cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Survey on the Sanitary Conditions of Centralized Air Ventilation Systems in Public Places,Jinan City

Objective To understand the sanitary conditions in the air supply of central air conditioning ventilation systems of public places in Jinan city,improve the indoor air quality,so as to reduce the spread of diseases. Methods According to WS 394-2012,Hygienic Standards for Centralized Air Conditioning Ventilation Systems in Public Places,28 sets of central air conditioning ventilation systems and 143 air supply points were selected randomly from shopping centers and hotels in Jinan city,the air distribution of PM10,total count of bacteria,fungi andβ-hemolytic streptococcus were detected. Results The qualification rate of PM10 was 99.30%,without significant differences(P 0.05).The qualified rate of the total count of bacteria was 81.82%,with significant differences(P 0.01).The highest test results appeared in the shopping centers,beyond the standard more than four times.The qualified rate of total fungal was 79.72%(P 0.05)with significant differences.The highest test results also appeared in the shopping centers,almost three times beyond the standard.The qualification rate ofβ-hemolytic streptococcus was 100.00%.The qualification rate of the total count of bacteria and total fungal in shopping centers was 75.00%and 68.18%,lower than that in the hotels. Conclusion In the two types of public places in Jinan city,the central air conditioning ventilation systems are being faced with some sanitary problems,the quality of supply air in shopping centers is inferior to that in hotels.
Identifying Acetylated Proteins in Mitosis

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are currently used in anticancer therapy to perturb genomic targets involved in gene transcriptional responses. However, the role of HDAC inhibitors on the acetylation of proteins outside of the transcriptional network has not been thoroughly assessed. We recently discovered that one of the HDACs, HDAC3, is localized on the mitotic spindle and regulates proper mitotic progression (1). To determine potential HDAC targets, we undertook a proteomics approach to search for acetylated proteins in mitosis (2). First, we synchronized cells in mitosis and used a polyclonal anti-acetyl-Lysine antiserum to immunoprecipitate acetylated proteins, followed by their identification by LC-ESI-MS/MS. We then confirmed the acetylation status of several mitotic proteins by anti-acetyl-Lysine immunoprecipitation with a monoclonal antibody followed by Western blot analyses of the proteins of interest. We further confirmed by a reciprocal immunoprecipitation with protein-specific antibody followed by Western blot analysis with another monoclonal anti-acetyl-Lysine antibody. Interestingly, the acetylation of a subset of the mitotic proteins can be further enhanced by treatment with apicidin, a small molecule inhibitor with specificity for HDAC3, suggesting that their acetylation may be regulated by HDAC3 in mitosis. In this chapter, we describe the various techniques using NudC as an example of an acetylated protein that is sensitive to apicidin treatment in mitosis.
Identifying disparity in emergency department length of stay and admission likelihood.

BACKGROUND: To assess whether insurance status has an effect on emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS) and likelihood for admission or transfer to an operating room.
Runaway and Homeless Youth Needs: Legislation and Policy Options

This chapter analyzes the diverse needs and problems facing street youth and the legislation and policies that have been enacted to help meet their needs (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2013, October 1; Homeless youth: Research, intervention, and policy. National Symposium on Homelessness Research, Washington, DC, n.d.; Slesnick et al., Child Youth Serv Rev 31(7):732–742, 2009). Effective legislation and policy options are essential because of the large number of runaway/thrown-away and homeless young people in the USA and other countries. For example, in the USA, the National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrown-away Children estimated that 1,682,900 runaway/thrown-away incidents occurred in 1999 (Runaway/thrownaway children: National estimates and characteristics, Washington, DC, 2002). In this chapter, issues such as identifying children and adolescents who are at early risk for running away and becoming homeless, promoting family reunification and community-based emergency shelter and social services, and meeting the need for permanent supportive housing are assessed.
A manager's guide to OSHA

This book clearly explains rights and responsibilities under OSHA. Topics include how to manage inspections, handle citations and get penalties reduced. Most important, the book shows how to help managers understand and exercise their own responsibilities for maintaining a safe working environment. Coverage includes- To explain the provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act To discuss protocols for an OSHA inspection To explain citations, penalties and the appeal process To provide information on help available from OSHA
Dynamics of Perceptible Agency: The Case of Social Robots

How do we perceive the agency of others? Do the same rules apply when interacting with others who are radically different from ourselves, like other species or robots? We typically perceive other people and animals through their embodied behavior, as they dynamically engage various aspects of their affordance field. In second personal perception we also perceive social or interactional affordances of others. I discuss various aspects of perceptible agency, which might begin to give us some tools to understand interactions also with agents truly other than ourselves or "perhaps agents" like present and future social robots. Robots have various kinds of physical and behavioral presence and thus make their agency--if we want to call it that--perceptible in ways that computers and other forms of AI do not. The largely dualist assumptions pertaining to the hidden bodies of traditional Turing tests are discussed, as well as the social affordance effects of such indirect interactions as opposed to interactions in physically shared space. The question is what role various abilities to reveal, hide and dynamically control the body and broader behavior plays in heterogeneous tech or machine mediated interactions. I argue that the specifics and richness of perceptible agency matters to the kind of reciprocity we can obtain.
Effect of Hospital Volume on Success of Thumb Replantation

Purpose Hospital volume–outcome association has been examined for many high-risk surgical procedures. Little is known about this association for thumb replantation, a complex but essential surgical procedure to restore hand function. We aimed to determine patient and hospital characteristics that are associated with increased probability of replanted thumb survival and to examine volume–outcome association among hospitals that performed thumb replantation. Methods We used data from 2008 to 2012 from the National Trauma Data Bank. Our sample included 773 patients who underwent thumb replantation procedures in 1 of 180 hospitals during the study period. We used patient-level logistic models to examine the association between a hospital's annual thumb replantation volume and the probability of survival for the replanted thumb. Results Patients with drug/alcohol abuse record, and higher numbers of comorbid conditions had lower odds of replant success. Treatment in teaching hospitals and hospitals with a higher volume of thumb replantation increased the odds of replant survival. The risk-adjusted replantation success rate in high-volume hospitals was 12% higher than in low-volume hospitals. Conclusions Regionalization of digit replantation procedures to high-volume centers can achieve the highest rate of successful revascularization. Type of study/level of evidence Economic/Decision Analysis II.
Autologous Implantation of Bone Marrow for Non-Unions and Avascular Necrosis of the Bone.

Abstract Introduction: Autologous implantation of bone marrow (BM) stem cells for avascular necrosis of the bone has been previously demonstrated to be feasible and safe procedure. The benefit of using autologous stem cells for bone regeneration consists of avoidance of graft rejection, graft-versus-host disease, and the toxic and infectious complications associated with immunosuppressive regimens. Materials and Methods: We developed an efficient protocol to process autologous BM for volume reduction and mononuclear cell concentration that can be immediately used for autologous implantation. The end-product is a concentrated BM cell suspension that was defined by several parameters as follows: volume, mononuclear cell count, CD34-positive cell count. A total of five patients under general anesthesia underwent BM aspiration, followed by immediate intraoperative BM concentration and implantation at the injured site. Four patients had avascular necrosis of the bone and one had tibia non-union. The patients were followed for one year and monitored clinically and by imaging studies. Results: All five patients treated with autologous bone marrow implantation at the avascular necrosis or non-union site tolerated the procedure well. One year follow-up of these patients reveals improved clinical and functional status. The imaging performed pre and one-year-post procedure revealed no evidence of bone collapse and preserved joint space. Conclusions: Autologous implantation of concentrated bone marrow is a safe and promising treatment for non-unions and avascular necrosis of the bone. Additional studies for further characterization of the concentrated BM used for implantation are in progress.
The DNA Triangle and Its Application to Learning Meiosis

Although instruction on meiosis is repeated many times during the undergraduate curriculum, many students show poor comprehension even as upper-level biology majors. We propose that the difficulty lies in the complexity of understanding DNA, which we explain through a new model, the DNA triangle The DNA triangle integrates three distinct scales at which one can think about DNA: chromosomal, molecular, and informational Through analysis of interview and survey data from biology faculty and students through the lens of the DNA triangle, we illustrate important differences in how novices and experts are able to explain the concepts of ploidy, homology, and mechanism of homologous pairing Similarly, analysis of passages from 16 different biology textbooks shows a large divide between introductory and advanced material, with introductory books omitting explanations of meiosis-linked concepts at the molecular level of DNA. Finally, backed by textbook findings and feedback from biology experts, we show that the DNA triangle can be applied to teaching and learning meiosis. By applying the DNA triangle to topics on meiosis we present a new framework for educators and researchers that ties concepts of ploidy, homology, and mechanism of homologous pairing to knowledge about DNA on the chromosomal, molecular, and informational levels.
Including Sex, Neglecting Gender

Reviews the books, Family interventions in domestic violence: A handbook of gender-inclusive theory and treatment by John Hamel Jr. and Tonia L. Nicholls (2007) and "Intimate" violence against women: When spouses, partners, or lovers attack, by Paula K. Lundberg-Love and Shelly L. Marmion (see record 2006-13414-000). The chapters within Family interventions in domestic violence present current and comprehensive reviews of recently published research on many aspects of intimate partner violence, including stalking, court-mandated batterer treatment, risk assessment, and the measurement of controlling behaviors. Most chapters contain informative discussions of the central research findings and unresolved questions in the literature, supported by citations to research published within the last decade. 'Intimate" Violence against women avoids discussion of the scholarly debates that are central to the work edited by Hamel and Nicholls. Chapters in this volume review the basic prevalence, characteristics, correlates, and consequences of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse against adult women, research on the long-term consequences of child sexual abuse, and legal and therapeutic interventions for abuse and rape survivors. For researchers attempting to understand the ways in which gender shapes the experience of intimate partner violence, both of these books fall short. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)
Vehicle Detection Using Bayesian Enhanced CoBE Classification

This paper presents a noval computational framework, BN+CoBE, Bayesian enhaced Cascades of Boosted Ensemble, for on-road vehicle detection. The objective of this research is to reduce false alarms while keeping the detection rate high. In the proposed system, BN+CoBE, the CoBE is trained on image texture features and Bayesian conditional probability function is trained on vehicle features of location, size and confidence values generated by all the stages in CoBE. Experiment results on real world data show that the proposed BN+CoBE system is effective in reducing false alarms significantly while keeping the detection rate high.
Chatbot as an Intermediary between a Customer and the Customer Care Ecosystem

In the context of customer care, a digital ecosystem may get activated to address a customer's issue or situation. The digital ecosystem may consist of various computerized systems that provide assisted support, relevant mandatory services, opportunistic pro-active offers, reviews and ratings, and insights from the social web. While addressing a customer's situation the customer and/or the digital ecosystem has to choose the appropriate systems/services with suitable options to be activated in order to deliver effective customer care. This aspect can get quite complicated and some customers tend to get lost in the process and are unable to get their situation addressed to their satisfaction. We propose an intermediary chatbot between a customer and digital ecosystem that can act as a catalyst to diagnose a customer's situation and provision the appropriate services in the ecosystem. The intermediary chatbot engages in a dialog with a customer for identifying his/her situation and extract the set of latent beliefs that the customer holds. It then helps contextualize the systems in the digital ecosystem to offer suitable services, leading to a richer user experience.
Including Fossil-fuel Consumption Subsidies in the GTAP Data Base

Historically fossil-fuel consumption subsidies have been one of the most widely used energy and public policy interventions. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), in 2014 they amounted to $493 billion worldwide, which is equivalent to 0.6% of global GDP. Their contribution is even more significant for most energy exporting countries, in many cases exceeding 5-15% of national GDP. However, despite their large magnitude, fossil-fuel consumption subsidies are not explicitly represented in most global economic databases and models, including the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) Data Base, as they are generally not captured by the input-output framework. In this paper, we present methods to integrate pre-tax fossil-fuel consumption subsidies to the GTAP Data Base and produce a version of the GTAP 9.2 Data Base that includes these subsidies. The proposed approach includes updates of energy commodity market prices and corresponding tax rates, within the GTAP Data Base build process. Including fossil-fuel consumption subsidies in the GTAP Data Base provides several benefits for energy and environmental policy simulations, including availability of an additional policy instrument and more consistent representation of energy prices.
Control of a hybrid electric vehicle with dual clutch transmission configurations during mode transition

Mode transitions are significant events in the operation of a hybrid electric vehicle with dual clutch transmission (HDCT). Owing to the friction induced discontinuity of the clutch torque, seamless transition is difficult to achieve. First, this paper presents mathematical equations for the nonlinear system. Then it presents the linearised model for the proposed system. The control objective of the model reference adaptive controller (MRAC) considered in this paper is to minimise fuel consumption and reduce torque interruption in a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). The simulation and experimental results from an HDCT demonstrate that the MRAC achieves reduced torque interruption and less vehicle jerk compared to the conventional operation method, in addition to smooth and fast transition from pure electrical driving to hybrid driving.
Augmented and Virtual Reality Navigation for Interventions in the Musculoskeletal System

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are cutting-edge technologies that offer advanced navigational solutions. These systems are just starting to be used in interventional radiology and the literature has been limited to pre-clinical and translational experiments. In this paper, we present a review of AR and VR for musculoskeletal interventions. Mixed reality systems have evolved from costly research systems to fully commercialized clinical instruments designed to facilitate operators in navigating complex anatomy. Studies within interventional radiology have demonstrated safety, improved accuracy, and decreased exposure to ionizing radiation. We review the progression of mixed reality systems from their early origins in computer science through their current day surgical applications, with a special focus on landmark studies within radiologic interventions for the musculoskeletal system. We highlight the instrumentation, clinical workflow, benefits and drawbacks, and suggested future directions for the two main AR systems: head-mounted display and image-overlay.
Contemporary Conceptions of Community

The quest for community is a continuing concern in social life and the question of community an enduring enigma in social theory. In both social life and social theory the idea of community has changed and varied over time and space as much as the reality of communities themselves. In this chapter I discuss varying contemporary ideas of community by focusing on the local community as a unit of analysis. [In short, I am following the model of the anthropologist (1955) in The Little Community in contrast to other uses of the concept such as the idea of a “national community” as developed by (1991) in his influential book Imagined Communities that traces the rise of modern nationalism.]
Utilization in Plant Breeding

It needs no overemphasizing that the use of male sterility in commercial production of the hybrid seed offers a promising tool in the hands of plant breeder. An initial wave of enthusiasm starting from the success reported in onion and sorghum, stimulated several attempts in other crops as well and in fact, successful projects are already underway in maize, tomato, barley and sugarbeets. In Germany a commercial seed firm obtained patent rights for the production of hybrid seed of sugarbeets using male sterility (Dorst, 1952). The potent usefulness of such methods has been also indicated for many other crops including cabbage (Detjen, 1927), guyale (Powers and Gardner, 1945), cucurbits (Scott and Riner, 1946), castor (Claassen and Hoffman, 1950), tobacco (Clayton, 1951), cotton (Loden and Richmond, 1951) and carrot (Welch and Grim-Ball, 1947).
Economic Justice and Freedom of Conscience

As the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered individuals become more prominent in public debate, so also do conflicts between these rights and rights asserted by some religious persons to discriminate on grounds of conscientious belief. Such conflicts may increase as the marriage of same-sex couples becomes more widespread and vendors potentially refuse to provide space, food, flowers, honeymoon accommodations, or other services to same-sex couples on the same terms as traditional couples. I shall first establish a theoretical framework for suggesting that religious accommodations may be legitimate but with a price. Second, using comparisons with conscientious objections in health care, I shall argue that refusals must not impede the ability of same-sex couples to obtain the benefits of civil marriage enjoyed by traditional couples.
Leap before you look: an effective strategy in an oversubscribed scheduling problem

Oversubscribed scheduling problems require removing or partially satisfying tasks when enough resources are not available. For a particular oversubscribed problem, Air Force Satellite Control Network scheduling, we find that the best approaches make long leaps in the search space. We find this is in part due to large plateaus in the search space. Algorithms moving only one task at a time are impractical. Both a genetic algorithm and Squeaky Wheel Optimization (SWO) make long leaps in the search space and produce good solutions almost 100 times faster than local search. Greedy initialization is shown to be critical to good performance, but is not as important as directed leaps. When using fewer than 2000 evaluations, SWO shows superior performance; with 8000 evaluations, a genetic algorithm using a population seeded with greedy solutions further improves on the SWO results.
Self-Engaging Spined Gripper with Dynamic Penetration and Release for Steep Jumps

Due to high impact forces and low duty cycles, monopedal jumping robots are particularly susceptible to failure from a slipping foot. Spines provide a solution to reduce slip, but there has been little research on how to effectively engage them into a surface with a dynamic jumping robot. Previous robots utilizing spines operate in different regimes of surface approach speed and cycle time. For a penetrable substrate, spines must be directed into the surface at suitable holding angles, then extracted before the foot leaves the ground. We accomplished this by designing a gripper mechanism for the robot Salto that pushes in angled spines along their length and is kinematically constrained to engage/disengage with leg crouch/extension. The resulting mechanism introduces no new actuators, enables jumping on penetrable inclines up to 60°, and enables static adhesion to hold 7.5 times the robot's weight from a ceiling.
The impact of a curriculum on postoperative opioid prescribing for novice surgical trainees.

Abstract Background Surgical residents are frequently responsible for prescribing postoperative analgesia, yet the vast majority are never formally educated on the subject. Methods A resident-led educational presentation on postoperative analgesia prescribing was provided to incoming surgical interns at a tertiary academic center. Pre- and post-surveys assessed comfort in prescribing postoperative analgesia. Following the educational intervention, opioid prescriptions during the interns' first two months were compared to that of the prior year's interns. Results Education was provided to 31 interns. Prior to the session, few interns felt comfortable prescribing opioids (20%) or non-opioid analgesia (32%). After the session, 96% felt more comfortable prescribing opioids and 91% more comfortable prescribing multi-modal analgesia. Interns who received education prescribed an average of 127.8 Morphine Milligram Equivalents (MME) per prescription, compared to 208.5 MME by the prior year's interns (p Conclusion Education on postoperative analgesia targeting interns can be effective in preparing trainees in effective and judicious analgesic prescribing.
Cervical Template to Optimize the Plate-to-Disc Distance in Instrumented Anterior Cervical Discectomies and Fusions: Instrumentation Assessment

Background An increased incidence of adjacent segment degeneration in the cervical spine has been associated with a plate-to-disc distance (PDD) of Objective To introduce a template to size, position, and secure a cervical plate and ensure a 5-mm minimum PDD. Methods A prospective observational study was performed on 50 consecutive patients who had single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) using a cervical template. The cervical template was secured into the interbody spacer and assessed for length, PDD, and adequate vertebral body coverage. Holes were drilled through the template, which was then removed for cervical plate placement. Postoperative radiographs were assessed for PDD to adjacent segments, the angle from the vertical axis of the spine, and distance from midline. Neck Disability Index and visual analog scale scores for the neck and arm were obtained preoperatively and at 30-d and 90-d follow-up. Results Fifty patients underwent single-level ACDFs. The mean angle from the long axis of the spine was 2.4 (0.0-4.4) degrees; mean distance from midline was 1.3 (0.0-2.8) mm; and mean distance from the plate ends to the adjacent segments above was 5.4 (4.6-6.2) mm, and below, 5.1 (4.3-5.8) mm. Conclusion A cervical template can reliably secure the midline and predetermine the size of the shortest cervical plate for adequately stabilizing the segment for arthrodesis. Use of a template standardizes the process of maximizing the PDD.
Finding Ada: Socially Situated Historical Methods and Nineteenth Century Feminist Activism

Ada Metcalf’s 1876 memoir, Lunatic Asylums and How I Became an Inmate of One, is an early feminist articulation of embodied experience and agency. In this article, I develop a socially situated und...
Robust brain extraction tool for CT head images

Abstract Extracting brain parenchyma from computed tomography (CT) images of the head is an important prerequisite step in a number of image processing applications, as it improves the computational speed and accuracy of quantitative analyses and image co-registration. In this study, we present a robust method based on fully convolutional neural networks (CNN) to remove non-brain tissues from head CT scans in a computationally efficient manner. The method includes an encoding part, which has sequential convolutional filters that produce feature representation of the input image in low dimensional space, and a decoding part, which consists of convolutional filters that reconstruct the input image from the reduced representation. We trained several CNN models on 122 volumetric head CT scans and tested our models on 22 withheld volumetric CT head scans based on two experts’ manual brain segmentation. The performance of our best CNN model on the test set is: Dice Coefficient = 0.998 ± 0.001 (mean ± standard deviation), recall = 0.999 ± 0.001, precision = 0.998 ± 0.001, and accuracy = 1. Our method extracts complete volumetric brain from head CT images in about 2 s which is substantially faster than currently available methods. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study using CNN to perform brain extraction from CT images. In conclusion, the proposed approach based on CNN provides accurate extraction of brain tissue from head CT images in a computationally efficient manner.
Anabolic-androgenic steroids and cognitive effort discounting in male rats.

Abstract Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are drugs of abuse that impair behavior and cognition. In a rodent model of AAS abuse, testosterone-treated male rats expend more physical effort, by repeatedly pressing a lever for a large reward in an operant discounting task. However, since modern society prioritizes cognitive over physical effort, it is important to determine if AAS limit cognitive effort. Here we tested the effects of AAS on a novel cognitive-effort discounting task. Each operant chamber had 3 nose-pokes, opposite 2 levers and a pellet dispenser. Rats pressed a lever to illuminate 1 nose-poke; they responded in the illuminated nose-poke to receive sugar pellets. For the ‘easy’ lever, the light remained on for 1 s, and a correct response earned 1 pellet. For the ‘hard’ lever, the light duration decreased from 1 s to 0.1 s across 5 blocks of trials, and a correct response earned 4 pellets. As the duration of the nose-poke light decreased, all rats decreased their choice of the hard lever in a modest discounting curve. Task accuracy also decreased significantly across the 5 blocks of trials. However, there was no effect of testosterone on choice of the hard lever or task accuracy. Antagonism of dopamine D1 or D2 receptors had no effect on lever choice or task accuracy. However, serotonin depletion significantly decreased preference for the hard lever, and impaired task accuracy. Thus, physical effort discounting depends on dopamine activity, while cognitive effort discounting task is sensitive to serotonin. AAS impair physical effort discounting, but not cognitive effort discounting.
Learning to Leave: Expanding Shared Praxis to Understand the Religious Life and Learning of Young Catholics Beyond the Church

Thomas Groome suggests good teaching begins with experience in particular times and places. His work focuses on a community that is losing many of its members at this particular time and in places ...
Accessory anterolateral talar facet associated with tarsal coalition: prevalence and cross-sectional characterization.

The accessory anterolateral talar facet (AALTF) is a developmental entity described as a potential cause for rigid, painful flat foot. This study evaluates the possible association between the AALTF and other flat foot etiologies, specifically different types of tarsal coalitions. We evaluated patients with tarsal coalition or sinus tarsi syndrome for an AALTF on CT and MRI. Exclusion criteria included acute ankle trauma, recent surgery, motion or metal artifacts. We evaluated the AALTF length and height, and the lateral talocalcaneal structures for associated findings. The presence of calcaneonavicular (CNC), intra-articular middle facet talocalcaneal (MFTCC), posterior facet talocalcaneal (PFTCC), extra-articular posteromedial talocalcaneal (EATCC) and other rare coalitions were also evaluated. One hundred eighty-seven patients were included (age range 14–91 years; mean ± SD; 50 ± 17 years). The AALTF prevalence in the study population was 31.55% (59/187), 40.91% in men, and 23.23% in women. The AALTF average length was 4.5 ± 1.1 mm, and average height was 8.9 ± 3.4 mm. The AALTF was found to be significantly associated with lateral talocalcaneal osseous changes such as cortical thickening and cystic changes (34/59 and 24/59 respectively, P < 0.01). The AALTF was also found to be significantly associated with sinus tarsi edema on MRI (45/52, P < 0.05). The AALTF was also significantly associated with EATCC (19/59, P < 0.01) and MFTCC (7/59, P < 0.05). No significant association was found with CNC, PFTCC or other rare coalitions. The AALTF is common and significantly associated with some tarsal coalitions, specifically EATCC and MFTCC. When an AALTF or coalition is identified, special attention should be made to evaluate for other associated pathologies, as this could potentially affect management.
hnRNP K Overexpression Drives AML Progression By Altering Pathways Critical for Myeloid Proliferation and Differentiation

Abstract Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a disease largely defined by recurrent genetic and chromosomal abnormalities. As such, The Cancer Genome Atlas' recent detailed examination of the most common genetic abnormalities that drive AML uncovered relatively few novel alterations. However, within this list of recurrently mutated genes was heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (HNRNPK). While previously unknown to impact AML, we recently identified HNRNPK as a haploinsufficient tumor suppressor at the 9q21.32 locus. In contrast to its tumor suppressive roles, hnRNP K is most customarily overexpressed, rather than underexpressed, in several solid tumors. In this study, we show through FISH analyses, RNA expression profiling, and reverse phase protein array analyses that the HNRNPK gene is amplified with corresponding mRNA and protein overexpression in a sizeable cohort of patients with AML that do not carry a 9q.21.32 deletion. Together, this indicates that hnRNP K may be an uncharacterized oncogene in this context. Increased hnRNP K correlated with decreased event-free and overall survival, increased WBC, and increased bone marrow and peripheral blood blast percentage. High hnRNP K levels also correlated with elevated expression of histone modifiers (e.g., ASH2L and TRIM24), regulators of ribogenesis (e.g., nucleolin and EBP1), and potent oncogenes, such as c-Myc. Together, these observations indicate that increased hnRNP K expression significantly alters the landscape of myeloid biology and may thus contribute to the etiology of AML. To directly interrogate this possibility in vivo, we generated a Vav-Cre;HnrnpkTg mouse model. In addition to significant differences in hnRNP K expression compared to Vav-Cre mice, Vav-Cre;HnrnpkTg mice exhibited reduced survival, development of transplantable myeloid malignancies, and enhanced HSPC proliferation and differentiation potential. Reflecting data from our patients, Vav-Cre;HnrnpkTg mice also exhibited elevated expression of critical oncogenic pathways such as c-Myc. Currently, we are examining pharmacologic methods to abrogate the effects of aberrant hnRNP K expression on various activated pathways. Transplant models using diseased bone marrow from Vav-Cre;HnrnpkTg mice are being utilized to evaluate the efficacy of specific pathway inhibitors (i.e., bromodomain inhibitors or bortezomib) in prolonging survival and decreasing leukemic burden. These studies will provide the rationale for potential clinical trails that employ these agents for patients with hnRNP K-overexpressing AML. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Impact of Conscious Discipline on Teacher Efficacy and Burnout: Perspectives for Elementary Teachers

This study examined the impact of Conscious Discipline® on Michigan elementary teachers’ perceptions of their self-efficacy and burnout levels. Teachers completed a survey of the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) and Maslach’s Burnout Inventory (MBI) and were observed using a fidelity instrument (Rain, 2014) by the researcher five months after the adoption of Conscious Discipline® school-wide in the treatment group (n = 12). The control group (n = 15) was matched with similar student population demographics, and the same surveys and fidelity instrument (Rain, 2014) were used. Results from this study found no statistical significance in the TSES or MBI scores between those in treatment and control groups. Additionally, no statistical significance was found in the observed implementation level of Conscious Discipline® and efficacy or burnout scores.
TRANSCATHETER MITRAL VALVE REPLACEMENT (TMVR) THROMBOSIS

TMVR has emerged as a therapeutic option for high-risk patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR). Transcatheter heart valve (THV) thrombosis remains a clinical concern. A 81-year-old male with history of CAD, severe MR s/p TMVR (Intrepid) one-year ago presented with worsening shortness of
Is opioid use safe in women trying to conceive

Background Opioids are commonly prescribed to women of reproductive age, including after delivery and miscarriage. However, to our knowledge, opioid use has not been frequently studied in relation to the common reproductive complications of impaired fecundability and pregnancy. We examined the association of opioid use during the critical window of pregnancy establishment with fecundability and pregnancy loss. Methods We measured opioid use by urine screening and self-report at multiple time points during preconception and early pregnancy in a prospective cohort of women attempting conception (n=1228). The main outcomes included time to hCG-detected pregnancy and incidence of live birth and pregnancy loss. We estimated fecundability odds ratios (FOR) and risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, reproductive characteristics, and use of antidepressants, tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana. Results Prevalence of preconception opioid use was 18% (n=226 of 1228), and in early pregnancy was 5% (n=33 of 685). Opioid use while attempting pregnancy was associated with reduced fecundability (FOR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.50, 1.0). Risk of pregnancy loss increased as opioid exposure was detected later in gestation, from the beginning of the cycle of conception (RR: 1.5; 95% CI 0.85, 2.6), to week 4 of pregnancy (RR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.1, 4.1), and to week 4 and 8 of pregnancy (RR: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.3, 5.0). Conclusions Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that opioid exposure while trying to conceive may be harmful, even among healthy, non-opioid-dependent women. Possible risks to fecundability and pregnancy viability are relevant to patients and providers when evaluating pain management approaches.ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: #NCT00467363.
Renal Cell Carcinoma with Direct Extension into the Gonadal Vein, Uterus, Fallopian Tube, and Bilateral Ovaries: A Case Report.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with invasion into the renal vein is well described; however, invasion into the gonadal vein is a rare event with less than five cases reported in the literature. RCC occasionally presents with metastasis to the ovaries or the fallopian tubes, although this is also a rare occurrence. We present a case of locally advanced left RCC with direct extension into the ipsilateral gonadal vein with extension into the bilateral ovaries and uterus, which has not been previously described. Computed tomography (CT) in a 72-year-old female with a 35-pound weight loss indicated the presence of a 16-cm left renal mass with caudal tumor extension through the left gonadal vein and regional lymph-adenopathy. There was no evidence of distant metastasis, and she underwent an open left radical nephrectomy. Intraoperatively, she was found to have direct extension of the tumor through the left gonadal vein into the uterus, bilateral ovaries, and the left fallopian tube. All visible dis-ease was resected, and retroperitoneal and pelvic lymphadenectomy were performed. The patient had an uneventful hospital course. Pathology revealed clear cell RCC, Fuhrman grade 3. The final pathologic stage was pT4N1M1. The patient was ultimately noted to have pulmonary metastasis and was treated with immunotherapy with no evidence of disease progression.
Scattering in the Ising Model Using Quantum Lanczos Algorithm

Time evolution and scattering simulation in phenomenological models are of great interest for testing and validating the potential for near-term quantum computers to simulate quantum field theories. Here, we simulate one-particle propagation and two-particle scattering in the one-dimensional transverse Ising model for 3 and 4 spatial sites with periodic boundary conditions on a quantum computer. We use the quantum Lanczos algorithm to obtain all energy levels and corresponding eigenstates of the system. We simplify the quantum computation by taking advantage of the symmetries of the system. These results enable us to compute one- and two-particle transition amplitudes, particle numbers for spatial sites, and the transverse magnetization as functions of time. The quantum circuits were executed on IBM 5-qubit superconducting hardware. The experimental results with readout error mitigation are in very good agreement with the values obtained using exact diagonalization.
A Vector Error Correction Model for Japanese Real Exports

Japanese exports did not immediately react to the depreciations of the yen after a change in the economic policy framework in 2012, with the launching of Abenomics. This article focuses on the Japanese foreign sector and investigates the extent to which exchange rate changes affect Japanese real exports. After studying the dynamic properties of the included time series variables, a vector error correction model was estimated for the period 1980–2016 based on trade data from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. This study investigated the dynamic causal relationships among real exports, external demand, price competitiveness, and real imports. Within a large body of literature on Japanese exports, most extant studies used the trade balance as the dependent variable. One novelty of this study is the estimation of a quatrovariate system in which the components of trade balance, namely real exports and real imports, are both endogenously determined. A unique long-run cointegration equation was identified in which the external demand for exports, as proxied by gross domestic product of the rest of the world combined, has the most significant impact on real exports. The elasticity of real exports with respect to the real exchange rate was 2.34. However, the speed of adjustment towards long-run equilibrium was about 9% per year, which was rather slow. The low speed of adjustment implies it would take approximately 10 years for the full adjustment to take place and, thus, provides a novel explanation as to why the yen’s depreciation, triggered by Abenomics, did not boost Japanese exports as was expected by the Japanese government.
An Extreme-Ultraviolet Study of the Intermediate Polar EX Hydrae

On 2000 May 5, we began a large, multiwavelength campaign to study the intermediate polar (IP) EX Hydrae. The simultaneous observations from six satellites and four telescopes were centered around a 1 million second observation with Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE). Although EX Hya has been studied previously with EUVE, our higher signal-to-noise ratio observations present new results and challenge the current IP models. Previously unseen dips in the light curve are reminiscent of the stream dips seen in polar light curves. Also of interest is the temporal extent of the bulge dip, approximately 0.5 in phase, implying that the bulge extends over half of the accretion disk. We propose that the magnetic field in EX Hya is strong enough (a few MG) to begin pulling material directly from the outer edge of the disk, thereby forming a large accretion curtain, which would produce a very broad bulge dip. This would also result in magnetically controlled accretion streams originating from the outer edge of the disk. We also present a period analysis of the photometric data, which shows numerous beat frequencies with strong power and also intermittent and wandering frequencies, an indication that physical conditions within EX Hya changed over the course of the observation. Iron spectral line ratios give a temperature of log T = 6.5-6.9 K for all spin phases and a poorly constrained density of ne = 1010-1011 cm-3 for the emitting plasma. This paper is the first in a series detailing our results from this multiwavelength observational campaign.
Outcomes for Elderly Ovarian Cancer Patients Treated with Cytoreductive Surgery Plus Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC)

Women 65 years of age or older with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) are thought to have a worse prognosis than younger patients. However, no consensus exists concerning the best treatment for ovarian cancer in this age group. This report presents outcomes for patients treated with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). A prospective database of EOC patients treated with CRS/HIPEC (1998–2019) was analyzed. Perioperative variables were compared by treatment including upfront CRS/HIPEC, neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus CRS/HIPEC (NACT + CRS/HIPEC), and salvage CRS/HIPEC, and by age at surgery (< 65 and ≥ 65 years). Survival analysis was performed, and outcomes were compared. Of the 148 patients identified, 42 received upfront CRS/HIPEC, 48 received NACT + CRS/HIPEC, and 58 received salvage CRS/HIPEC. Each group was subdivided by age groups (< 65 and ≥ 65 years). The median overall survival (OS) after the upfront CRS/HIPEC was 69.2 months for the patients < 65 years of age versus 69.3 months for those ≥ 65 years of age. The OS after NACT + CRS/HIPEC was 26.9 months for the patients < 65 years of age versus 32.9 months for those ≥ 65 years of age, and the OS after salvage CRS/HIPEC was 45.6 months for the patients < 65 years of age versus 23.9 months for those ≥ 65 years of age. The median progression-free survival (PFS) after upfront CRS/HIPEC was 41.3 months for the patients < 65 years of age versus 45.4 months for those ≥ 65 years of age. The PFS after NACT + CRS/HIPEC was 16.2 months for the patients < 65 years of age versus 11.2 months for those ≥ 65 years of age, and the PFS after salvage CRS/HIPEC was 18.7 months for the patients < 65 years of age versus 10 months for those ≥ 65 years of age. The median follow-up period for the entire cohort was 44.6 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 34.7–60.6 months]. Age and feasibility of complete cytoreduction should be considered when treatment methods are selected for elderly patients. A carefully selected elderly population can benefit significantly from aggressive treatment methods.
#YouToo: Notes on Sexual Harassment and Assault in the Academy:

In this collaborative autoethnography, we unmask our experiences with sexual assault and harassment in academic contexts through the use of a note format. We describe moments characterized by shame...
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is an enduring disease, characterized by a level of persistent fatigue for 6 months or a longer time period. At this time, the etiology is unknown. The other symptoms individuals effected by chronic fatigue syndrome, may experience are sore throat, headaches, impaired cognition, depression, sleep disturbances, and many others. While the diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome can be challenging, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has a set of guidelines to help characterize the presence of this condition in patients. Chronic fatigue syndrome has far-reaching consequences impacting an individual’s physical and mental well-being. The best approach in helping these individuals to still engage in physical activity is through gentle, low-level exercise program with the use of patient feedback to individualize the treatment as well as providing guidance and support through support groups and therapy as prescribed by a medical professional.
Maximizing energy efficiency of variable stiffness actuators through an interval-based optimization framework

Abstract Despite the necessity for being able to regulate the stiffness of the robotic platforms in physical contact with humans, and tremendous number of different variable stiffness actuators that have been developed so far, there is still no such actuator that has successfully passed the research lab phase and transferred into a real application. The main reason is due to the lack of understating on how to optimally design a stiffness adjustment mechanism based on desired performances of each application. If not optimally designed, the additional complexities within the actuators, prevent to win the trade-off between benefits of having a stiffness adjustment mechanisms versus its costs, such as the energy storage capacity of the elastic elements compared to how much energy can be actually released at the output of the actuator, i.e. the link. Currently, this trade-off criterion is not in favor of introducing a stiffness adjustment mechanism into the actuator. Therefor, generally, having a simple series elastic actuator with active compliance has been preferred over having a complex variable stiffness actuator, in many real applications. This work develops an understanding of how to optimally design the parameters of a stiffness adjustment mechanism by developing a framework that can robustly maximize the energy efficiency of variable stiffness actuators. Five different design sets of stiffness adjustment mechanism are being considered and evaluated based on the proposed optimization framework. The resultant optimal design of each set is then compared with the original design in terms of energy efficiency. The proposed framework shows improvement of energy efficiency up to 354%, while design constraints are all being satisfied.