characterized and commonly used for investigating gross morphological, cellular, biochemical, and molecular components of the response to experimentally induced arterial injury. The mechanical damage caused by the balloon catheter completely removes the intimal endothelial lining and creates a distending mural injury in the operated vessel. This elicits a reproducible remodeling response characterized by vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) mitogenesis and migration (through phenotypic switching), SMC apoptosis, partial vascular endothelial cell regeneration, enhanced matrix synthesis, and establishment of an invasive neointima in time-dependent fashion. This multi-factorial process allows for investigation of these many important pathophysiological processes and can serve as a valuable "proof-of-concept" tool to verify and substantiate in vitro results; however, inherent anatomical and adaptive constraints of this in vivo model ration comparison to the diseased human system (see Note 1). In this chapter, brief overview of the materials needed and the methodologies commonly employed for successful routine performance of this important experimental animal model is provided. Individual sub-sections will cover animal care and handling, pre-operative and post-operative procedures, and the surgery proper. Protocols for histopathology and morphometry and procedures for data management and interpretation pertinent to the rat carotid artery balloon injury model are discussed in Chapter 2.
Chromosome accommodation to integration of foreign DNA

The transfer of foreign DNA into mammalian cells was first described by Szybalska and Szybalski (1962). Subsequent research by many investigators resulted in the development of selection systems for identification of DNA transformed cells. The discovery of covalent linkage between chromosomal DNA and DNA introduced by DNA-mediated transfer led to new approaches for gene mapping and studies of gene regulation in mammalian cells (reviewed in Pellicer et al., 1981). Theoretically, any type of DNA can be stably incorporated into chromosomes, including viral, prokaryotic and non-self (or self) eukaryotic DNA.
Viral infections of the gastrointestinal tract

Abstract Infectious agents are one of the potential etiologies for the pathologic findings of the gastrointestinal (GI) specimens. Various clinical settings such as general debilitation, infancy or advanced age, immunocompromised state, hematologic malignancies, chemotherapy or diabetes predispose patients to viral infections of the GI tract. Endoscopic evaluation with biopsies are often performed as part of the diagnostic workup of such patients. Considering the site and the pattern of injury along with microscopic recognition of the viral inclusions are essential in identifying the possible cause of injury. The aim of this article is to review the most commonly encountered viral infections of the GI tract in order to provide some guidance in differentiating between the various responsible viral agents and to highlight some of the challenges faced by pathologists in approaching such cases in daily practice.
Implementation of a Nurse-Driven CAUTI Prevention Algorithm.

The cardiovascular thoracic step-down unit of an urban academic medical center had 4 catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) in 2 months compared with 5 in the previous year. The nursing literature showed that the implementation of nurse-driven algorithms for early removal of indwelling urinary catheters (IUCs) decreased the catheter days and risk of CAUTIs. Using the Model for Improvement, the nurse leader performed daily IUC rounds to enforce the removal algorithm and visual management tools to identify IUC removal barriers. The quality improvement project resulted in fewer catheter days, the implementation of evidence-based practice, and no new CAUTIs.
Validation of a Stochastic Discrete Event Model Predicting Virus Concentration on Nurse Hands

Understanding healthcare viral disease transmission and the effect of infection control interventions will inform current and future infection control protocols. In this study, a model was developed to predict virus concentration on nurses' hands using data from a bacteriophage tracer study conducted in Tucson, Arizona, in an urgent care facility. Surfaces were swabbed 2 hours, 3.5 hours, and 6 hours postseeding to measure virus spread over time. To estimate the full viral load that would have been present on hands without sampling, virus concentrations were summed across time points for 3.5- and 6-hour measurements. A stochastic discrete event model was developed to predict virus concentrations on nurses' hands, given a distribution of virus concentrations on surfaces and expected frequencies of hand-to-surface and orifice contacts and handwashing. Box plots and statistical hypothesis testing were used to compare the model-predicted and experimentally measured virus concentrations on nurses' hands. The model was validated with the experimental bacteriophage tracer data because the distribution for model-predicted virus concentrations on hands captured all observed value ranges, and interquartile ranges for model and experimental values overlapped for all comparison time points. Wilcoxon rank sum tests showed no significant differences in distributions of model-predicted and experimentally measured virus concentrations on hands. However, limitations in the tracer study indicate that more data are needed to instill more confidence in this validation. Next model development steps include addressing viral concentrations that would be found naturally in healthcare environments and measuring the risk reductions predicted for various infection control interventions.
Tourism for surf and marsh fishing in coastal Louisiana: effects of site closure, travel cost decrease, and entrance fee increase

We apply the generalised corner solution model to understand recreational behaviour for surf and marsh fishing trips to six sites in coastal Louisiana. Results showed statistically significant effe...
Simplified plantwide control structure for the diethyl oxalate process

Abstract The diethyl oxalate process features two reaction sections with two of the fresh feeds (oxygen and ethanol) and a recycle stream containing nitric oxide fed into the first reactor, which produces ethyl nitrite and water. Water is removed in a distillation column and the ethyl nitrite is fed to the second reactor along with the third fresh feed (carbon monoxide). Diethyl oxalate and nitric oxide are produced in this reactor. The product diethyl oxalate is recovered in a distillation column, and the nitric oxide is recycled back to the first reactor. The intermediate components (nitric oxide and ethyl nitrite) and inert nitrogen circulate between the two reaction sections. A recent paper proposed a plantwide control structure for this complex process that requires four on-line composition controllers to handle disturbances in throughput and the compositions of the three fresh feed streams. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that a less complex control structure with only one composition measurement can achieve stable regulatory control.
Late Breaking Abstract - Identification and functional testing of a novel receptor for SP-A on eosinophils

Background: Surfactant protein A (SP-A) is well known for its protective role in pulmonary immunity. Studies from our lab show that mice deficient in SP-A have delayed clearance of eosinophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage after experimental ovalbumin challenge as compared to WT mice. Here, we wanted to investigate the mechanism by which SP-A induces eosinophil apoptosis. Methods: Purified eosinophils from asthmatic volunteers were incubated with SP-A for 16 hours. Induction of eosinophil apoptosis and cell death was measured by quantifying caspase-3 cleavage using Western blotting and Annexin V/Propidium Iodide (PI) staining using flow cytometry. To identify potential binding partners for SP-A, eosinophil lysates were subjected to SP-A pull-down and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analysis. The pro-apoptotic potential of the identified candidate SP-A membrane receptor was then tested by using a specific antibody to block protein binding capacity prior to direct incubation with SP-A, and subsequently analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: Direct incubation of eosinophils with SP-A resulted in increased cleavage of caspase-3 compared to vehicle control. The percentage of apoptotic eosinophils (Annexin V+, PI-) was also significantly increased upon SP-A treatment. Tandem mass spectrometry identified one membrane-bound protein, myeloid-associated differentiation marker (MYADM), as a candidate SP-A binding partner. Pre-treatment with an antibody to MYADM diminished SP-A-induced eosinophil apoptosis compared to those treated with SP-A only. Conclusions: Our results have identified a novel binding partner for SP-A on eosinophils, MYADM, through which we believe SP-A promotes eosinophil apoptosis.
Ensemble Learning for Load Forecasting

In this paper, an ensemble learning approach is proposed for load forecasting in urban power systems. The proposed framework consists of two levels of learners that integrate clustering, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), and a Fully Connected Cascade (FCC) neural network. Historical load data is first partitioned by a clustering algorithm to train multiple LSTM models in the level-one learner, and then the FCC model in the second level is used to fuse the multiple level-one models. A modified Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) algorithm is used to train the FCC model for fast and stable convergence. The proposed framework is tested with two public datasets for short-term and mid-term forecasting at the system, zone and client levels. The evaluation using real-world datasets demonstrates the superior performance of the proposed model over several state-of-the-art schemes. For the ISO-NE Dataset for Years 2010 and 2011, an average reduction in mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 10.17% and 11.67% are achieved over the four baseline schemes, respectively.
Achieving adequate growth in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia prior to discharge.

Abstract Background/Purpose To evaluate the enteral feeding requirements, including caloric provisions, of infants with CDH in relation to growth patterns. Methods A retrospective observational study was conducted on infants with CDH between August 2012 and March 2017. Electronic medical records were reviewed to extract detailed infant feeding data and anthropometric measurements at monthly intervals until discharge. Statistical methods of analysis included generalized linear models, Pearson correlation coefficient, Analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon rank sum, and Fisher's Exact tests. Results Among 149 infants with CDH, 45% (n = 67) met criteria for malnutrition at discharge. Maternal human milk (HM) was initiated in 95% of infants (n = 142) and continued in 79% of infants (n = 118) at discharge. Overall, 50% received fortification of feeds, including 60% (n = 89) of formula fed infants compared to only 21% (n = 31) of HM fed infants (p Conclusions Infants receiving HM demonstrated improved growth compared to formula fed infants. However, higher calorie feeding regimens need to be initiated earlier to improve growth velocity. Prompt recognition of malnutrition and growth failure with aggressive supplementation may improve the overall growth of infants with CDH and has the potential to improve long term neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Learning-Based SMPC for Reference Tracking Under State-Dependent Uncertainty: An Application to Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jets for Plasma Medicine

The increasing complexity of modern technical systems can exacerbate model uncertainty in model-based control, posing a great challenge to safe and effective system operation under closed loop. Online learning of model uncertainty can enhance control performance by reducing plant-model mismatch. This article presents a learning-based stochastic model predictive control (LB-SMPC) strategy for reference tracking of stochastic linear systems with additive state-dependent uncertainty. The LB-SMPC strategy adapts the state-dependent uncertainty model online to reduce plant-model mismatch for control performance optimization. Standard reachability and statistical tools are leveraged along with the state-dependent uncertainty model to develop a chance constraint-tightening approach, which ensures state constraint satisfaction in probability. The stability and recursive feasibility of the LB-SMPC strategy are established for tracking time-varying targets, without the need to redesign the controller every time the target is changed. The performance of the LB-SMPC strategy is experimentally demonstrated on an atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) testbed with prototypical applications in plasma medicine and materials processing. Real-time control comparisons with learning-based MPC with no uncertainty handling and offset-free MPC showcase the usefulness of LB-SMPC for predictive control of safety-critical systems with hard-to-model and/or time-varying dynamics.
High-content approaches to anthelmintic drug screening.

Most anthelmintics were discovered through in vivo screens using animal models of infection. Developing in vitro assays for parasitic worms presents several challenges. The lack of in vitro life cycle culture protocols requires harvesting worms from vertebrate hosts or vectors, limiting assay throughput. Once worms are removed from the host environment, established anthelmintics often show no obvious phenotype – raising concerns about the predictive value of many in vitro assays. However, with recent progress in understanding how anthelmintics subvert host–parasite interactions, and breakthroughs in high-content imaging and machine learning, in vitro assays have the potential to discern subtle cryptic parasite phenotypes. These may prove better endpoints than conventional in vitro viability assays.