cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Rate of Complications after Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Surgery (P3.340)

Objective: To quantify the rate of complications after ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) surgery. Background: VPS surgery is the most common mode of therapy for patients with hydrocephalus. Although the procedure is frequently performed, rates of complications such as infection and shunt revision are poorly established. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of adult patients hospitalized at the time of their first recorded procedure code for VPS surgery between 2005 and 2012 at nonfederal acute care hospitals in California, Florida, and New York. We excluded patients who during the index hospitalization for VPS surgery had concomitant codes for VPS revision, CNS infection, or did not survive the index hospitalization. Patients were followed for the primary outcome of a VPS complication, defined as the composite of CNS infection or VPS revision. Survival statistics were used to calculate the cumulative rate and incidence rate of VPS complications. Results: 17,246 patients underwent VPS surgery. During a mean follow-up of 3.9 (±1.8) years, at least one VPS complication occurred in 22.6[percnt] (95[percnt] CI, 21.8-23.5[percnt]) of patients. The cumulative rate of CNS infection was 2.3[percnt] (95[percnt] CI, 2.0-2.5[percnt]) and of VPS revision 21.8[percnt] (95[percnt] CI, 21.0-22.6[percnt]). The majority of complications occurred within the first year of hospitalization for VPS surgery. Complication rates were 19.5 (95[percnt] CI, 18.9-20.2) complications per 100 patients per year in the first year after VPS surgery, 5.3 (95[percnt] CI, 4.9-5.7) in the second year after VPS surgery, and 2.2 (95[percnt] CI, 1.9-2.6) in the fifth year after VPS surgery. Conclusions: Complications are not infrequent following VPS surgery; however, the majority of complications appear to be clustered in the first year following VPS insertion. Complication rates have remained unchanged over the last several decades and, therefore, new long-term strategies are needed to treat hydrocephalus. Disclosure: Dr. Merkler has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ch9ang has nothing to disclose. Dr. Parker has nothing to disclose. Dr. Murthy has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kamel has received personal compensation from Genentech as a speaker. Dr. Kamel has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for Journal Watch Neurology.
Human Herpesvirus 6 Infection and Febrile Seizures

Frequency and clinical characteristics of primary human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infection in hospitalized children with febrile seizures (FS) were investigated at Aghia Sophia Children’s Hospital and Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Radiogenomic analysis of hypoxia pathway reveals computerized MRI descriptors predictive of overall survival in glioblastoma

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor with a median survival of 14 months. Hypoxia is a hallmark trait in GBM that is known to be associated with angiogenesis, tumor growth, and resistance to conventional therapy, thereby limiting treatment options for GBM patients. There is thus an urgent clinical need for non-invasively capturing tumor hypoxia in GBM towards identifying a subset of patients who would likely benefit from anti-angiogenic therapies (bevacizumab) in the adjuvant setting. In this study, we employed radiomic descriptors to (a) capture molecular variations of tumor hypoxia on routine MRI that are otherwise not appreciable; and (b) employ the radiomic correlates of hypoxia to discriminate patients with short-term survival (STS, overall survival (OS) 16 months). A total of 97 studies (25 STS, 36 MTS, 36 LTS) with Gadolinium T1-contrast (Gd-T1c), T2w, and FLAIR protocols with their corresponding gene expression profiles were obtained from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database. For each MRI study, necrotic, enhancing tumor, and edematous regions were segmented by an expert. A total of 30 radiomic descriptors (i.e. Haralick, Laws energy, Gabor) were extracted from every region across all three MRI protocols. By performing unsupervised clustering of the expression profile of hypoxia associated genes, a "low", "medium", or "high" index was defined for every study. Spearman correlation was then used to identify the most significantly correlated MRI features with the hypoxia index for every study. These features were further used to categorize each study as STS, MTS, and LTS using Kaplan-Meier (KM) analysis. Our results revealed that the most significant features (p < 0.05) were identified as Laws energy and Haralick features that capture image heterogeneity on FLAIR and Gd-T1w sequences. We also found these radiomic features to be significantly associated with survival, distinguishing MTS from LTS (p=.005) and STS from LTS (p=.0008).
Improved Outcomes with Modern Lung-Sparing Trimodality Therapy in Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.

Abstract Introduction Higher target conformity and better sparing of organs at risk with modern radiotherapy (RT) may result in higher tumor control and less toxicity. In this study, we compare our institutional multimodality therapy experience of adjuvant chemotherapy and hemithoracic intensity-modulated pleural RT (IMPRINT) with previously used adjuvant conventional RT (CONV) in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) treated with lung-sparing pleurectomy/decortication (P/D). Methods We analyzed 209 patients who underwent P/D and adjuvant RT (131 who received CONV and 78 who received IMPRINT) for MPM between 1974 and 2015. The primary end point was overall survival (OS). The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model were used to calculate OS; competing risks analysis was performed for local failure-free survival and progression-free survival. Univariate analysis and multivariate analysis were performed with relevant clinical and treatment factors. Results The median age was 64 years, and 80% of the patients were male. Patients receiving IMPRINT had significantly higher rates of the epithelial histological type, advanced pathological stage, and chemotherapy treatment. OS was significantly higher after IMPRINT (median 20.2 versus 12.3 months, p = 0.001). Higher Karnofsky performance score, epithelioid histological type, macroscopically complete resection, and use of chemotherapy/IMPRINT were found to be significant factors for longer OS in multivariate analysis. No significant predictive factors were identified for local failure or progression. Grade 2 or higher esophagitis developed in fewer patients after IMPRINT than after CONV (23% versus 47%). Conclusions Trimodality therapy including adjuvant hemithoracic IMPRINT, chemotherapy, and P/D is associated with promising OS rates and decreased toxicity in patients with MPM. Dose constraints should be applied vigilantly to minimize serious adverse events.
DIASCoPE: Directly integrated acoustic system combined with pressure experiments—A new method for fast acoustic velocity measurements at high pressure

A new experimental system to measure elastic wave velocities in samples in situ under extreme conditions of pressure and temperature in a multi-anvil apparatus has been installed at Beamline 6-BM-B of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. This system allows for measurement of acoustic velocities via ultrasonic interferometry, and makes use of the synchrotron beam to measure sample densities via X-ray diffraction and sample lengths using X-radiographic imaging. This system is fully integrated into the automated software controls of the beamline and is capable of collecting robust data on elastic wave travel times in less than 1 s, which is an improvement of more than one to two orders of magnitude over existing systems. Moreover, this fast data collection time has been shown to have no effect on the obtained travel time results. This allows for more careful study of time-dependent phenomena with tighter snapshots in time of processes that would otherwise be lost or averaged out in other acoustic measurement systems.
Development and Evaluation of the ADHD Cognitions Scale for Adults.

Objective: The clinical literature on ADHD in adults suggests that “overly positive” or optimistic cognitions may contribute to impairment and failure to use self-regulation skills in this population, yet the research literature on this topic is limited. We developed the ADHD Cognitions Scale (ACS), a brief self-report measure of ADHD-related thoughts, and evaluated its psychometric properties. Method: We collected self-report measures, inculding the ACS, from two large community samples (Ns = 262, 304). Results: The measure demonstrated a one-factor solution that replicated in the second sample. Evidence of good internal consistency and also convergent and divergent validity was obtained for both samples. Scores on the ACS correlated with functional impairment, time management problems, and avoidant coping strategies. Conclusion: With additional study, the ACS may be useful to identify and track maladaptive ADHD-related cognitions during cognitive-behavioral treatment, and to further study the role of th...
When Drinking Is Part of the Problem

Alcohol abuse is one of the most serious and underrecognized health problems in primary care. One in ten Americans abuse alcohol (1) and one in three families report problems related to drinking (2). Alcohol abuse is the leading cause of death in 15 to 45 year olds and is associated with 10% of all deaths in the U.S. including suicide, homicide, and fatal accidents. Suicide is 30 times more common in alcoholics, and one half of all fatal automobile accidents are due to drunk driving. Patients who abuse alcohol use medical services much more often than other patients. The direct health costs related to alcohol misuse is estimated to be $15 billion, and indirect costs (lost productivity, MVAs, fires and crime) account for an additional $90 billion (3).
Use of CD42b immunohistochemical stain for the detection of Histoplasma

In pathologic specimen, Histoplasma capsulatum can frequently be identified by morphology and special stains such as GMS and PAS. Incidentally, we noted unusual staining of the platelet associated marker CD42b/GP1b expressed on the surface of fungal organisms. Evaluation of additional cases demonstrated that a majority of histoplasmosis cases (15/18 cases; 83%) showed positive staining with CD42b/GP1b, comparable to GMS stain results. Other platelet associated markers such as Factor VIII and CD61 showed no or rare expression (1/18 cases with Factor VIII). Studies have shown that 14-3-3 proteins bind directly to cytoplasmic domain of CD42b/GP1b. Significant homology is seen between fungal and human 14-3-3 proteins which may represent a molecular basis for our observation. Our study demonstrated that CD42b/GP1b staining by immunohistochemistry can aid in detection of Histoplasma organisms. Further studies with organisms with similar morphologic features such as Blastomyces and Leishmania may demonstrate a diagnostic utility in speciating organisms.
Activating and Repressing IRE1α: The Hsp47 and BiP Tug of War

In this issue of Molecular Cell, Sepulveda et al. (2018) discovered an interesting role of Hsp47 in regulating the unfolded protein response (UPR) wherein Hsp47 binds to IRE1α and displaces BiP, thereby activating the IRE1α arm of the UPR pathway by a previously undetermined mechanism.
Processing of DNA Double-Strand Breaks in Yeast.

Abstract Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) intermediates are essential for homology-dependent repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and for the DNA damage response. Here we describe methods routinely used to identify ssDNA intermediates formed by end processing of site-specific DSBs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These methods have been applied in other model systems and human cell lines, and are useful tools to gain insight into the enzymes that process DSBs and how they are regulated.
Extended use of the wearable cardioverter-defibrillator in patients at risk for sudden cardiac death.

Aims Data on outcomes in patients using the wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD) > 90 days are limited. We aimed to analyse the clinical course of patients with WCD use ≤90 days vs. WCD use >90 days. Methods and results We assessed arrhythmia events during WCD use, and ejection fraction (EF) improvement/implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation at the end of WCD use in patients with WCD use ≤90 days vs. WCD use >90 days enrolled in the WEARIT-II registry, further assessed by disease aetiology (ischaemic vs. non-ischaemic vs. congenital/inherited heart disease). There were 981 (49%) patients with WCD use >90 days, and 1019 patients with WCD use ≤90 days (median 120 vs. 55 days). There was a lower incidence of sustained ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF) events (11 vs. 50 events per 100 patient-years, P 90 vs. WCD use ≤90 days. Non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy patients presented with similar rates of sustained VT/VF events during WCD use >90 vs. ≤90 days (13.4 vs. 13.7 events per 100 patient-years, P = 0.314), while most of these events terminated spontaneously. One-third of the patients with extended WCD use further improved their EF and they were not implanted with an ICD, with similar rates among ischaemic and non-ischaemic patients. Conclusions In WEARIT-II, patients with extended WCD use >90 days remain at risk for ventricular arrhythmia events. One-third of the patients with WCD use >90 days further improved their EF, avoiding the need to consider ICD implantation.
Videographic Hirschberg measurement of simulated strabismic deviations.

Purpose To demonstrate the potential use of subpixel image processing methods to perform automated Hirschberg measurements of strabismic deviations using relatively inexpensive personal computer hardware; to determine if the method might allow screening for strabismus using full-face video images obtained from a distance of 1 meter. Methods Strabismic deviations ( Results In 10 normal subjects, there was a statistically significant linear correlation of Hirschberg horizontal reflex deviation with asymmetric fixation pseudo-esotropia (0.85 > or = r2 > or = 0.99, P Conclusions The Hirschberg test is used manually to detect strabismus in infants and children but requires a highly skilled examiner. The image processing method described here requires no operator interpretation and may make the test more applicable. The results suggest that this technology may be appropriate for a screening instrument.
DeepThings: Distributed Adaptive Deep Learning Inference on Resource-Constrained IoT Edge Clusters

Edge computing has emerged as a trend to improve scalability, overhead, and privacy by processing large-scale data, e.g., in deep learning applications locally at the source. In IoT networks, edge devices are characterized by tight resource constraints and often dynamic nature of data sources, where existing approaches for deploying Deep/Convolutional Neural Networks (DNNs/CNNs) can only meet IoT constraints when severely reducing accuracy or using a static distribution that cannot adapt to dynamic IoT environments. In this paper, we propose DeepThings, a framework for adaptively distributed execution of CNN-based inference applications on tightly resource-constrained IoT edge clusters. DeepThings employs a scalable Fused Tile Partitioning (FTP) of convolutional layers to minimize memory footprint while exposing parallelism. It further realizes a distributed work stealing approach to enable dynamic workload distribution and balancing at inference runtime. Finally, we employ a novel work scheduling process to improve data reuse and reduce overall execution latency. Results show that our proposed FTP method can reduce memory footprint by more than 68% without sacrificing accuracy. Furthermore, compared to existing work sharing methods, our distributed work stealing and work scheduling improve throughput by $1.7\times -2.2\times$ with multiple dynamic data sources. When combined, DeepThings provides scalable CNN inference speedups of $1.7\times$ – $3.5\times$ on 2–6 edge devices with less than 23 MB memory each.
Exploring the relationship between African American adult learners’ computer, Internet, and academic self-efficacy, and attitude variables in technology-supported environments

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between African American adult students’ computer, Internet, and academic self-efficacy, and their attitudes toward computers, in technology-supported environments. The study examined whether computer and Internet self-efficacy differed between students with high and low levels of user attitude and computer anxiety. Correlations between academic self-efficacy and computer and Internet self-efficacy were also explored. Participants included adult students who were enrolled in face-to-face and online courses at a university in the southern United States. Quantitative approaches (i.e., MANOVA, correlation, and regression) were used to analyze the collected data. Results indicated that adult students showed a higher level of confidence in performing basic computer or software skills and Internet browsing actions in comparison to advanced computer skills or Internet tasks (e.g., tasks related to encrypting/decrypting and system manipulation). Computer and Internet self-efficacy significantly differed between learners with high and low levels of attitudes toward computers. Positive correlations were found between computer self-efficacy, Internet self-efficacy, and academic self-efficacy. Both computer self-efficacy and Internet self-efficacy were significant predictors of academic self-efficacy.
Clinical Decision Making with Head and Neck Cancer Patients with Dysphagia

Dysphagia is a common challenge faced by patients with head and neck cancer. Management of these patients is quite distinct from many other dysphagia etiologies due to the nature of surgical removal of organs critical to swallowing, the ability to provide preventative therapies, and the variable risk for complications related to dysphagia. Thus, clinicians providing care to the head and neck cancer population need to understand these differences when employing clinical decision making. In addition, changes in the demographics of head and neck cancer, related predominantly to the epidemic of oropharyngeal cancer associated with the human papillomavirus, have further transformed both the types of patients and the types of treatments offered. These epidemiologic factors further complicate the decision-making process for clinicians. This article provides a framework for decision making in the surgical and nonsurgical patient with head and neck cancer.
A Nucleic Acid Nanostructure Built through On-Electrode Ligation for Electrochemical Detection of a Broad Range of Analytes

For an assay to be most effective in point-of-care clinical analysis, it needs to be economical, simple, generalizable, and free from tedious workflows. While electrochemistry-based DNA sensors reduce instrumental costs and eliminate complicated procedures, there remains a need to address probe costs and generalizability, as numerous probes with multiple conjugations are needed to quantify a wide range of biomarkers. In this work, we have opened a route to circumvent complicated multiconjugation schemes using enzyme-catalyzed probe construction directly on the surface of the electrode. With this, we have created a versatile DNA nanostructure probe and validated its effectiveness by quantification of proteins (streptavidin, anti-digoxigenin, anti-tacrolimus) and small molecules (biotin, digoxigenin, tacrolimus) using the same platform. Tacrolimus, a widely prescribed immunosuppressant drug for organ transplant patients, was directly quantified with electrochemistry for the first time, with the assay range matching the therapeutic index range. Finally, the stability and sensitivity of the probe was confirmed in a background of minimally diluted human serum.
Consumer Perception of Biotin Supplementation.

BackgroundBiotin is an essential cofactor for metabolic pathways in humans. It is frequently self-prescribed by consumers and often recommended by dermatologists and primary care physicians, despit...
Short-term traffic state prediction from latent structures: Accuracy vs. efficiency

Abstract Recently, deep learning models have shown promising performances in many research areas, including traffic states prediction, due to their ability to model complex nonlinear relationships. However, deep learning models also have drawbacks that make them less preferable for certain short-term traffic prediction applications. For example, they require a large amount of data for model training, which is also computationally expensive. Moreover, deep learning models lack interpretability of the results. This paper develops a short-term traffic states forecasting algorithm based on partial least square (PLS) to help enhance real-time decision-making and build better insights into traffic data. The proposed model is capable of predicting short-term traffic states accurately and efficiently by capturing dominant spatiotemporal features and day-to-day variations from collinear and correlated traffic data. Three case studies are developed to demonstrate the proposed model in short-term traffic prediction applications.
Inconsistent Detection of Metastatic Non-clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma by PSMA-targeted 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT

1486 Objectives: To study the utility of PSMA-targeted 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT for the detection of sites of disease in patients with metastatic non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Methods: Eight patients with histologically confirmed non-clear cell RCC underwent imaging with 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT. Histologic subtypes of RCC that were imaged included papillary (n=3), chromophobe (n=2), unclassified (n=2), and Xp11 translocation-associated (n=1). Using conventional CT or MRI of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis as reference, two radiologists with expertise in nuclear medicine classified each lesion as having no radiotracer uptake, equivocal uptake, or visible uptake. In addition, maximum standardized uptake values were calculated for each lesion. Results: In total, 70 metastatic sites and three primary tumors were imaged. Sites of metastatic disease included lymph nodes (n=40), pulmonary nodules (n=10), bone lesions (n=15), brain lesions (n=3), and retroperitoneal masses (n=2) (see figure). Eight of the 70 lesions (11.4%) were classified as having visible radiotracer uptake (Median SUVmax = 2.90, range = 1.2-6.2), 13 lesions (18.6%) had equivocal uptake (Median SUVmax = 2.80, range = 0.5-6.5), and 49 lesions (70.0%) had no visible uptake (Median SUVmax = 1.70, range = 0.2-3.0). The three primary sites of disease demonstrated lower radiotracer avidity relative to surrounding normal parenchyma. No patient was found to have putative sites of disease only detected on 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT. Conclusions: Although the PSMA-targeted radiotracer 18F-DCFPyL was taken up by a portion of the metastatic non-clear cell RCC lesions, it did not improve detection relative to conventional imaging. In contrast to clear cell RCC, 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT likely has limited utility in patients with non-clear cell histologies.
PARC: A Processing-in-CAM Architecture for Genomic Long Read Pairwise Alignment using ReRAM

Technological advances in long read sequences have greatly facilitated the development of genomics. However, managing and analyzing the raw genomic data that outpaces Moore’s Law requires extremely high computational efficiency. On the one hand, existing software solutions can take hundreds of CPU hours to complete human genome alignment. On the other hand, the recently proposed hardware platforms achieve low processing throughput with significant overhead. In this paper, we propose PARC, an Processing-in-Memory architecture for long read pairwise alignment leveraging emerging resistive CAM (content-addressable memory) to accelerate the bottleneck chaining step in DNA alignment. Chaining takes 2-tuple anchors as inputs and identifies a set of correlated anchors as potential alignment candidates. Unlike traditional main memory which organizes relational data structure in a linear address space, PARC stores tuples in two neighboring crossbar arrays with shared row decoder such that column-wise in-memory computational operations and row-wise memory accesses can be performed in-situ in a symmetric crossbar structure. Compared to both software tools and state-of-the-art accelerators, PARC shows significant improvement in alignment throughput and energy efficiency, thanks to the in-site computation capability and optimized data mapping.
Long term outcomes of one-stage augmentation anterior urethroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective The objective is to summarize and characterize the long-term success of anterior augmentation urethroplasty (AU) in published series. The current literature on AU consists largely of retrospective series reporting intermediate follow-up and incompletely characterize the long term outcomes of AU. Materials and methods A systematic literature review was performed consistent with PRISMA guidelines to characterize long-term outcomes of AU with a minimum upper limit follow-up of 100 months. Penile/preputial skin flaps and graft and oral mucosal graft urethroplasties were included. The primary outcome was stricture-free survival for one-stage AU. Secondary analysis evaluated differences in outcomes based on two failure definitions: the need for intervention versus presence of recurrent stricture on cystoscopy or urethrography. Hazard rates were induced from the reported failure rates of one-stage AU and fixed and random effect models were fitted to the data. Additional subset analysis, removing potential confounders (lichen sclerosus, hypospadias and penile skin graft), was performed. Results Ten studies met inclusion criteria, and two studies reported separate outcomes for grafts and flaps, and thus were included separately in the analysis. The mean hazard rate across all studies was 0.0044, the corresponding survival rates at 1 year 0.948, 5 years 0.766, 10 years 0.587, and 15 years 0.45. Subset analysis of the 4 select and homogeneous studies noted 1, 5, 10, and 15 years survival rates of 0.97, 0.96, 0.74, and 0.63, respectively. Conclusions The long-term success rates of augmentation urethroplasty are appear to be worse than previously appreciated and patients should be counseled accordingly. Available at. https://www.intbrazjurol.com.br/pdf/aop/2019-0242RW.pdf.
UNH UNBIASED: Leadership Development and Policy Change to Promote Institutional Transformation

The University of New Hampshire (UNH) ADVANCE Institutional Transformation program, in keeping with the institution's mission of inclusive excellence, has as its overall goal to increase the number, retention and success of women faculty in the STEM disciplines. Based upon careful analysis of a University climate survey, several strategies are employed that include, but are not limited to strategic changes in recruitment and retention policies and practices; department chair professional development; formal mentoring policies; a wage equity analysis; and, flexible workplace policies. Coupled with these strategies is a rigorous social science study aimed at investigating the impact of gender equity institutional transformation on the representation and job satisfaction of women faculty at UNH. It is expected that results from this project and outcomes of the research study will seminally inform the current gender equity literature. Thus, this project has the potential to serve as a model for other institutions who identify comparable challenges in hiring, promoting, and, in general, advancing women STEM faculty.
Neuroligins and Neurodevelopmental Disorders: X-Linked Genetics

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that results in social-communication impairments, as well as restricted and repetitive behaviors. Moreover, ASD is more prevalent in males, with a male to female ratio of 4 to 1. Although the underlying etiology of ASD is generally unknown, recent advances in genome sequencing have facilitated the identification of a host of associated genes. Among these, synaptic proteins such as cell adhesion molecules have been strongly linked with ASD. Interestingly, many large genome sequencing studies exclude sex chromosomes, which leads to a shift in focus toward autosomal genes as targets for ASD research. However, there are many genes on the X chromosome that encode synaptic proteins, including strong candidate genes. Here, we review findings regarding two members of the neuroligin (NLGN) family of postsynaptic adhesion molecules, NLGN3 and NLGN4. Neuroligins have multiple isoforms (NLGN1-4), which are both autosomal and sex-linked. The sex-linked genes, NLGN3 and NLGN4, are both on the X chromosome and were among the first few genes to be linked with ASD and intellectual disability (ID). In addition, there is a less studied human neuroligin on the Y chromosome, NLGN4Y, which forms an X-Y pair with NLGN4X. We will discuss recent findings of these neuroligin isoforms regarding function at the synapse in both rodent models and human-derived differentiated neurons, and highlight the exciting challenges moving forward to a better understanding of ASD/ID.
Extreme hyperallometry of mammalian antibacterial defenses

Abstract Terrestrial mammals span 7 orders of magnitude in body size, ranging from the 3900 kg African elephant (Loxodonta africana). Although body size has profound effects on the behavior, physiology, ecology, and evolution of animals, how body mass affects immune functions is unknown. Here, using data from >160 terrestrial species of mammals, we show that the size-scaling of antibacterial activity in serum exhibits extreme hyperallometry. Compared to small mammals, the serum of large mammals is remarkably inhospitable to bacteria. Such hypermetric scaling of immune defenses provides novel perspectives on the ecology of host-pathogen interactions, and on their co-evolutionary dynamics. These results also have implications for effectively modeling human immunity and for identifying reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens.
The Biology of Crustacea

The biology of Crustacea , The biology of Crustacea , مرکز فناوری اطلاعات و اطلاع رسانی کشاورزی
Cartilage-like tribological performance of charged double network hydrogels

Abstract A synthetic hydrogel material may offer utility as a cartilage replacement if it is able to maintain low friction in different sliding environments and achieve bulk mechanical properties to withstand the severe environment of the joint. In this work, we compared the tribological behavior of four double network (DN) hydrogels to that of fresh porcine cartilage in both water and fetal bovine serum (FBS). The DN hydrogels were comprised of a negatively charged 1st network and a 2nd network wherein comonomers of varying charge (i.e. neutral, positive, negative, and zwitterionic) were introduced at 10 wt% to an otherwise neutral network. A steel ball probe was used to perform microindentation tests to determine the surface elastic modulus of the samples and estimate their contact areas during sliding. Friction tests using a stationary probe with a stage that reciprocated at a range of speeds were performed to develop lubrication curves in both water and FBS. We found that the DN hydrogels with a neutral or zwitterionic 2nd network had the lowest friction and shear stresses, notably below that of cartilage. The differences in charge and structure of the samples were more evident in water than in FBS, as the lubrication responses for all the hydrogels spanned a wider range of values. In FBS, the lubrication responses were pushed towards elasto-hydrodynamics with nearly all friction coefficient values falling below 0.3. This indicates that the FBS interacts with the hydrogels and cartilage samples in a similar manner as that of cartilage by maintaining a robust layer of solution at the interface during sliding. These DN hydrogels prove to fulfill, and in some cases surpass, the lubrication demands for cartilage replacement in load bearing joints.
Quality of Life Outcomes for Patients on Palliative Cardiac Continuous Intravenous Inotropic Support

Purpose As more patients live with advanced heart failure, use of continuous intravenous inotropic support (CIIS) as palliative therapy has increased over the last decade. However, in-depth analysis of symptom benefits provided by CIIS and its associated risks merit further investigation. We aimed to study health-related quality of life outcomes for patients receiving CIIS as palliative therapy. Methods Retrospective analysis of patients with advanced heart failure at an urban, academic center who were started on CIIS as palliative therapy between 2014-2016. Patients prescribed CIIS as bridge to surgical therapies were excluded. Data collected from the EHR included demographics, length of time on CIIS, change in functional status at first clinic appointment, and complications of therapy (e.g. ICD shocks, infections, hospitalizations, ER visits, ICU admissions). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Seventy-six patients meeting study criteria received CIIS for palliation for an average of 6.2 months. The majority experienced improvement in functional status (69.7%) and changed code status to DNR/DNI after inotrope initiation (57.8%). Rates of ICD shocks and central line infection were 4.4 and 1.3 per 100 person-months of CIIS therapy, respectively. The rate of all cause- hospitalization was 43.6 per 100 person-months of follow up. More specifically, rate of hospitalization due to acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), bacteremia, ICD shock, or other were 12.9, 1.1, 0, and 1.3 per 100 person-months of follow-up, respectively. Reasons for ED visits due to HF compared to non-HF related were 11.2 and 3.4 per 100 person-months, respectively. The rate of ICU admission during palliative CIIS was 5.5 per 100 person-months. Overall, patients spent 20.1% (SD 21.7%) of their time on inotropes admitted to our hospital. Conclusion Patients in this cohort reported an improvement in functional status after the initiation of CIIS. All-cause hospitalization rate was quite high in this patient cohort, with ADHF being the primary reason for hospitalization, followed by bacteremia. ICD shocks do not appear to be a major burden for these patients with respect to both rate of shocks observed and reason for hospitalization. Patients on CIIS as palliative therapy spent, on average, one out of five days in the hospital while on inotropic therapy.
Gradient-mixing LEGO robots for purifying DNA origami nanostructures of multiple components by rate-zonal centrifugation

DNA origami purification is critical in emerging applications of functionalized DNA nanostructures from basic fundamental biophysics, nanorobots to therapeutics. Advances in DNA origami purification have led to the establishment of rate-zonal centrifugation (RZC) as a scalable, high-yield, and contamination-free approach to purifying DNA origami nanostructures. In RZC purification, a linear density gradient is created using viscous agents, such as glycerol and sucrose, to separate molecules based on their mass and shape during high-rpm centrifugation. However, current methods for creating density gradients are typically time-consuming because of their reliance on slow passive diffusion. Here, we built a LEGO gradient mixer to rapidly create a quasi-continuous density gradient with minimal layering of concentrations using simple rotational motion. We found that rotating two layers of different concentrations at an angle can reduce the diffusion time from a few hours to mere minutes. The instrument needed to perform the movement can be constructed from low-cost components, such as Arduino and LEGO Mindstorms pieces, and has comparable efficacy to commercial gradient mixers currently available. Our results demonstrate that the creation of a linear density gradient can be achieved with minimal labor, time, and cost with this machine. With the recent advances in DNA origami production, we anticipate our findings to further improve the viability of scaling up DNA origami purification in grams quantities. Our simple process enables automated large-scale purification of functionalized DNA origami more feasible in resource-constrained settings.
Salvage therapies for radiation-relapsed isocitrate dehydrogenase-mutant astrocytoma and 1p/19q codeleted oligodendroglioma.

Background Optimal management for recurrent IDH-mutant glioma after radiation therapy (RT) is not well-defined. This study assesses practice patterns for managing recurrent IDH-mutant astrocytoma (Astro) and 1p/19q codeleted oligodendroglioma (Oligo) after RT and surveys their clinical outcomes after different salvage approaches. Methods Ninety-four recurrent Astro or Oligo patients after RT who received salvage systemic therapy (SST) between 2001 and 2019 at a tertiary cancer center were retrospectively analyzed. SST was defined as either alkylating chemotherapy (AC) or nonalkylating therapy (non-AC). Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method from the start of SST. Multivariable analysis (MVA) was conducted using Cox regression analysis. Results Recurrent Oligo (n = 35) had significantly higher PFS (median: 3.1 vs 0.8 years, respectively, P = .002) and OS (median: 6.3 vs 1.5 years, respectively, P 2 years after prior RT received reirradiation. On MVA, non-AC was associated with worse OS for both Oligo and Astro; salvage surgery was associated with improved PFS and OS for Astro; early reirradiation was associated with improved PFS for Astro. Conclusions Recurrent radiation-relapsed IDH-mutant gliomas represent a heterogeneous group with variable treatment approaches. Surgery, AC, and reirradiation remain the mainstay of salvage options for retreatment.
A series of selective events

Three unprecedented selective bioconjugation methods for serine, methionine and lysine have been realized. Specifically, chemoselectivity for serine, site-selectivity for methionine and site-specificity for lysine were achieved.
The Effectiveness of Drowning Prevention Strategies

The circumstances surrounding drownings are multiple and varied and so too are the strategies recommended to prevent them. Successful drowning prevention programs must address the age and developmental stage of the potential victim as well as the specific scenarios under which the drownings occur. Drowning prevention strategies include primary prevention, which is preventing the drowning altogether, and secondary prevention, which is improving the outcome should a drowning occur. They also include both passive approaches, which require no action or only a one time action, and active strategies, which require repeated action.
Twentieth-Century Organ Music

1. The Organ in the Twentieth Century 2. The German Lands 3. Max Reger 4. The Idea of "Bewegung" in the Organ Reform Movement of the 1920s 5. France and French-speaking Switzerland 6. Olivier Messiaen 7. The Low Countries 8. Scandinavia 9. The United States 10. Gyoergy Ligeti 11. Herbert Howells 1 2. Twentieth-Century Organ Music in the Christian Liturgy
Financing Professional Sports Facilities

The past 20 years have witnessed a massive transformation of professional sports infrastructure in North America and the rest of the world. In the United States and Canada alone, by 2012, 125 of the 140 teams in the five largest professional sports leagues, the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Soccer (MLS), and National Hockey League (NHL), will play in stadia constructed or significantly refurbished since 1990. This new construction has come at a significant cost, the majority of which has been borne by taxpayers. Construction costs alone for major league professional sports facilities have totaled in excess of $30 billion in nominal terms over the past two decades, with over half of the cost being paid by the public. See Tables 14.1-14.5 for lists of newly constructed or refurbished stadia in various American sports leagues. It should be noted that these figures understate the total level of public subsidies directed toward spectator sports, as they exclude subsidies not directly related to infrastructure and also ignore minor league and collegiate sports as well as other popular professional sports such as golf, tennis, and auto racing.
Design and analysis of experiments on mutagenicity. I. Minimal sample sizes.

Abstract The probability (power) of collecting sufficient data to demonstrate statistically that a chemical is mutagenic is examined. A formula is derived with which one may calculate the likelihood of correctly concluding a chemical is mutagenic based upon (1) the total sample size, (2) the relative size of the experimental group, (3) the spontaneous mutation rate and (4) the minimal increase in mutation rate that one is concerned in detecting. Figures are also presented which allow one to determine the minimal total sample size required to assure oneself a reasonable chance of successfully demonstrating a chemical to be mutagenic. It is found that the best designed (most powerful) experiments are those with approximately equal numbers of indviduals in the experimental and control groups. Those experiments in which excess numbers of individuals are allotted to either the experimental or control groups suffer a substantial reduction in power. In addition, caution should be exercised when concluding that a chemical is not mutagenic. The inability to collect sufficient data to demonstrate the mutagenicity of a chemical might be attributable to one's using too small a total sample size rather than to lack of mutagenic activity, especially in mutagenicity assay systems involving very small spontaneous mutation rates.
Classification on data with biased class distribution

Labeled data for classification could often be obtained by sampling that restricts or favors choice of certain classes. A classifier trained using such data will be biased, resulting in wrong inference and sub-optimal classification on new data. Given an unlabeled new data set we propose a bootstrap method to estimate its class probabilities by using an estimate of the classifier's accuracy on training data and an estimate of probabilities of classifier's predictions on new data. Then, we propose two methods to improve classification accuracy on new data. The first method can be applied only if a classifier was designed to predict posterior class probabilities where predictions of an existing classifier are adjusted according to the estimated class probabilities of new data. The second method can be applied to an arbitrary classification algorithm, but it requires retraining on the properly resampled data. The proposed bootstrap algorithm was validated through experiments with 500 replicates calculated on 1,000 realizations for each of 16 choices of data set size, number of classes, prior class probabilities and conditional probabilities describing a classifier's performance. Applications of the proposed methodology to a benchmark data set with various class probabilities on unlabeled data and balanced class probabilities on the training data provided strong evidence that the proposed methodology can be successfully used to significantly improve classification on unlabeled data.
RF Systems and Accelerating Structures for Linear Colliders

This paper presents some of the new design requirements for linear colliders and describes the types of RF systems and accelerating structures that might produce very high energies and gradients within reasonable power consumption limits. Directions for future research are indicated.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND CORPORATE PERFORMANCE: A COMPARISON OF GERMANY, JAPAN, AND THE U.S.

Contrary to assertions that there are fundamental differences in the efficiency of “market-based” and “relationship-oriented” corporate governance systems, this article presents evidence that the German, Japanese, and American systems appear about equally effective in disciplining poor managerial performance. For example, both the job security and total compensation of German and Japanese managers appear to be tied to stock performance and current cash flows- measures that some would refer to as “short-term”-to roughly the same extent as those of U.S. managers. Furthermore, the punishments and rewards for German and Japanese managers are not more sensitive to sales growth-a measure some would refer to as “long-term”-than those of their U.S. counterparts. But, if there is no clear difference between the three governance systems in responding to poor stock and earnings performance, there is one important difference: the U.S. system is more effective than the German and Japanese systems in discouraging successful companies from overinvest-ing. One reason for this is the fact that U.S. managers hold much larger equity positions than managers in Japan and Germany. Another important factor, however, is the difficulty faced by Japanese companies in returning capital to their shareholders. Dividends are minimal; and, until 1995, it was illegal for a Japanese company to repurchase its stock.
Prognostic value of the signal-averaged electrocardiogram and a prolonged QRS in ischemic ana nonischemic cardiomyopathy

Studies of electrocardiographic predictors of mortality in patients with chronic heart failure have reached varying conclusions. Differences in the characteristics of the patients studied may explain the conflicting results regarding both a prolonged QRS and an abnormal signal-averaged electrocardiogram (SAE). We therefore investigated the impact of the etiology of heart failure on the prognostic importance of a prolonged QRS and an abnormal SAE in 200 patients with heart failure. Patients were categorized according to etiology of heart failure and electrocardiographic parameters. The mortality of patients with a prolonged QRS was compared with mortality in those with both abnormal and normal SAEs. This was done for the entire group, and separately for those with ischemic and those with nonischemic cardiomyopathy. The mean follow-up was 18.8 months. Nonischemic patients with a prolonged QRS had significantly worse survival than other patients. However, nonischemic patients with an abnormal SAE did not have a worse prognosis than patients with a normal SAE. One-year survival of patients with a prolonged QRS was 71%, compared with 98% in patients with a normal and 87% in patients with an abnormal SAE (p < 0.05). In contrast, a prolonged QRS was not a predictor of poor prognosis in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (81% one year mortality). Patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and an abnormal SAE tended to have a poorer survival than patients with a normal SAE (73% and 81% one year mortality, respectively). Thus, the etiology of heart failure affects the prognostic importance of both a prolonged QRS and an abnormal SAE.
Methylene exchange reactions catalyzed by alkylidene derivatives of titanium and phosphorus

Abstract Although olefin metathesis is generally catalyzed by compounds of Mo, W, or Re, alkylidene derivatives of titanium and of phosphorus also catalyze methylene exchange between olefins, the so-called degenerate metathesis reaction. In contrast to the metal-based catalysts, the phosphorus-based catalysts are effective with olefins in which the CC bond is conjugated with a functional group such as CN or COOR. These new families of catalysts may operate by an alkylidene/metallacycle mechanism like that now generally accepted for conventional olefin metatheses. The titanium system can be used to study some of the individual steps in metatheses and to help elucidate the role of the commonly used alkylaluminum cocatalyst. Titanacyclobutenes have been isolated from the reactions of acetylenes with methylenetitanium complexes. The structures have been determined crystallographically.