cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Generation of Ag2O micro-/nanostructures by pulsed excimer laser ablation of Ag in aqueous solutions of polysorbate 80.

A new route to synthesis of Ag2O micro-/nanostructures, including a mixture of cubes, pyramids, triangular plates, pentagonal rods, and bars, has been developed by pulsed excimer laser ablation of bulk silver in water using polysorbate 80 as surfactant. The polysorbate 80 played an important role in the formation of the Ag2O structures, and similar structures could be obtained in polysorbates 20 and 40 aqueous solutions. We have proposed a mechanism to explain the formation of Ag2O structures. This laser ablation method provides a unique approach to discover and fabricate new Ag2O morphologies.
Early treatment withdrawal from evidence-based psychotherapy for PTSD: telemedicine and in-person parameters

Objective:To determine differences in reported barriers to treatment completion associated with telemedicine vs. in-person delivery of evidence-based treatment for PTSD in combat veterans.Method:The present study was derived from two ongoing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing in-person vs. telemedicine delivery of exposure therapy for PTSD. A onetime telephone assessment of participants who dropped out from the treatment phase of these two studies was conducted, with measures focusing on reported reasons for dropout, and perceived comfort and efficacy of the treatment modality. Dichotomous data were analyzed via chi-square and logistic regression; continuous data via ANOVA.Results:Forty-seven of 69 total dropouts participated. There was no difference in rate of dropout between modalities. A greater proportion of participants receiving in-person exposure therapy reported difficulties with logistical aspects of care (e.g., parking), whereas a greater proportion of participants receiving telemedic...
Nanobumps in InxAl1-xN/AlN/Sapphire System: A New Kind of Quantum Dots?

We have investigated InxAl1-xN layers grown by plasma source molecular beam epitaxy (PSMBE) on c-plane sapphire (0001) substrates with thin (about 100 A) buffer layers of AlN. The value of x varied from 0 to 1. For all these layers, high resolution X-ray diffraction scans (XRD) show no indication of face segregation, while the atomic force microscope (AFM) images of the structures demonstrate a large number of nanobumps. Our spectroscopic measurements (UV/VIS optical absorption and reflection spectroscopy) of these bumpy structures indicate additional peaks that can be only associated with additional energy levels. We ascribe these levels to electrons, which are confined and quantized near the nanobump tips by strong piezoelectric field caused mainly by biaxial strain of the AlN layer. The calculated energies of these quantized states are in a good agreement with the spectroscopic data.
Atomic structure and SiH 4 -H 2 interactions of SiH 4 ( H 2 ) 2 from first principles

First-principles density-functional theory (DFT) calculations are used to understand the crystal structure, bonding, and vibrational properties of the recently discovered high-pressure ${\text{SiH}}_{4}{({\text{H}}_{2})}_{2}$ compound. We find a general decrease in the frequencies of the intramolecular ${\text{H}}_{2}$ stretching modes with increasing pressure, where the tetrahedral ${\text{H}}_{2}$ exhibit markedly stronger softening than octahedral ${\text{H}}_{2}$. Our DFT results suggest a weakening of the ${\text{H}}_{2}$ bond that is explained by increased orbital overlap and electron sharing between the silane and hydrogen molecules, which also account for the unusually high hydrogen capacity of ${\text{SiH}}_{4}{({\text{H}}_{2})}_{2}$.
Comparison of Renal Clearance of Calcium During Infusions of Calcium Chloride and Calcium Gluconate

SummaryA calcium infusion of either the chloride or gluconate salt raised the filtered load of calcium an equivalent amount. At comparable filtered loads the clearance of calcium during the infusion of calcium gluconate was higher than during the infusion of calcium chloride. The interpretation of results of tests utilizing calcium infusions should take into consideration the type of calcium salt infused.
Analysis of variation and drug resistance of Shigellar in Gansu province during 2005-2011

Objective:To study species distribution,variation and drug resistance of Shigella in Gansu province.Methods: From 2005 to 2011,isolates from bacillary dysentery monitoring points in Lanzhou city and Wuwei city,as well as shigella sonnei isolates from 2 food poisoning cases in kindergarten were carried out analysis of serotyping and drug resistance.Results: 4546 samples were collected in 7 years in total,and 773 shigella strains were isolated(17.00%).The main serotype was shigella flexneri(B group,514 strains),accounting for 66.49%,followed by shigella sonnei(D group,256 strains),accounting for 33.12%.These isolates had high drug resistance to 10 kinds of antibiotics,showing multi-drug resistance.Conclusion: Shigella was the predominant bacteria for diarrhea in Gansu,and strains in different years had different serotypes and drug resistance.
Establishment of loop-mediated isothermal amplification technique for detection of Listeria monocytogene

Objective:To establish Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification(LAMP) Technique for detection of L.monocytogene which can be widely used.Methods:Five primers(two inner primers,two outer primers) was designed specifically to recognize the invA gene of L.monocytogene.Results:Only 1.5 h was needed to finish the whole test with optimized condition and the result can be judged by naked eyes or electrophoresis.5 L.monocytogene and 23 other intestinal bacteria were detected and high specificity of the method was manifested.Trials have shown the limit of detection sensitivity of less,but does not affect the separation of L.monocytogenes strains suspected suspected identification and detection of food contaminants bulk.Conclusion:The method is rapid,specific,simple,economical,suitable for grassroots lab,emergency detection and spot detection,and with high value of promotion.
Humoral mechanisms in immune neuropathies.

Complement fixing antibodies are implicated in the demyelination of peripheral nerve associated with the Guillain-Barre syndrome and other inflammatory neuropathies by a series of in vivo and in vitro studies. These antimyelin Ab bind carbohydrate epitopes of various peripheral nerve antigens and mediate complement-dependent demyelination. Reactivity to specific antigens may reflect specific agents of associated infections preceding the peripheral neuropathy. Antibody clearance either during the natural course of disease or by plasmapheresis correlates with clinical improvement.
Recent advances in the rational design and optimization of antibacterial agents

This review discusses next-generation antibacterial agents developed using rational, or targeted, drug design strategies. The focus of this review is on small-molecule compounds that have been designed to bypass developing bacterial resistance, improve the antibacterial spectrum of activity, and/or to optimize other properties, including physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties. Agents are discussed that affect known antibacterial targets, such as the bacterial ribosome, nucleic acid binding proteins, and proteins involved in cell-wall biosynthesis; as well as some affecting novel bacterial targets which do not have currently marketed agents. The discussion of the agents focuses on the rational design strategies employed and the synthetic medicinal chemistry and structure-based design techniques utilized by the scientists involved in the discoveries, including such methods as ligand- and structure-based strategies, structure–activity relationship (SAR) expansion strategies, and novel synthetic organic chemistry methods. As such, the discussion is limited to small-molecule therapeutics that have confirmed macromolecular targets and encompasses only a fraction of all antibacterial agents recently approved or in late-stage clinical trials. The antibacterial agents selected have been recently approved for use on the U.S. or European markets or have shown promising results in phase 2 or phase 3 U.S. clinical trials.
Abstract 111: Maternal Separation, a Model of Early Life Stress in Rats, Dysregulates the Renal Vasculature Gene Expression Patterns During Late Nephrogenic Period and Adult Life

We have shown that maternal separation (MatSep) induces permanent alterations in the renal vascular structure, hemodynamics and sympathetic outflow. Environmental stressors are typically associated with abnormal organ development. Recently, we found that MatSep pups show higher levels of plasma corticosterone and renal norepinephrine during postnatal life (p
Giving Consumers What They Want

One of the best elements of market economies is the way in which producers quickly respond to consumer demand. Preferences that would be difficult to catalogue are efficiently met by companies that make consumer research and product development the center of their business. At the heart of this success is the ability of the economic system to make efficient use of a constant flow of information from the marketplace. Consumers share information about their preferences with every purchase, and firms share information about resource availability and cost through pricing decisions. Hayek famously argued that disaggregated decision-making was the only possible way to efficiently allocate goods in a complex society. At the heart of his argument is the observation that information can be processed by a social order without any one mind controlling or knowing what is happening. It is the responsiveness of that system to consumer demands that constitutes its greatest success.
Fabrication challenges and perspectives on the use of carbon-electrode dielectrophoresis in sample preparation

The focus of this review is to assess the current status of three-dimensional (3D) carbon-electrode dielectrophoresis (carbonDEP) and identify the challenges currently preventing it from its use in high-throughput applications such as sample preparation for diagnostics. The use of 3D electrodes over more traditional planar ones is emphasised here as a way to increase the throughput of DEP devices. Glass-like carbon electrodes are derived through the carbonisation of photoresist structures made using photolithography. These biocompatible carbon electrodes are not ideal electrical conductors but are more electrochemically stable than noble metals such as gold and platinum. They are also significantly less expensive than common electrode materials, both in terms of material cost and fabrication process. CarbonDEP has been demonstrated for the manipulation of microorganisms and biomolecules. This review is divided in three main sections: (i) carbonDEP fabrication process; (ii) applications using 3D carbonDEP; and (iii) challenges and perspectives on the use of carbonDEP for high-throughput applications.
Ontological model for CDSS in knee injury management

Due to the increased adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHR) and its integrated clinical decision support (CDS) tools, health information technology (HIT) is a key influence in Medicine. The main challenges in healthcare are to integrate the information across care units and to increase the quality of continuity of patient care. There are three types of knowledge sources in medicine: (1) Evidence Based Practice (EBP), (2) Practice Based Evidence, and (3) Medical Textbooks. Information in these sources is presented and organized in different formats. Ontology may allow us to integrate knowledge discovered from two separate data sources without platform restrictions. The knowledge can be reusable and sharable without the need of technology. Further, this paper also combines the strengths from both EBP and PBE on knee treatment. The hybrid knowledge model will derived from real practices while integrating existing external knowledge discovered and reported in published literatures.
Coming and going: Mexican women guestworkers in the US crab industry

Recruitment of female guestworkers by the US seafood processing industry provides Mexican women with opportunities to support their families financially through legal seasonal labor migration at the cost of family separation. Based on interviews with workers and former workers from crab processing plants in the rural Southeast, I find that family contexts, isolated employment conditions, and precarious legal status shape possibilities for permanent settlement. Despite classification as “temporary nonimmigrants,” crab pickers, or jaiberas, use seasonal migration to the United States as a long-term strategy to support families in Mexico and are held in temporary positions in both locations. These arrangements subject jaiberas to systems of social control that have important policy implications regarding the labor and family rights of so-called unskilled workers in the H-2 program.
Thoughts of a carbon atom

You might be surprised that I remember my birth so well, particularly since it was so long ago and far away. Nevertheless, after waiting for what seemed like an eternity, my turn came. My parents, who numbered more than two, finally felt enough heat to combine and, through nature's reincarnation, I was born – a carbon atom from three helium atoms.
Open Rhinoplasty for Correction of the Secondary Nasal Deformity Due to the Marcks Triangular Flap Cleft Lip Repair

The Marcks Z-plasty modification of the Tennison triangular flap cleft lip repair results in excellent preservation of the Cupid's bow, but in more severe clefts this technique is stigmatized by a ...
Where Usability and Security Go Hand-in-Hand: Robust Gesture-Based Authentication for Mobile Systems

Gestures have recently gained interest as a secure and usable authentication method for mobile devices. Gesture authentication relies on recognition, wherein raw data is collected from user input and preprocessed into a more manageable form before applying recognition algorithms. Preprocessing is done to improve recognition accuracy, but little work has been done in justifying its effects on authentication. We examined the effects of three variables: location, rotation, and scale, on authentication accuracy. We found that an authentication-optimal combination (location invariant, scale variant, and rotation variant) can reduce the error rate by 45.3% on average compared to the recognition-optimal combination (all invariant). We analyzed 13 gesture recognizers and evaluated them with three criteria: authentication accuracy, and resistance against both brute-force and imitation attacks. Our novel multi-expert method (Garda) achieved the lowest error rate (0.015) in authentication accuracy, the lowest error rate (0.040) under imitation attacks, and resisted all brute-force attacks.
Closed-Loop Opinion Formation

When information sources are moderated by recommender systems, so-called "filter bubbles" may restrict the diversity of content made available to users, potentially affecting their opinions. User opinions may in turn affect the output of recommender systems. In this work we ask how the dynamical system defined by user and recommender systems behaves, as each element evolves in time. In particular, we look at whether the use of recommender system can affect user experience and user opinions in a systematic way. We define and analyze three metrics to understand those effects - intensity, simplification, and divergence - and we explore both link-based and ratings-based recommender systems. Our results suggest that previous studies of this problem have been too simplistic, and that user opinions can evolve in complex ways under the influence of personalized information sources.
Pseudarthrosis of the Tibia

Congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia is a rare pediatric disorder that often presents with anterolateral bowing of the tibia. Tibial pseudarthrosis occurs in association with neurofibromatosis in 55% of patients, although only 6% of patients with neurofibromatosis have a pseudarthrosis. The pathology of the tissue is described as abnormal, cellular fibrovascular tissue with paucity of vascular ingrowth and is felt to be mainly a disorder of periosteum. Treatment includes fracture prevention; once fracture occurs, surgery is indicated to attempt to achieve bony union and maintain union until skeletal maturity. Principles of operative treatment include removal of the bone and periosteum at the site of the pseudarthrosis, deformity correction, bony correction, and stable fixation. These goals can be achieved with intramedullary nailing, free vascularized fibular grafts, and external ringed fixators. Amputation is an option when union hasn’t been achieved after three surgical attempts or if the leg length discrepancy is greater than 5 cm.
Stellar Structure Models of Deformed Neutron Stars

Traditional stellar structure models of non-rotating neutron stars work under the assumption that these stars are perfect spheres. This assumption of perfect spherical symmetry is not correct if th...
A comparison of Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) visual observations of oiling and measured soil and sediment chemical concentrations following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident.

Abstract This study examines the Deepwater Horizon SCAT results in comparison to measured chemical concentrations in shoreline sediments. Surface and subsurface oiling levels were grouped into oili...
The Mechanisms of Immunomodulation in Acupuncture

The heart generates the strongest and most extensive rhythmic electromagnetic field in the body As all cells throughout the body are oriented according to the magnetic vector of the heart the heart has a powerful influence on everybody process The activity of immune cells is closely connected to their polarity when immune cells become depolarized they are deactivated as a result nbsp We hypothesize that the heart rsquo s electromagnetic signals are distributed throughout the body via the network of acupuncture meridians similar to the manner in which the heart propels blood throughout the body via blood vessels The heart rsquo s electrogmagnetic system governs the structure and organization of tissues as well as the potential ndash and thus the activity ndash of all the body rsquo s cells including immune cells This method of communication is implied in the control of cell proliferation and its failure in a bodily organ contributes to the cancer process nbsp Our aim was to determine whether we could monitor the electromagnetic activity in acupuncture points back SHU points and record this activity with electrocardiogram or electroencephalogram In our preliminary trial we succeeded in recording this electromagnetic activity using electrogram to record activity in back SHU acupuncture points also known as Associated Points or Paravertebral Reflex points but not in an inactive neighboring area control or ldquo sham rdquo points We found that the wave shape of electromagnetic activity recorded at SHU points was different in the presence of pathological conditions in a given internal organ while it remained constant in SHU points representinghealthy organs nbsp In conclusion our preliminary research offers additional proof for the existence of a sovereign system of biological control over the organization and activity of all bodily tissues governed by the electromagnetic field generated by the heart and distributed through the network of acupuncture meridians Our research leads us to believe that the immunomodulating effect of acupuncture results from the restoration of tissue cell structure and cell potential The stimulation of acupuncture points restores the receptivity of target tissues and immune cells to the heart rsquo s electromagnetic signals thereby restoring the cells rsquo polarity and functional activity nbsp
Thoracic Imaging of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Anti-programmed Death Receptor-1 Therapy.

Purpose Treatment with anti-programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) therapeutics can lead to unconventional responses and side effect profiles due to their potentiating effects on the immune system. Here we evaluate the radiologic manifestations of anti-PD-1 therapy in the chest in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving anti-PD-1 therapy. Materials and Methods A retrospective review of real-world clinical practice was conducted of all the patients with NSCLC receiving anti-PD-1 therapy at our institution between 2013 and 2016. All patients without adequate clinical or radiologic follow-up data in the electronic medical records were excluded. Imaging examinations for all patients deemed by their thoracic oncologists to have radiologic pseudoprogression or therapy-associated pneumonitis were reviewed by experienced thoracic radiologists. Results A total of 166 patients with NSCLC had available clinical and imaging data for retrospective review. Of these patients, 4 (2%) were considered to have radiologic pseudoprogression, 3 of which manifested as increased tumor size and 1 of which manifested with new lesions. A total of 5 patients (3%) were clinically deemed to have pneumonitis attributable to anti-PD-1 therapy, 4 of which had radiologic manifestations on computed tomography. Conclusion Radiologic pseudoprogression and drug-induced pneumonitis are uncommon but important manifestations of anti-PD-1 therapy on thoracic imaging.
Postnatal development of heart rate patterns elicited by an aversive CS and US in cats.

Heart rate and motor responses were recorded in cats of different ages during classical conditioning. A deceleratory-acceleratory heart rate pattern observed during the CS-US interval in one and four-week-old kittens is an alpha conditioned response, a potentiated original response to the CS. At eight weeks of age two new distinct patterns of pure acceleration or pure deceleration are acquired during conditioning and in the absence of motor learning. At 12 weeks of age and in adult subjects, heart rate patterns during the CS-US interval become more complex and conditioned motor responses can be observed. A covariance of HR acceleration and motor responses during the CS-US interval is absent in eight-week-old subjects, but quite high in 12-week-old subjects and adult cats. The data are interpreted as suggesting separate elicitatory mechanisms of HR and motor responses which may show synchrony later in ontogeny.
Occurrence and Human Health Risk of Emerging Organic Contaminants in E-Waste

Abstract E-waste consists of discarded appliances and electronic devices. As such it contains a variety of chemicals with known toxicity to humans, including various metals, volatile organic compounds, and organic chemicals that are persistent both in the environment and in the human body. Other dangerous chemicals are produced when e-waste is burned to extract metals. This review is focused on the organic chemicals that can be ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin during e-waste recycling if it is not done properly. Exposure to these chemicals can cause a variety of human diseases, including cancer, thyroid disease, effects of brain and behavior, and effects on other organ systems. Of particular concern is that individuals working at informal e-waste recycling are exposed to mixtures of toxic chemicals.
Environmental Monitoring and Change Detection

In the previous chapter, discussions focused on the application of satellite remote sensing as a means to document and describe the baseline status of the environmental system. Through the use of image-derived indices that characterized critical aspects of the landscape, important environmental relationships could be summarized and the initial condition of the surface could be established against which changes may be evaluated. In this chapter, we will expand on this preliminary treatment of change and broaden the scope of environmental characterization by introducing the application of remote sensing technology in the temporal domain. Sensing in the temporal domain recognizes the dynamic nature of the landscape, and with the addition of time in the equation, we can adopt a more process-oriented view of the environmental system. Understanding process is obviously central to the study of environmental change, and the capacity of satellite systems to provide multitemporal images of land surface objects greatly enhances our ability to observe the progression of human and natural forces as they act on the landscape. We will begin our examination of this subject with a brief review of the principles that guide environmental monitoring efforts, with this background the role of remote sensing is explored leading to a detailed survey of the methods developed to sense change. The chapter culminates with an overview of anomaly detection and the integration of temporal data in predictive analysis and environmental modeling.
Notes on a Catholic Vision of Pluralism

In the framework of this conference on Catholic Perspectives on Medical Morals, the subject of pluralism and the Church seems to demand complementary reflections ad intra and ad extra. This paper will focus on the subject ad extra by inquiring about a Catholic vision of the phenomenon of pluralism in our modern social world.
Molecular Mechanisms that Regulate Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inactivation

The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) is the prototypical receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK). These cell surface receptors are integral membrane proteins that bind ligands on their extracellular domain and relay that information to within the cell. The activated EGFR regulates diverse cell fates such as growth, proliferation, differentiation, migration, and apoptosis. These signaling properties are important for the appropriate development and maintenance of an organism. However, when inappropriately controlled, due to EGFR overexpression or hyperactivation, these signaling events are characteristic of many cancers. It remains unclear whether the uncontrolled EGFR activity leads to cell transformation or is a consequence of cell transformation. Regardless of the cause, increased EGFR activity serves both as a biomarker in the diagnosis of some cancers and is a molecular target for anti-cancer therapies. The promising results with current anti-EGFR therapies suggest that the receptor is a viable molecular target for a limited number of applications. However, to become an effective therapeutic target for other cancers that have elevated levels of EGFR activity, current approaches for inhibiting EGFR signaling will need to be refined. Here we describe the molecular mechanisms that regulate EGFR inactivation and discuss their potential as therapeutic targets for inhibiting EGFR signaling.
Influence of repeated trace mineral injections during gestation on beef heifer and subsequent calf performance

Commercial Angus heifers (n = 190; body weight (BW) = 315 ± 49.3 kg) were used to determine the effects of trace mineral injections during gestation on heifer and subsequent calf performance. Heifers received three previous subcutaneous trace mineral (Multimin 90 [MM]; n = 93) or sterilized physiological saline (CON; n = 97) injections approximately 90 d apart. These treatments were maintained and subsequent injections were given 205, 114, and 44 ± 26 d prepartum. Heifers were provided free-choice inorganic minerals. Heifer BW and body condition scores (BCS) were collected at trial initiation (296 ± 26 d prepartum) and 5- to 10-week intervals thereafter. Liver samples were collected at trial initiation, 5 and 176 ± 3 d postpartum from a subset of cows to determine trace mineral status. Milk production was assessed on 80 cow-calf pairs (40/treatment) at 71 ± 15 d postpartum. Cows were artificially inseminated (AI) 82 d postpartum and then exposed to bulls for 38 d. Data were reported from 174 calves (n = 87 calves/treatment). Calf liver samples were collected 5 and 147 ± 3 d postpartum to determine trace mineral status. Calf weaning BW was collected at 159 ± 26 d postpartum. Calf performance including calving date, birth BW, weaning BW, average daily gain (ADG), and health data were collected. Heifer BW and BCS did not differ (P ≥ 0.72) throughout the experiment. Multimin heifers tended (P = 0.08) to have greater initial liver Se and tended to have decreased (P = 0.08) initial liver Zn compared with CON. At calving, MM cows had increased (P ≤ 0.01) liver Cu and Se. There was no difference (P ≥ 0.47) in Julian calving date, calving percent, or unassisted births. Calf birth BW was lesser (P = 0.02) for MM than CON calves, and MM calves had greater (P = 0.03) liver Cu concentrations at birth than CON calves. Despite MM cows having increased (P < 0.01) milk production, calf weaning BW and ADG were not different (P ≥ 0.87). In addition, calf morbidity and mortality were not different (P ≥ 0.43) between treatments. Calf mineral status was not different (P ≥ 0.57) at the time of weaning regardless of treatment; however, MM cows had decreased (P = 0.03) liver Zn. Multimin cows had decreased (P = 0.05) AI pregnancy rates, yet there was no difference (P = 0.34) in overall pregnancy rate. Supplementing an injectable trace mineral during heifer development and gestation increased cow milk production and resulted in decreased AI pregnancy rates; however, there was no effect on overall pregnancy rates or preweaning calf health or performance.
Water pollution and observation of acquired antibiotic resistance in Bayou Lafourche, a major drinking water source in Southeast Louisiana, USA

Antibiotics are known to enter the environment, not only by human excretion but also through livestock/aquaculture, healthcare facilities, and pharmaceutical industry waste. Once in the environment, antibiotics have the ability to provide a selective pressure in microbial communities thus selecting for resistance. Bayou Lafourche of Southeastern Louisiana serves as the raw source of drinking water for 300,000 people in the region and has previously been shown to receive high amounts of fecal contamination. Four sites along the bayou and one site from its input source on the Mississippi River were monitored for water chemistry, total and fecal coliform estimates, and presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) for a period of 1 year. Four waste-associated bacterial isolates were tested for resistance to antibiotics (tetracycline, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, cefoxitin, meropenem, imipenem, erythromycin, and vancomycin). Resistant bacteria were further examined with PCR/electrophoresis to confirm the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (Sul1, tet(A), tet(W), tet(X), IMP, KPC, and OXA-48). The bayou appears to meet the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) criteria for water chemistry, yet fecal coliforms were consistently higher than LDEQ thresholds, thus indicating fecal contamination. Enterobacteriaceae isolates showed 13.6%, 10.9%, and 19.8% resistant to tetracycline, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, and cefoxitin, respectively, and 11 isolates were confirmed for presence of either tet(A) or Sul1 resistance genes. High fecal coliforms and presence of ARB/ARG may both indicate a presence of anthropogenic or agricultural source of fecal contamination.
The Unintended Consequences of the Things We Say: What Generic Statements Communicate to Children About Unmentioned Categories:

Adults frequently use generic language (e.g., "Boys play sports") to communicate information about social groups to children. Whereas previous research speaks to how children often interpret information about the groups described by generic statements, less is known about what generic claims may implicitly communicate about unmentioned groups (e.g., the possibility that "Boys play sports" implies that girls do not). Study 1 (287 four- to six-year-olds, 56 adults) and Study 2 (84 four- to six-year-olds) found that children as young as 4.5 years draw inferences about unmentioned categories from generic claims (but not matched specific statements)-and that the tendency to make these inferences strengthens with age. Study 3 (181 four- to seven-year-olds, 65 adults) provides evidence that pragmatic reasoning serves as a mechanism underlying these inferences. We conclude by discussing the role that generic language may play in inadvertently communicating social stereotypes to young children.
[18F]Fluciclovine-PET/MRI use in monitoring response to androgen deprivation therapy in men with prostate cancer following initial staging.

216Background: [18F]Fluciclovine PET is clinically approved for detection of biochemically recurrent prostate cancer (PCa). However, its use for initial staging and treatment monitoring remains unc...
Determinants of neoadjuvant chemotherapy use in muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Purpose Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by radical cystectomy (RC) is standard of care for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). However, NAC is used in less than 20% of patients with MIBC. Our goal is to investigate factors that contribute to underutilization NAC to facilitate more routine incorporation into clinical practice. Materials and Methods We identified 5,915 patients diagnosed with cT2-T3N0M0 MIBC who underwent RC between 2004 and 2014 from the National Cancer Database. Univariate and multivariable models were created to identify variables associated with NAC utilization. Results Only 18.8% of patients received NAC during the study period. On univariate analyses, NAC utilization was more likely at academic hospitals, US South and Midwest (p<0.05). Higher Charlson score was associated with decrease use of NAC (p<0.05). On multivariate analysis, treatment in academic hospitals (odds ratio [OR], 1.367; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.186-1.576), in the Midwest (OR, 1.538; 95% CI, 1.268-1.977) and South (OR, 1.424; 95% CI, 1.139-1.781) were independently associated with NAC utilization. Older age (75 to 84 years old; OR, 0.532; 95% CI, 0.427-0.664) and higher Charlson score (OR, 0.607; 95% CI, 0.439-0.839) were associated with decreased NAC utilization. Sixty-eight percent of patients did not receive NAC because it was not planned and only 2.5% of patients had contraindications for NAC treatment. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that NAC is underutilized. Decreased utilization of NAC was associated with older patients and higher Charlson score. This underutilization may be related to practice patterns as very few patients have true contraindications.
Azithromycin Treatment vs Placebo in Children With Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Induced Respiratory Failure: A Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance Despite a high disease burden, there is no effective treatment for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. Objectives To determine whether administration of azithromycin (AZM) to children with RSV-induced respiratory failure is safe and to define the effect of AZM therapy on nasal matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) levels. Design, Setting, and Participants This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial was conducted at a single tertiary pediatric intensive care unit from February 2016 to February 2019. The study included children with RSV infection who were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit and required respiratory support via positive pressure ventilation (invasive and noninvasive). A total of 147 children were screened; 90 were excluded for not meeting inclusion criteria, having an absent legal guardian, lacking pharmacy support, or having a language barrier and 9 declined participation, resulting in 48 patients enrolled in the study. Intervention Receipt of standard dose AZM (10 mg/kg/d), high-dose AZM (20 mg/kg/d), or a matching placebo of normal saline intravenously for 3 days. Main Outcomes and Measures Nasal and endotracheal samples were collected at baseline as well as at 24 hours and 48 hours after start of treatment. The secondary outcome was to determine treatment effect on clinical outcome measures, including days of positive pressure ventilation and length of hospital stay. Results A total of 48 patients were enrolled in the trial, with a median (range) age at randomization of 12 (1 to 125) months; 36 participants (75.0%) were younger than 2 years. Overall, 26 participants (54.2%) were boys, and 29 (60.4%) had a comorbidity. A total of 16 patients were randomized into each trial group (ie, placebo, standard-dose AZM, and high-dose AZM). Baseline demographic characteristics were comparable among the 3 groups. Both doses of AZM were safe, with no adverse events observed. No difference in nasal MMP-9 levels were observed between treatment groups. Among those who required mechanical ventilation and received high-dose AZM, endotracheal active and total MMP-9 levels were lower on day 3. Compared with baseline, active and total MMP-9 levels in endotracheal aspirates were 1.0 log lower in the high-dose AZM group (active MMP-9: 99.8% CI, −1.28 to −0.64;P Conclusions and Relevance In this phase 2 randomized clinical trial, both doses of AZM were safe. While nasal MMP-9 levels were unchanged among treatment groups, endotracheal MMP-9 levels were lower among those who received high-dose AZM. The positive secondary clinical outcome, while exploratory, provides insight for end points in a multicenter randomized trial. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:NCT02707523
Pathogenic detection of hand-foot-mouth disease by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR

Objective To identify the viral infection types of the children with hand-foot-mouth disease in Mentougou district of Beijing using real-time fluorescenee quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detection of EV71 and CoxA16.Methods RNA was extracted from the throat swab of the children with hand-foot-mouth disease.The extracted RNA was tested by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR.Results The CoxA16 viral load of 28 samples exceeded 103 copies· ml-1.The standard curve of the real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR showed good correlation coefficient (r =0.9998) between the cycle threshold values and logarithm of the viral copy number.The EV71 viral load of 4 samples exceeded 103 copies-ml-1.The standard curve of the real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR showed good correlation coefficient (r =0.9996) between the cycle threshold values and logarithm of the viral copy number.Conclusions In this study,the main pathogenic detection was CoxA16 of hand-footmouth disease in Mentougou district of Beijing,34.6％ of the children with hand-foot-mouth disease were caused by CoxA16,4.9％ of the children with hand-foot-mouth disease were caused by EV71 in Mentougou district.Real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR offers a rapid and simple method to detect EV71 or Cox A16 from specimens,and allow to analyze the association of the clinical symptoms and virus load. Key words: Hand-foot-mouth disease; Real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR; Viral load
Baculovirus actin-rearrangement-inducing factor ARIF-1 induces the formation of dynamic clusters of invadosome-like structures

Abstract The baculovirus Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV), a pathogen of lepidopteran insects, has a striking dependence on the host cell actin cytoskeleton during infection. During the delayed-early stage of AcMNPV infection, the virus was shown to induce the accumulation of filamentous actin at the cortex of infected cells. However, the dynamics and molecular mechanism of cortical actin assembly remained unknown. Using live cell imaging, we show that AcMNPV induces the formation of dynamic dot-like actin structures that are arranged in clusters, resembling clusters of invadosomes in mammalian cells. Furthermore, we find that the AcMNPV protein actin-rearrangement-inducing factor-1 (ARIF-1), which was previously shown to be necessary and sufficient for assembly of cortical actin and efficient viral infection in insect hosts, is both necessary and sufficient for invadosome-like structure formation. We mapped the regions of ARIF-1 required for invadosome-like structure formation to a segment of the predicted C-terminal cytoplasmic region, and further identified residues tyrosine 332 and proline 335 as being required for organizing clusters of invadosome-like structures. Additionally, we found that ARIF-1 and the invadosome-associated proteins cortactin and the Arp2/3 complex localize to invadosome-like structures, and structure formation requires Arp2/3 complex activity. The resemblance of ARIF-1-induced structures to invadosomes in mammalian cells, and the known role of such structures in extracellular matrix degradation, suggests that AcMNPV-induced invadosome-like structures accelerate viral spread through the insect body by degrading extracellular matrix barriers during infection.
A Novel Approach to Respiratory Flow-Volume Loops Using a Noninvasive Respiratory Volume Monitor

Background: Pulmonary function tests rely on flow-volume loops (FVLs) to diagnose and monitor lung disorders and to assess reaction to broncho-constrictors or -dilators. The accepted standard for FVL generation is a spirometry-based forced vital capacity test, which requires patient cooperation. This often limits the utility of FVLs in pediatric patients or adults with limited ability to comply. For these patients, tidal breathing FVLs using respiratory inductance plethysmography bands were previously proposed but not widely adopted due to technology limitations. The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of a non-invasive respiratory volume monitor (RVM) in measuring continuous tidal breathing FVLs in adult and pediatric patients in the perioperative period. Methods: After IRB approval, two clinical studies were conducted on adult and pediatric patients undergoing various surgical procedures under general anesthesia. A non-invasive RVM (ExSpiron1Xi, Respiratory Motion, Waltham, MA) was used to collect continuous respiratory volume traces intra- and post-operatively. Flow traces were generated by taking the first derivative of the volume traces. To reduce breath-to-breath variability, individual tidal breaths were aligned at the start of inhalation with volume and flow set to zero. Series of consecutive and similar breaths were grouped together. Individual breaths were divided into equal time segments and averaged across all breaths within a series to generate an average representative FVL for each patient during full mechanical ventilation, spontaneous breathing on the ventilator and spontaneous breathing post-extubation. Results: Preliminary data from 10 adult patients (5 males, age: 48. 3 ± 21.6 y; BMI: 29. 1 ± 6. 4 kg/m2, mean ± SD) and 10 pediatric patients (5 males, age: 5. 7 ± 4.9 y; BMI: 17. 3 ± 2.6 kg/m2, mean ± SD) were analyzed (Fig. 1). Conclusions: We demonstrate that the RVM can generate continuous tidal breathing FVLs in adults and children with distinct shapes based on breathing and mechanical ventilation. The RVM FVLs can theoretically be obtained for patients with pulmonary disease and potentially identify distinct breathing patterns related to disease diagnosis, progression, and response to therapy. The RVM may eliminate the need for bedside spirometry and vastly expand the applications of FVL analysis, especially in pediatric and non-compliant patients. Disclosures: None.
Solid particle erosion of graphene-based coatings

Abstract Solid particle erosion experiments have been conducted to study the erosion behavior of multiple graphene-based coatings. In this paper, the effects of three factors on the erosion resistance have been investigated: (1) The effect of using graphene-based coatings (2) The effect of using single and multilayer coatings with alternating graphene and polyurethane layers, (3) The effects of angles of attack and erosion duration on the single and multilayer graphene coatings. The investigation also explored the coating surface quality, adhesion, and coating hardness. Finally, two parameters were used to evaluate the efficiency of the coating systems: Material removal and the depth of the erosion scar. It has been found that a single layer of graphene coating, H-146, provided the highest erosion resistance with improvements in material removal and maximum depth up to 19% and 8%, respectively. On the other hand, two layers of polyurethane provided material removal improvements up to 38%, while a combination of polyurethane layer on top of IA-700 (graphene coating) showed the best erosion resistance behavior at normal impact with improvements reaching 15%.
Real Estate Allocation in Pension Fund Portfolios

Executive Summary. This study analyzes the actual role of real estate in pension plan investment portfolios by examining 1991 asset allocations for 159 pension plans. First, a review of recent theo...
Mapping Surface Charge Distribution of Single-Cell via Charged Nanoparticle.

Many bio-functions of cells can be regulated by their surface charge characteristics. Mapping surface charge density in a single cell’s surface is vital to advance the understanding of cell behaviors. This article demonstrates a method of cell surface charge mapping via electrostatic cell–nanoparticle (NP) interactions. Fluorescent nanoparticles (NPs) were used as the marker to investigate single cells’ surface charge distribution. The nanoparticles with opposite charges were electrostatically bonded to the cell surface; a stack of fluorescence distribution on a cell’s surface at a series of vertical distances was imaged and analyzed. By establishing a relationship between fluorescent light intensity and number of nanoparticles, cells’ surface charge distribution was quantified from the fluorescence distribution. Two types of cells, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and HeLa cells, were tested. From the measured surface charge density of a group of single cells, the average zeta potentials of the two types of cells were obtained, which are in good agreement with the standard electrophoretic light scattering measurement. This method can be used for rapid surface charge mapping of single particles or cells, and can advance cell-surface-charge characterization applications in many biomedical fields.
A novel detection strategy for optical receivers with focal plane array

In this paper, the problem of optimizing the performance of a free-space optical system with large field of view (FOV) focal plane array is addressed. A large FVO detector is desired when beam tilt, large pointing inaccuracies, or other impairments leading to uncertainties in the angle of arrival of the beam are present. For such an arrangement, when we consider a large aperture size, which results in a small diffraction-limited FOV, a large number of photo-detectors in the array are exposed to background radiation only. In addition, in adaptive optics system without a wave-front sensor (WFS), one has to contend with the same issue when large FOV system with small diffraction-limited FOV is considered. Hence, detection strategies to deal with the excess background noise in this scenario is of interest in this paper. We assume here that the receiver is utilizing a recently proposed technique to identify the presence and the location of the beam footprint in the focal plane, thereby reducing the “area” of consideration in the focal plane to a subset of the total photodetectors. It is shown here that, when the proposed receiver is utilized, one can expect an improvement in the overall bit error rate of several orders of magnitude as compared with the standard array detector.