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Chest X-ray has verified its role as a crucial tool in COVID-19 assessment due to its practicability, especially in emergency units, and Brixia score has proven as a useful tool for COVID-19 pneumonia grading. The aim of our study was to investigate correlations between main laboratory parameters, vaccination status, and Brixia score, as well as to confirm if Brixia score is a significant independent predictor of unfavorable outcome (death) in COVID-19 patients. The study was designed as a cross-sectional multicentric study. It included patients with a diagnosed COVID-19 infection who were hospitalized. This study included a total of 279 patients with a median age of 62 years. The only significant predictor of unfavorable outcome (death) was Brixia score (adjusted odds ratio 1.148, p = 0.022). In addition, the results of the multiple linear regression analysis (R2 = 0.334, F = 19.424, p < 0.001) have shown that male gender (B = 0.903, p = 0.046), severe COVID-19 (B = 1.970, p < 0.001), and lactate dehydrogenase (B = 0.002, p < 0.001) were significant positive predictors, while albumin level (B = −0.211, p < 0.001) was a significant negative predictor of Brixia score. Our results provide important information about factors influencing Brixia score and its usefulness in predicting the unfavorable outcome (death) of COVID-19 patients. These findings have clinical relevance, especially in epidemic circumstances.

Handshakes are fundamental and common greeting and parting gestures among humans. They are important in shaping first impressions as people tend to associate character traits with a person's handshake. To widen the social acceptability of robots and make a lasting first impression, a good handshaking ability is an important skill for social robots. Therefore, to test the human-likeness of a robot handshake, we propose an initial Turing-like test, primarily for the hardware interface to future AI agents. We evaluate the test on an android robot's hand to determine if it can pass for a human hand. This is an important aspect of Turing tests for motor intelligence where humans have to interact with a physical device rather than a virtual one. We also propose some modifications to the definition of a Turing test for such scenarios taking into account that a human needs to interact with a physical medium., Comment: Accepted as a Late Breaking Report in The 15th Annual ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human Robot Interaction (HRI) 2020

Traditional treatment methods for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) including resection, radiation, and chemotherapy have been largely unsuccessful, with a current 5-year survival rate of 5.6%. In this project we examine the potential of nanosized self-assembling peptide hydrogels to locally deliver and convert temozolomide (TMZ), an FDA-approved pH-sensitive prodrug, for GBM treatment. The peptide hydrogel is designed to load TMZ into the hydrophobic regions of the hydrogels, and during hydrogel degradation in vivo, convert TMZ into its active form. Hydrogel characterization, drug loading and conversion, and cellular uptake and viability are examined to determine the in vitro efficacy of this delivery method. A combination of dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and circular dichroism (CD) are used to characterize size and structure of the hydrogels. Loading and conversion of TMZ are quantified using UV-Vis spectroscopy. Fluorescent imaging and cell viability assays are used to determine uptake and anti-cancer effects of the drug-loaded hydrogels on glioblastoma cells. Our results show high uptake in drug-resistant T98G and non-resistant LN-18 glioblastoma cell lines using several of our tunable peptide formulations. CD has shown that all peptide formulations form mostly beta-sheet and random structures during self-assembly. SEM and DLS show that peptide hydrogels formed in a water solvent are more polydisperse than hydrogels in a PBS solvent. Using a pH-meter, we have shown that as the peptides in PBS degrade, there is an increase in local pH. Additionally, TMZ conversion is observed to occur more quickly in drug-loaded hydrogels than TMZ alone. Preliminary cell viability studies have shown that unassembled peptides are not cytotoxic; some of the assembled peptide hydrogels are cytotoxic while others maintain greater than 80% viability when compared to untreated cells. Future studies for the project will include cell viability assays with the most promising peptide formulations loaded with TMZ to determine efficacy of the delivery and conversion system. Finally, this project will culminate in an in vivo study to confirm the overall anti-cancer effect of the drug-loaded peptide hydrogels in a tumor model of GBM. Acknowledgements: This research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation EPSCoR Program under NSF Award # OIA-1655740, the National Institute of Health Award # P30GM131959, and National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Citation Format: Megan Pitz, Alexandra Nukovic, Margaret Elpers, Sarah Wilde, Angela Alexander-Bryant. Self-assembling peptide hydrogel for delivery and conversion of temozolomide in glioblastoma treatment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 299.

Traditional treatment methods for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) including resection, radiation, and chemotherapy have been largely unsuccessful, with a current 5-year survival rate of 5.6%. In this project we examine the potential of nanosized self-assembling peptide hydrogels to locally deliver and convert temozolomide (TMZ), an FDA-approved pH-sensitive prodrug, for GBM treatment. The peptide hydrogel is designed to load TMZ into the hydrophobic regions of the hydrogels, and during hydrogel degradation in vivo, convert TMZ into its active form. Hydrogel characterization, drug loading and release cellular uptake, and viability are examined to determine the in vitro efficacy of this delivery method. A combination of dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and circular dichroism (CD) are used to characterize size and structure of the hydrogels. High performance liquid chromatography and microcentrifuge dialysis are used to quantify drug loading and release from the hydrogels. Flow cytometry, fluorescent imaging, and cell viability assays are used to determine uptake and anti-cancer effects of the drug-loaded hydrogels on glioblastoma cells. Our results show high drug loading efficiency and uptake in drug-resistant T98G and non-resistant LN-18 glioblastoma cell lines using several of our tunable peptide formulations. CD has shown that all peptide formulations form mostly beta-sheet and random structures during self-assembly. SEM and DLS show that certain formulations are fairly consistent in size and structure; we are focused on refining preparation methods to further improve uniform size and structure for these formulations and those that exhibit promising drug loading and uptake. Using a pH-sensitive dye, we have shown that as the peptides degrade, the degradation products cause the local pH to become basic, confirming that more TMZ will convert more quickly as the hydrogels degrade. Preliminary cell viability studies have shown promising results for anti-cancer effects of the drug-loaded hydrogels. Future studies for the project will include further cell viability studies to confirm preliminary results with the most promising peptide formulations once uniform self-assembly has been achieved. Finally, this project will culminate in an in vivo study to confirm the overall anti-cancer effect of the drug-loaded peptide hydrogels in a tumor model of GBM. Acknowledgements: This research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation EPSCoR Program under NSF Award # OIA-1655740. Citation Format: Megan Pitz, Margaret Elpers, Arica Gregory, Alexandra Nukovic, Angela Alexander-Bryant. Self-assembling peptide hydrogel for delivery of therapeutically active temozolomide in glioblastoma treatment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 1726.

Institution for local and regional development in Bosnia and Herzegovina The aim of this paper is to present the basic concepts and key issues relating to the formation, development and operation of institutions for local and regional development in Bosnia and Herzegovina. To create strong economic regional development need for strong dynamic institutions to plan, coordinate, promote and take action within the regional development. In this paper we study local and regional institution, background and context, legal and political framework, territorial aspects, relation with EU cohesion, relation with EU network, activities, organisation structure, regional and local partners, capacity building, funding and sustainability. The paper is a reserach position and impact the local and regional institutions in the regional economic development of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Still facing the consequences of a post-war and a post-communist transition, BiH is trying to consolidate the strategies for a sustainable peace, based on institutionalisation of a pluralistic democracy - less obsessed by the ethnic questions - and a socio-economic development - that does not necessarily have to rely on the international assistance. Bosnia and Herzegovina is far from being an unitarian institutional, political and social subject and the differences that have marked the years of the war have got consolidated in a constitutional structure that is for sure one of the most complicated that are currently existing in the world. The lack of the presence of a State in the policy making process, is often filled up in Bosnia by the emerging role of local authorities. The case of Brcko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina is rather unique and is a sort of paradox in the paradox of the BiH situation. After getting an autonomous status which was a result of a long and tiring political mediation, Brcko District is now facing the challenge of building a regional development strategy, which has not only to be "politically correct" (like almost all the decisions that have been recently regarding this little but strategic territorial area, so crucial for the BiH peace stability) but has as well to match the difficulties of achieving a future sustainability. The following paper aims to give an answer to the following crucial questions: Does it make sense to promote a regional development strategy and the institutionalisation of a Development Agency for a limited territorial area like Brcko, created as a consequence of a war scenario? What is the specificity of Brcko and what -on the contrary- can be used to build up a model replicable elsewhere in BiH?

Oxygen (O 2 ) tension plays a key role in tissue function and pathophysiology. O 2 -controlled cell culture, in which the O 2 concentration in an incubator's gas phase is controlled, is an indispensable tool to study the role of O 2 in vivo . For this technique, it is presumed that the incubator setpoint is equal to the O 2 tension that cells experience ( i.e ., pericellular O 2 ). We discovered that physioxic (5% O 2 ) and hypoxic (1% O 2 ) setpoints regularly induce anoxic (0.0% O 2 ) pericellular tensions in both adherent and suspension cell cultures. Electron transport chain inhibition ablates this effect, indicating that cellular O 2 tensions, we developed a reaction-diffusion model that predicts pericellular O 2 tensions, we developed a reaction-diffusion model that predicts pericellular O 2 tension a priori . This model revealed that the effect of cellular O 2 consumption is greatest in smaller volume culture vessels ( e.g., 96-well plate). By controlling pericellular O 2 tension in cell culture, we discovered that MCF7 cells have stronger glycolytic and glutamine metabolism responses in anoxia vs . hypoxia. MCF7 also expressed higher levels of HIF2A , CD73 , NDUFA4L2 , etc . and lower levels of HIF1A , CA9 , VEGFA, etc . in response to hypoxia vs . anoxia. Proteomics revealed that 4T1 cells had an upregulated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) response and downregulated reactive oxygen species (ROS) management, glycolysis, and fatty acid metabolism pathways in hypoxia vs . anoxia. Collectively, these results reveal that breast cancer cells respond non-monotonically to low O 2 , suggesting that anoxic cell culture is not suitable to model hypoxia. We demonstrate that controlling atmospheric O 2 tension in cell culture incubators is insufficient to control O 2 in cell culture and introduce the concept of pericellular O 2 -controlled cell culture ., Competing Interests: Competing Interests The authors declare no conflicts of interest.