cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Palliative Care for the Anesthesia Provider

Caring for geriatric patients means caring for patients who may have serious illness and chronic illness or may even be approaching the end of life. Many geriatric patients who are seriously ill are at higher risk for perioperative morbidity and mortality, and thus, incorporating palliative care principles may be needed to secure applicable care plans by setting appropriate goals of care. Palliative care provides geriatric (or any aged patient) the following: (1) expert-based symptom management, (2) psychological and social support for the patient and the patient’s family, and (3) a patient-centered analysis of the patient’s and family’s unique goals, desires, and fears regarding any appropriate medical care. Advanced care planning is the hallmark of palliative care in that it facilitates alignment of the goals of care between the patient and their family with the members of their healthcare team. When these goals conflict, perioperative ethical dilemmas can occur. Resolution of symptom management should be considered from the patient’s standpoint, not the healthcare team’s viewpoint. Many patients can present to the operating room with serious illnesses, with advanced care planning (or limitations to healthcare), or with conditions directly related to “end-of-life” care. Anesthesiologists must overcome personal, cultural, institutional, and religious barriers when managing the care of these geriatric patients. When symptoms can no longer be reasonably treated, they become refractory symptoms. Refractory symptoms can cause significant distress, and the expertise of palliative care specialists may be required to palliate those symptoms. If symptoms continue to remain refractory to standard and advanced care therapy or treatments, some patients may require the addition of sedation in addition to aggressive symptom management in order to relieve the patient’s perception of distress or suffering. Finally, palliative care is gaining ground in many more perioperative populations within certain patient groups. Palliative care and hospice are being utilized more and more in the geriatric patient population. Geriatric anesthesiologists must be aware of how palliative care and hospice can further influence and enhance (for the better) the care of the elderly patient. Using palliative care throughout the perioperative period has the potential to improve geriatric patient perioperative care.
The Scope of Demands

When the kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia dreamt of forming Italy in 1859, it set about forging a secret alliance with France, inspiring insurrections in Austria's Italian provinces, and conducting military maneuvers close to the Austrian border. The Austrians mobilized in response and war appeared likely. A compromise proposal was floated by the Powers according to which the Austrians would pull their troops back from the boarder in return for Piedmontese demobilization. In private diplomatic communications, the Austrians rejected this compromise, insisting the Piedmontese demobilize first. In cases such as this, costless communication is difficult, and is often thought to be impossible. All parties knew what the Austrians wanted; what they did not know initially was whether Austria was willing to fight rather than accept a compromise. Why should words uttered in private convince anyone? Austria had incentive to make the more substantial demand even if it were not willing to fight over the matter. But nevertheless, observers did learn from the Austrian refusal. The British ambassador to Austria even concluded that he had “not the smallest hope that the Austrian Government will agree to any such [compromise].” How did observers reach this conclusion? The ambassador may have drawn this inference because he believed that Austria, having made the threat, would not have wanted to be caught in a bluff, but this could be said of every threat and diplomats sometimes believe that threats lack credibility. Although a range of factors certainly affected the ambassador's conclusion, he likely made the following simple inference: in demanding more, Austria had given up the opportunity to achieve a compromise solution that Austria believed Piedmont was much more likely to have conceded without fighting; therefore, Austria is resolved to fight for the more substantial demand. Through this mechanism, the scope of state demands commonly conveys information about resolve to adversaries in international politics. Despite literature in international relations that argues the contrary, such simple inferences are often quite rational in diplomatic relations. This chapter analyzes a model similar to Fearon (1995) in order to demonstrate that higher demands can increase perceptions of a state's resolve to fight for more favorable outcomes when two conditions hold. First, when negotiations produce a peaceful outcome, both sides must share in the bargaining surplus from avoiding war.
EUV Free-Electron Laser Requirements for Semiconductor Manufacturing

Laser-produced plasma extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) sources currently power EUV lithography tools, supporting advanced semiconductor manufacturing research and development. However, a source with sufficient power to support high-volume manufacturing has yet to be realized, but the sheer number of installed tools indicates that the transition to EUV lithography is no longer a question of “if” but “when”. After the initial insertion of EUV lithography into manufacturing, the prerequisite dose scaling with technology node will be steep and therefore drive the EUV cost-per layer. Free-electron lasers may offer a low-cost, high-power alternative and facilitate further expansion of lithographic capabilities, including the development of high-NA and high-throughput NA 0.33 scanners. Adaptation and development of existing scientific light source knowledge, components, and infrastructure for development of an industrial light source requires collaboration between the academic and manufacturing communities. Considerations for an integrated free-electron laser lithography light source are discussed, focusing on the specific needs of the semiconductor industry.
Counseling Parents of the Mentally Retarded: A Christian Perspective:

The families of mentally retarded individuals face unique stresses and often require counseling that will help them adjust positively to their problems. The distinctive difficulties encountered by ...
Mitochondrial disease patient motivations and barriers to participate in clinical trials.

Background Clinical treatment trials are increasingly being designed in primary mitochondrial disease (PMD), a phenotypically and genetically heterogeneous collection of inherited multi- system energy deficiency disorders that lack effective therapy. We sought to identify motivating factors and barriers to clinical trial participation in PMD. Methods A survey study was conducted in two independent mitochondrial disease subject cohorts. A discovery cohort invited subjects with well-defined biochemical or molecularly- confirmed PMD followed at a single medical center (CHOP, n = 30/67 (45%) respondents). A replication cohort included self-identified PMD subjects in the Rare Disease Clinical Research Network (RDCRN) national contact registry (n = 290/1119 (26%) respondents). Five-point Likert scale responses were analyzed using descriptive and quantitative statistics. Experienced and prioritized symptoms for trial participation, and patient attitudes toward detailed aspects of clinical trial drug features and study design. Results PMD subjects experienced an average of 16 symptoms. Muscle weakness, chronic fatigue, and exercise intolerance were the lead symptoms encouraging trial participation. Motivating trial design factors included a self-administered study drug; vitamin, antioxidant, natural or plant-derivative; pills; daily treatment; guaranteed treatment access during and after study; short travel distances; and late-stage (phase 3) participation. Relative trial participation barriers included a new study drug; discontinuation of current medications; disease progression; daily phlebotomy; and requiring participant payment. Treatment trial type or design preferences were not influenced by population age (pediatric versus adult), prior research trial experience, or disease severity. Conclusions These data are the first to convey clear PMD subject preferences and priorities to enable improved clinical treatment trial design that cuts across the complex diversity of disease. Partnering with rare disease patient communities is essential to effectively design robust clinical trials that engage patients and enable meaningful evaluation of emerging treatment interventions.
Roles of the sire and dam quail in egg, yolk, albumen, and shell weight alterations due to the parthenogenetic trait

Abstract Infertile eggs from Chinese Painted quail exhibit parthenogenesis, and the 1st egg in a clutch sequence is more likely to develop a parthenogenetic embryo. Also, hens that exhibit parthenogenesis have shorter clutches and heavier egg weights. These larger eggs may be a result of the egg residing in the oviduct longer, allowing more time for the parthenote to develop. However, it is unknown which components of the egg are altered due to the parthenogenetic trait or the role of dams and sires from the parthenogenetic line of quails in these alterations. Therefore, our objective was to determine if the parthenogenetic trait in dams, sires, or both contributes to alterations in egg components, such as yolk, albumen, and shell weights. Two selected lines of quail, 1 line selected for parthenogenesis and 1 line that was unselected for the parthenogenetic trait (control), were utilized in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of dam and sire lines to create 4 breeding treatments: control dams + control sires (CC), control dams + parthenogenetic sires (CP), parthenogenetic dams + control sires (PC), parthenogenetic dams + parthenogenetic sires (PP). Daily, fresh eggs were collected, labeled, weighed, and the germinal disc was classified as fertile, unfertilized without development, or parthenote. Yolk, albumen, and shell weights were obtained, and their weights were also calculated as percentage of total egg weight. A dam main effect revealed heavier weights for total egg, yolk, albumen, and shell as well as a larger percentage of albumen and ratio of albumen to yolk in parthenogenetic line dams versus control line dams. However, the percentage of yolk was higher for control than parthenogenetic line dams. The increase in total egg and egg component weights due to the parthenogenetic trait suggests that the transit time of the egg through the oviduct is altered. Perhaps transit through the magnum and uterus is delayed the most yielding greater albumen and shell weights, respectively.
Compressive Sensing for Video Applications

Abstract We are on the throes of a “data crisis.” We are building sensors of increasing capabilities—be it of resolution, frame rate or dimensionality. Simultaneously, large scale deployment of such sensors are being increasingly common. Traditional models for sensors do not extend easily to such scenarios. This is especially relevant in the context of high speed imaging and multi-spectral imaging where traditional sensing models produce overly complicated and costly designs. We need a scalable theory of sensing; one such theory is compressive sensing. In this paper, we will present an extensive overview of computational imaging and compressive sensing techniques as applied to the video compressive sensing problem. We show the interplay of three core ideas: signal models, imaging architectures and recovery algorithms. Signal models provide parsimonious representations for (classes of) video thereby reducing the inherent dimensionality of the sensing problem. Novel imaging architectures enable richer relationships between scene and the sensor. And finally, recovery algorithms enable reconstruction of the sensed scene from the sensor data using the priors provided by the signal model. The rich interplay of these three concepts are at the heart of much of compressive sensing; in this paper, we highlight it in the context of video compressive sensing.
Measures of Information

For the purposes of studying discrete channel coding, we can view the combination of digital data modulator, channel, and digital data demodulator as simply a discrete channel. In general in information theory, there are no fixed rules on exactly where the channel starts and stops, and therefore it is always appropriate to regard the channel as the part of the system (excluding the source) which we do not care to change at the moment.
D-cycloserine inhibits amygdala responses during repeated presentations of faces.

INTRODUCTION Recently, human studies using exposure therapy to treat anxiety have demonstrated that pretreatment with D-cycloserine (DCS) enhances fear reduction in anxiety disorders. However, the underlying brain mechanisms mediating this fear reduction have yet to be determined. METHODS The effects of orally administered DCS on amygdala activity during the processing of repeated facial expressions were examined in this double-blind study. Fourteen healthy males (30.0+/-8.7 years of age) randomly received DCS 500 mg or placebo prior to 3.0 Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging acquisition. All participants viewed four separate runs, consisting of a single block of a repeated facial expression (happy or fearful) bracketed by fixation blocks. RESULTS Anatomic region-of-interest analyses showed that the placebo group exhibited amygdala activation and response habituation, while the DCS group displayed blunted amygdala responses to emotional faces across the experiment, whereby habituation was not detected. CONCLUSION This finding may have relevance for testing treatments of anxiety and depression.
Epidural anatomy examined by cryomicrotome section. Influence of age, vertebral level, and disease.

Background and Objectives Cryomicrotome section is a means of anatomic examination with minimal artifact ideally suited to delineating details of tissue relationships in the epidural space. In the past, healthy adult lumbar levels have been studied by this method. This report extends observations to other regions of the vertebral column, other age groups, and some abnormal conditions. Methods The bodies of 26 adults were frozen in toto soon after death, and the bodies of 2 children were frozen after embalming. Unstained anatomy was revealed by sectioning, and the exposed surface was photographed. Results As compared with the lumbar level, there are diminished epidural contents at the thoracic and cervical levels, and the ligamentum flavum is more frequently discontinuous. A large basivertebral vein with its origin in the anterior epidural space is typical of the lower thoracic and upper lumbar levels. Although the epidural contents are typically divided into compartments, there is incomplete segmentation of the posterior compartments during early childhood and often at thoracic levels in adults. In advanced age with degenerative disc and joint changes, distortion and compression of the epidural space are typical. Conclusions Variations in epidural anatomy due to vertebral level, age, and disease may alter the ease of epidural entry and passage of catheters and injected solution.
Intermediate Filaments: Problems and Perspectives

Even though intermediate filaments (IF) appear morphologically similar in the cytoplasm of cells from different tissues, they show a considerable diversity with regard to their composition (Zackroff et al. 1981; Steinert et al., 1984; Steinert & Roop, 1988). The IF proteins are classified into several types: acidic keratins (type I); neutral-basic keratins (type II); desmin, vimentin, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and a newly described 57kD neuron-specific protein (Parysek & Goldman, 1987; type III); and neurofilament triplet proteins (type IV). Recently, the nuclear lamins were also recognized as members of the IF protein family (type V; Fisher et al., 1986; McKeon et al., 1986; Steinert & Roop, 1988). The most prominent structural feature, common to all IF protein molecules, is a conserved central ‘rod’ domain, greatly enriched in alpha helix (Steinert et al., 1984; Steinert & Roop, 1988). In contrast, the amino and carboxy terminal domains of these proteins are variable with respect to both sequence and size. In Types I–IV IF proteins, the central domain contains three short non-alpha helical stretches termed L1, L1–2, and L2 (Steinert et al., 1984; Steinert & Roop, 1988), while in the case of the nuclear lamins the alpha helical region is longer and relatively uninterrupted (Steinert et al., 1984; Steinert & Roop, 1988).
Structural Differences Between the Woodchuck Hepatitis Virus Core Protein in Dimer and Capsid States Indicate Entropic and Conformational Regulation of Assembly

Abstract Hepadnaviruses are hepatotropic enveloped DNA viruses with an icosahedral capsid. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes chronic infection in an estimated 240 million people; Woodchuck Hepatitis virus (WHV), an HBV homologue, has been an important model system for drug development. The dimeric capsid protein (Cp) plays multiple functions during the viral life cycle and thus has become an important target for a new generation of antivirals. Purified HBV and WHV Cp spontaneously assemble into 120-dimer capsids. Though they have 65% identity, WHV Cp has error-prone assembly with stronger protein-protein association. We have taken advantage of the differences in assembly to investigate the basis of assembly regulation. We have determined the structures of the WHV capsid to 4.5 A resolution by cryo-EM and the WHV Cp dimer to 2.9 A resolution by crystallography and examined the biophysical properties of the dimer. We found, in dimer, the subdomain that makes protein-protein interactions is partially disordered and rotated 21° from its position in capsid. This subdomain is susceptible to proteolysis, consistent with local disorder. These data show there is an entropic cost for assembly that is compensated for by the energetic gain of burying hydrophobic interprotein contacts. We propose a series of stages in assembly that incorporate disorder-to-order transition and structural shifts. WHV assembly shows similar susceptibility to HBV antiviral molecules, suggesting that HBV assembly follows similar transitions and indicating WHV’s importance as a model system for drug development. We suggest that a cascade of structural changes may be a common mechanism for regulating high fidelity capsid assembly in HBV and other viruses. Author summary Capsid assembly is a key step in the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) life cycle; it requires sophisticated regulation to ensure the production of capsids and viruses with high-fidelity. HBV capsids are constructed from 120 self-assembling capsid protein dimers (Cp). It was hypothesized that changes in Cp structure regulated the assembly reaction. Here we determined structures of dimer and capsid for Woodchuck Hepatitis virus (WHV), an HBV homologue. We observed that the component of the dimer involved in subunit-subunit interactions undergoes a disorder-order transition and changes structure concomitant with assembly. Meanwhile WHV Cp displays similar susceptibility to HBV antiviral. We propose that this structural transition entropically regulates assembly and may be a common theme in other viruses.
Abstract LB-265: ARAF activates RAS by antagonizing its interaction with NF1

ARAF, BRAF and CRAF protein kinases are RAS effectors required for activation of ERK signaling. ARAF has relatively modest kinase activity and its biological functions are largely unknown. Here, we show that ectopic expression of ARAF but not B- or CRAF, leads to induction of RAS activation in cells with WT RAS. This phenomenon requires the binding of ARAF to RAS but not its kinase activity. ARAF was found to reduce inactivation of RAS by antagonizing its binding to the major RAS-GAP NF1. By this mechanism, the abundance of ARAF in cells determines cellular RAS-GTP levels, the dynamics of RTK-induced RAS activation and the biological consequences of RAS signaling. We find that a certain expression level of ARAF is required for growth factors induced proliferating or neural differentiation in PC12 cells. In RTK-dependent tumor cells, knocking down of ARAF leads to a reduction of RAS-GTP, thus impairs RAS signaling and the tumor growth. Furthermore, by investigating the tumor samples from MSK patients who are diagnosed with progressing disease after EGFR inhibitor treatment, we find the up-regulation of ARAF (including the ARAF gene amplification) is associated with EGFR inhibitor resistance in the lung cancer patients. We confirmed in cell line and xenograft models that a 5-fold elevation of ARAF expression is sufficient to eliminate RAS inhibition by EGFR inhibition and to cause resistance. Resistance in these cells could be overcome by combining EGFR and SHP2 inhibitors. The latter prevents EGFR activation of RAS-GTP exchange and thus would be expected with weaking the effects of NF1 inhibition by ARAF. Taken together, our work shows that ARAF directly activates RAS by antagonizing its interaction with NF1 and thus affects the duration and cellular response of growth factor activation and sensitivity of tumors to pharmacological inhibition of RTK-RAS signaling. Citation Format: Wenjing Su, Rona Yaeger, Na Na, Jaclyn Hechtman, Viktoriya Paroder, Sandra Misale, Sae-Won Han, Omar I. Abdel-Wahab, Frank McCormick, Neal Rosen, Zhan Yao. ARAF activates RAS by antagonizing its interaction with NF1 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-265.
Molecular interaction site on procoagulant myosin for factor Xa-dependent prothrombin activation.

Skeletal muscle myosin has potent procoagulant activity that is based on its ability to enhance thrombin generation due to binding coagulation factors Xa and Va and accelerating prothrombin activation. A well-studied myosin inhibitor that binds to myosin's neck region inhibits myosin-dependent prothrombin activation. Hence, to identify a potential binding site(s) on skeletal muscle myosin for factor Xa, 19 peptides (25-40 residues) representing the neck region, which consists of a regulatory light chain, an essential light chain, and a heavy chain (HC), were screened for inhibition of myosin-supported prothrombin activation. Peptide HC796-835 comprising residues 796-835 of the heavy chain strongly inhibited myosin-enhanced prothrombin activation by factors Xa and Va (50% inhibition at 1.2 μm), but it did not inhibit phospholipid vesicle-enhanced prothrombin activation. Peptide inhibition studies also implicated several myosin light chain sequences located near HC796-835 as potential procoagulant sites. A peptide comprising HC796-835's C-terminal half, but not a peptide comprising its N-terminal half, inhibited myosin-enhanced prothrombin activation (50% inhibition at 1.2 μm). This inhibitory peptide (HC816-837) did not inhibit phospholipid-enhanced prothrombin activation, indicating its specificity for inhibition of myosin-dependent procoagulant mechanisms. Binding studies showed that purified factor Xa was bound to immobilized peptides HC796-835 and HC816-837 with apparent Kd values of 0.78 and 1.3 μm, respectively. In summary, these studies imply that HC residues 816-835 in the neck region of the skeletal muscle myosin directly bind factor Xa and, with contributions from light chain residues in this neck region, contribute to provision of myosin's procoagulant surface.
Multilevel spatial randomness approach for monitoring changes in 3D topographic surfaces

The 3D surface topography of finished products is a key characteristic for monitoring the quality of products and manufacturing processes. The topography has unique properties in which the topograp...
Surveilling Influenza Incidence With Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web Traffic Data: Demonstration Using a Novel Dataset.

Background: Influenza epidemics result in a public health and economic burden worldwide. Traditional surveillance techniques, which rely on doctor visits, provide data with a delay of 1 to 2 weeks. A means of obtaining real-time data and forecasting future outbreaks is desirable to provide more timely responses to influenza epidemics. Objective: This study aimed to present the first implementation of a novel dataset by demonstrating its ability to supplement traditional disease surveillance at multiple spatial resolutions. Methods: We used internet traffic data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website to determine the potential usability of this data source. We tested the traffic generated by 10 influenza-related pages in 8 states and 9 census divisions within the United States and compared it against clinical surveillance data. Results: Our results yielded an r2 value of 0.955 in the most successful case, promising results for some cases, and unsuccessful results for other cases. In the interest of scientific transparency to further the understanding of when internet data streams are an appropriate supplemental data source, we also included negative results (ie, unsuccessful models). Models that focused on a single influenza season were more successful than those that attempted to model multiple influenza seasons. Geographic resolution appeared to play a key role, with national and regional models being more successful, overall, than models at the state level. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that internet data may be able to complement traditional influenza surveillance in some cases but not in others. Specifically, our results show that the CDC website traffic may inform national- and division-level models but not models for each individual state. In addition, our results show better agreement when the data were broken up by seasons instead of aggregated over several years. We anticipate that this work will lead to more complex nowcasting and forecasting models using this data stream.
Validation of a prospective mortality prediction score for hip fracture patients

Although mortality prediction tools are the subject of significant interest as components of comprehensive hip fracture protocols, few have been applied or validated to prospectively inform ongoing patient management. Five regional hospitals are currently generating real-time mortality risk scores for all adults at the time of admission using available laboratory and comorbidity data (Cowen et al. J Hosp Med 9(11):720–726, 2014). Although results for aggregated conditions have been published, the primary aim of this study is to determine how well prospectively calculated scores predict mortality for hip fracture patients specifically. Using a five-hospital database, 1376 patients who were prospectively scored on admission were identified from January 2013 to April 2017, cross-referencing ICD9/10 diagnosis and procedure codes for AO/OTA 31A1 through 31B3 fractures. Prospective mortality scores have been previously divided into 5 risk categories to facilitate ease of clinical use. Vital status was determined from hospital data, Social Security and Michigan Death Indices. Prospective scores demonstrated good mortality prediction, with AUCs of 0.80, 0.73, 0.74 and 0.74 for in hospital, 30-, 60- and 90-day mortality, respectively. Patients in the top 2 mortality risk categories represented 30% (410/1376) of the cohort and accounted for 78% (25/32) of the inpatient and 59% (57/97) of the 30 day deaths. Implementation of this real-time mortality risk tool is feasible and valid for the prediction of short- to medium-term mortality risk for hip fracture patients, and potentially offers valuable information to guide ongoing patient management decisions such as admitting service or level of care.
Acetaminophen, bupivacaine, Duramorph, and Toradol: A comparison of chondrocyte viability and gene expression changes in osteoarthritic human chondrocytes

Abstract Background A multitude of chemical agents are currently used intra-articularly to decrease pain after orthopaedic procedures including total knee arthroplasty. However, the possible deleterious effects of these injectable chemicals on chondrocyte viability have not been weighed against their potential benefits. Using a human osteoarthritic chondrocyte model, the purpose of this study was to assess the potential for cartilage damage caused by bupivacaine, Toradol, Duramorph, and acetaminophen from surgical local anesthesia. Methods Human distal femur and proximal tibia cross sections were obtained during total knee arthroplasty and divided into control group and experimental groups treated by bupivacaine, Toradol, Duramorph, and acetaminophen respectively. Chondrocytes obtained from enzymatically digested cartilage were cultured using a 3D alginate bead culture method to ensure lower rates of dedifferentiation. Chondrocyte bead cultures were exposed to the study chemicals. The gene expression and chondrocyte viability were measured by RT-PCR and flow cytometry, respectively. Results Compared with untreated group bupivacaine treatment led to the greatest cellular apoptosis with 30.5 ± 11% dead cells (P = 0.000). Duramorph and acetaminophen did not result in a significant increase in cell death. Bupivacaine treatment led to an increase in Caspase 3 gene expression (P = 0.000) as well as the acetaminophen treatment (P = 0.001) when compared to control. Conclusion Our data demonstrated that Duramorph and Toradol were not cytotoxic to human chondrocytes and may be better alternatives to the frequently used and more cytotoxic bupivacaine. Acetaminophen did not result in increased cell death; however, it did show increased caspase 3 gene expression and caution should be considered.
Helical Carbenium Ion-Based Organic Photoredox Catalyst: A Versatile and Sustainable Option in Red-Light-Induced Reactions

The development of a sustainable catalytic system for red-light-induced photocatalysis is presented. The catalytic system consists of a helical carbenium ion-based organic photoredox catalyst (PC) that is capable of using low-energy red light (λmax = 640 nm) for both photooxidations and photoreductions. Its successful applications in the aerobic oxidative hydroxylation of arylboronic acids and in the oxidation of benzylic C(sp3)–H bonds (reductive quenching), as well as in dual transition-metal/organocatalyzed C–H arylations and intermolecular atom-transfer radical additions (oxidative quenching) provide further support for its role as a versatile and efficient organic PC. 1 Introduction 2 Red-Light-Induced Photocatalysis 3 Properties of N,N′-Dipropyl-1,13-dimethoxyquinacridinium Tetrafluoroborate 4 Two Proposed Representative Catalytic Cycles of [ n Pr-DMQA+][BF4 –] 5 Applications of [ n Pr-DMQA+][BF4 –] in Red-Light-Induced Photocatalysis 6 Conclusion
Structural Equation Modeling with JMP® Pro

JMP® Pro has introduced a new structural equation modeling (SEM) platform to its suite of multivariate methods of analysis. Utilizing their graphical user interface, JMP Pro has created a SEM platf...
Characterization of tumor-associated macrophages in prostate cancer transgenic mouse models.

Background Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are critical components of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in prostate cancer. Commonly used orthotopic models do not accurately reflect the complete TME of a human patient or the natural initiation and progression of a tumor. Therefore, genetically engineered mouse models are essential for studying the TME as well as advancing TAM-targeted therapies. Two common transgenic (TG) models of prostate cancer are Hi-Myc and transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP), but the TME and TAM characteristics of these models have not been well characterized. Methods To advance the Hi-Myc and TRAMP models as tools for TAM studies, macrophage infiltration and characteristics were assessed using histopathologic, flow cytometric, and expression analyses in these models at various timepoints during tumor development and progression. Results In both Hi-Myc and TRAMP models, macrophages adopt a more pro-tumor phenotype in higher histological grade tumors and in older prostate tissue. However, the Hi-Myc and TRAMP prostates differ in their macrophage density, with Hi-Myc tumors exhibiting increased macrophage density and TRAMP tumors exhibiting decreased macrophage density compared to age-matched wild type mice. Conclusions The macrophage density and the adenocarcinoma cancer subtype of Hi-Myc appear to better mirror patient tumors, suggesting that the Hi-Myc model is the more appropriate in vivo TG model for studying TAMs and TME-targeted therapies.
An olfactory pattern generator for on-demand combinatorial control of receptor activities

ABSTRACT Olfactory systems employ combinatorial receptor codes for odors. Systematically generating stimuli that address the combinatorial possibilities of an olfactory code poses unique challenges. Here, we present a stimulus method to probe the combinatorial code, demonstrated using the Drosophila larva. This method leverages a set of primary odorants, each of which targets the activity of one olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) type at an optimal concentration. Our setup uses microfluidics to mix any combination of primary odorants on demand to activate any desired combination of ORNs. We use this olfactory pattern generator to demonstrate a spatially distributed olfactory representation in the dendrites of a single interneuron in the antennal lobe, the first olfactory neuropil of the larva. In the larval mushroom body, the next processing layer, we characterize diverse receptive fields of a population of Kenyon cells. The precision and flexibility of the olfactory pattern generator will facilitate systematic studies of processing and transformation of the olfactory code.
Tumor PD-L1 expression is associated with outcomes in stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with consolidation durvalumab

Background Durvalumab is an anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor approved for consolidation therapy for patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after chemoradiation. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the association between the degree of tumor PD-L1 expression and outcomes of stage III NSCLC patients treated with durvalumab. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of all the patients who received durvalumab between July 2017 and July 2019 at our facilities and were diagnosed with or progressed to stage III NSCLC before durvalumab consolidation. Patients were divided into groups based on the degree of PD-L1 expression: Results We identified 121 patients with stage III NSCLC that underwent durvalumab consolidation. Of them, 29.8% had PD-L1 expression of 50-100%, 24.8% had PD-L1 expression of 1-49%, and 27.3% had PD-L1 expression of 50% was the only factor that was significantly associated with improved PFS (HR =0.205, P=0.0004) and OS (HR =0.339, P=0.04). Conclusions Our study demonstrated that patients whose tumors had >50% PD-L1 expression had significantly longer progression-free survival and overall survival than those with lower PD-L1 expression. This suggests that the degree of tumor PD-L1 expression may play a role in predicting benefit from durvalumab for these patients.
The definition of diversity : Two views. A more inclusive definition

This article describes the Association of Research Libraries' definition of diversity and informs its programmatic engagement of diversity initiatives. ARL defines diversity broadly in order to encompass individual and group membership, as well as to consider historical context, legal issues and barriers, and changing social views and connection to these issues. Further, the research library managers'role, and organizational development trends, make diversity inextricable, from the day-to-day operations of libraries. The author describes diversity in a context of other, closely related concepts including: equity, culture and cultural pluralism, affirmative action, and equal employment opportunity
Smartphone-enabled road condition monitoring: from accelerations to road roughness and excess energy dissipation

We develop a framework to address the shortcomings of current smartphone-based approaches for road roughness sensing and monitoring through combining vehicle dynamics, random vibration theory and a...
Strategies and lessons in spinal cord injury rehabilitation

The spinal cord is often underappreciated as part of the central nervous system. Like the brain, the spinal cord can independently carry out relatively complex behaviors, such as left–right and flexor–extension alternation of the limbs, through activation of resident central pattern generator circuitry. Here the spinal cord integrates ascending or local proprioceptive information with descending sensory and volitional information. In the context of injury, portions of the isolated spinal cord may still be capable of carrying out sophisticated processing for sensorimotor function. Several modes of stimulation appear to activate the central pattern generating circuitry in SCI: treadmill stepping, magnetic stimulation, electrical stimulation, vibratory stimulation, and pharmacologic agents. Like the brain, the spinal cord is capable of classical and operant conditioning. This observation highlights the need for well-planned therapeutic interventions that work with the innate behavior of the cord and avoid maladaptive learning that can occur if noxious stimuli are present during rehabilitation. Patient-specific multimodal therapies that work with innate spinal cord behaviors are most likely to benefit patients with SCI.
Finite element method for nonHermitian bianisotropic media

The author considers an extremely general technique which allows the most general nonuniform, lossy, and anisotropic linear media to be treated in electromagnetic problems by developing the weighted residual method for non-Hermitian behavior. Interfacial boundary conditions are partly left to the volumetric integrals, some to the surface integrals, and some as constraints imposed directly on the fields. Conversion of some of the volume integrals to surface integrals is done applying integration by parts in a more explicit and direct fashion than that employed for simpler media where various Green's theorems are used. >
The Effect of Enhanced Diabatic Heating on Stratospheric Circulation

The objective of this research focuses on the stratospheric dynamical response to the increase in aerosol loading and subsequent enhanced diabatic heating resulting from the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. The Langley research Center three dimensional general circulation model and modifications made to that model for this study are described (addition of hydrogen fluoride tracer and diabatic heating enhancement). Unperturbed hydrogen fluoride distribution is compared to the hydrogen fluoride distribution measured by HALOE. A comparison of control and perturbed model runs is presented.
Impact of a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in an Emergency Department for Seniors.

Study objective This study assesses outcomes associated with the implementation of an emergency department (ED) for seniors in which a clinical pharmacy specialist, with specialized geriatric training that included medication management training, is a key member of the ED care team. Methods This was a retrospective cohort analysis of patients aged 65 years or older who presented at an ED between November 1, 2012, and May 31, 2013. Three groups of seniors were assessed: treated by the clinical pharmacy specialist in the ED for seniors, treated in the ED for seniors but not by the clinical pharmacy specialist, and not treated in the ED for seniors. Outcomes included rates of an ED return visit, mortality and hospital admissions, and follow-up total health care costs. Multivariable regression modeling was used to adjust for any potential confounders in the associations between groups and outcomes. Results A total of 4,103 patients were included, with 872 (21%) treated in the ED for seniors and 342 (39%) of these treated by the clinical pharmacy specialist. Groups were well matched overall in patient characteristics. Patients who received medication review and management by the clinical pharmacy specialist did not experience a reduction in ED return visits, mortality, cost of follow-up care, or hospital admissions compared with the other groups. Of the patients treated by the clinical pharmacy specialist, 154 (45.0%) were identified as having at least 1 medication-related problem. Conclusion Although at least 1 medication-related problem was identified in almost half of patients treated by the clinical pharmacy specialist in the ED for seniors, incorporation of a clinical pharmacy specialist into the ED staff did not improve clinical outcomes.
Derivation of High Enterotoxin B-Producing Mutants of Staphylococcus aureus from the Parent Strains

Certain pH-sensitive (membrane) mutants of Staphylococcus aureus, strains 14458 and 778, produce significantly more type-B enterotoxin (SEB) than the parent type. Some carbohydrate mutants (car) from these parent strains also are superior to the parent in SEB formation. By isolating car mutants from high-SEB-producing membrane mutants, it is possible to derive a double mutant producing from six to 50 times as much SEB as the parent type. Inversion of the sequence by isolating pH-sensitive mutants from car mutants does not yield clones with strikingly higher SEB production than the parent strain. The successful isolation sequence (pH-sensitive mutant first and car mutants derived from it) is relatively simple and virtually assures detection of a truly high-SEB-producing clone. The total number of clones whose direct assay for SEB formation is necessary for detection of a high-producing mutant is on the order of 50 to 60.
Space Deformation using Ray Deflectors

In this paper we introduce a new approach to the deformation of surface and raster models in two and three dimensions. Rather then deforming the objects in the model, we deform the rays used to render the scene. The mechanism to specify the deformation, which we call a deflector, is a vector of gravity positioned in space. This gravity vector bends any ray that travels through its field of gravity in a view-independent fashion. Images generated by these curved rays give the impression of a deformed space. Unlike previous methods that deform all the objects in the scene, our approach deforms only those parts of the model that contribute to the final image. In addition, using deflectors, our approach can deform any object type that can be rendered by a ray casting algorithm, providing a unified solution to space deformation.
Identity Status and Identity Style Among African American Juvenile Delinquents

ABSTRACT This study examined identity status and identity style among African American male juvenile delinquents. Little is known about ego-identity development among juvenile delinquents; however, an increased understanding of this important developmental milestone would have implications for rehabilitation efforts. Berzonsky (1989; 1990) extends the traditional more static depiction of identity status to reflect a matrix of ongoing social-cognitive operations. Four identity style processes are delineated which underscore the respective identity states. The results indicated the overwhelming majority of delinquents were of a diffused identity status. Multiple regression analyses revealed the ideological diffuse status was the best predictor of Berzonsky's (1989) diffuse and commitment orientations. Developmental issues within a treatment framework are addressed.
Does topic matter? topic influences on linguistic and rubric-based evaluation of writing

Although writing is an integral part of education, there is limited knowledge on how assigned topics influence writing quality both in terms of micro-level linguistic features and macro-level subjective evaluations by human judges. We addressed this question by conducting a study in which 44 students wrote short essays on three different topics: traditional academic-based topics such as the ones used in standardized tests, personal emotional experiences, and socially charged topics. The essays were automatically scored on five linguistic dimensions (narrativity, situation model cohesion, referential cohesion, syntactic complexity, and word abstractness). They were also manually scored by human judges based on a rubric focusing on macro-level dimensions (i.e., introduction, thesis, and conclusion). The results indicated that topic-related differences were observed on both the rubric-based and linguistic assessments, although there were weak relationships between these two measures.
Disparities in Pain Management and Palliative Care

Social determinants such as race, ethnicity, age, gender, and class are well-known predictors and indicators of overall health status (N Engl J Med 344:1471–1473, 2001; Med Care Res Rev 57:85–107, 2000; Cancer 91:205–207, 2001; Med Care Res Rev 57:108–145, 2000; Med Care Res Rev 57:218–235, 2000). Differences and disparities in health status and health care based upon social determinants persist. Altogether the scientific progress and advances in technology that have yielded increased longevity for Caucasian-Americans have not universally been translated into improvements in health and well-being, and quality of life for all Americans (especially racial and ethnic minority Americans) (JAMA 283:2579–2584, 2000; Health Services Res 30:237–252, 1995). More specifically, racial and ethnic minority and low-income people have increased morbidity and decreased longevity when compared to Caucasian-Americans. The overall physical, social, and emotional health for racial and ethnic minority Americans is consistently less than that of Caucasian-Americans even when their access to health care and health insurance coverage is similar. The goal of this chapter is to provide information on health and pain care disparities.
The Gastrointestinal Tract

The sections in this article are: 1 Salivary Glands 2 Stomach 2.1 Gastric Secretion 3 Small Intestine 3.1 Morphology 3.2 Brush Border Membranes 3.3 Enzymes 3.4 Intestinal Permeability 3.5 Protein Synthesis 3.6 Intestinal Absorption 4 Gut-Associated Immune System 5 Splanchnic Blood Flow 6 Gastrointestinal Motility 6.1 Esophagus 6.2 Stomach 6.3 Neuromuscular Functioning 6.4 Colon and Rectum 7 Pancreas 8 Liver and Biliary Tree 8.1 Morphology 8.2 Age-Associated Effects 8.3 Consequences of Aging 8.4 Bile 9 Gastrointestinal Hormones 10 Cellular Proliferation 10.1 Esophagus and Stomach 10.2 Small Intestine 10.3 Colon 10.4 Effects of Caloric Restriction
Development of Conductive Elastomer Foams by in Situ Copolymerization of Pyrrole and N-Methylpyrrole

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the development of conductive elastomer foams by in situ copolymerization of pyrrole and N-methylpyrrole. A process was developed for producing conductive elastomeric foams by polymerizing conductive polypyrrole (PPy) or copolymers of pyrrole and N-methylpyrrole in the cell walls and struts of a preformed polyurethane foam. The process consisted of first diffusing an oxidant into the dense polymer phase of a solvent-swollen foam and then diffusing a vapor of pyrrole and N-methylpyrrole into the dried foam. An in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of conductive polymer or copolymer occurred where the oxidant was present. Because the conductive polymer was confined to the dense polymer phase, conductivity of the foam composites was achieved at relatively low concentrations of the conductive polymer concentration: ca. 5 wt%. The conductivity of the composite foam was reproducibly controlled between 10-7 and 10-1 S/cm by varying either the amount of oxidant used, which controls the amount of conductive polymer produced, or the copolymer composition. Preliminary experiments using ferric tosylate as the oxidant and dopant suggested that l–2 orders of magnitude greater conductivity could be attained at an equivalent PPy concentration compared with those using FeCl3.