cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plasma free tryptophan, brain serotonin, and an endocrine profile of the genetically obese hyperglycemic mouse at 4--5 months of age.

Genetically obese hyperglycemic mice (ob/ob) were compared with their nonlittermate lean controls at 4–5 months of age with regard to brain serotonin, pituitary ACTH content, and circulating levels of glucose, glucagon, insulin, TSH, T3, T4, total tryptophan, and free tryptophan. Brain serotonin, pituitary ACTH content, and plasma insulin, glucose, total tryptophan, and free tryptophan were all significantly higher in obeSe mice than in the controls. TSH, T3, and T4 were not significantly different in obese mice vs. controls, suggesting that the obese mouse is euthyroid. Fasting improved but failed to normalize the glucose and insulin levels or insulin to glucagon ratios. Since serotonin is an important neurotransmitter with regard to hypothalamic-pituitary function and since its levels in the brain are dependent on the availability of tryptophan, the findings of elevated levels of free tryptophan in the plasma and serotonin in the brain of the obese hyperglycemic mouse may help to explain some of the pre...
Dysregulated expression of androgen-responsive and nonresponsive genes in the androgen-independent prostate cancer xenograft model CWR22-R1.

Treatment of metastatic prostate cancer with androgen-ablation often elicits dramatic tumor regressions, but the response is rarely complete, making clinical recurrence inevitable with time. To gain insight into therapy-related progression, changes in gene expression that occurred following androgen-deprivation of an androgen-dependent prostate tumor xenograft, CWR22, and the emergence of an androgen-independent tumor, CWR22-R, were monitored using microarray analysis. Androgen-deprivation resulted in growth arrest of CWR22 cells, as evidenced by decreased expression of genes encoding cell cycle components and basal cell metabolism, respiration and transcription, and the induced expression of putative negative regulatory genes that may act to sustain cells in a nonproliferative state. Evolution of androgen-independent growth and proliferation, represented by CWR22-R, was associated with a reentry into active cell cycle and the up-regulation of several genes that were expressed at low levels or absent in the androgen-dependent tumor. Androgen repletion to mice bearing androgen-independent CWR22-R tumors induced, augmented, or repressed the expression of a number of genes. Expression of two of these genes, the calcium-binding protein S100P and the FK-506-binding protein FKBP51, was decreased following androgen-deprivation, subsequently reexpressed in CWR22-R at levels comparable with CWR22, and elevated further upon treatment with androgens. The dysregulated behavior of these genes is analogous to other androgen-dependent genes, e.g., prostate-specific antigen and human kallikrein 2, which are commonly reexpressed in androgen-independent disease in the absence of androgens. Other androgen-responsive genes whose expression decreased during androgen-deprivation and whose expression remained decreased in CWR22 were also identified in CWR22-R. These results imply that evolution to androgen-independence is due, in part, to reactivation of the androgen-response pathway in the absence of androgens, but that this reactivation is probably incomplete.
Impact of 18F-Fluoride PET in Patients with Known Prostate Cancer: Initial Results from the National Oncologic PET Registry

Under Medicare’s Coverage with Evidence Development policy, PET using 18F-sodium fluoride (NaF PET) to identify osseous metastasis became a covered service if prospective registry data were collected. The National Oncologic PET Registry (NOPR) developed a NaF PET registry built on the foundation of its prior registry for PET with 18F-FDG. Men with prostate cancer represented 72% of the cases. Methods: Prospective data before and after NaF PET were collected from referring and interpreting physicians. The analysis set consisted of consenting men age 65 y or older with prostate cancer undergoing NaF PET for initial staging (IS, n = 1,024), suspected first osseous metastasis (FOM, n = 1,997), or suspected progression of osseous metastasis (POM, n = 510). Results: Referring physicians indicated that if NaF PET were not available, other advanced imaging (body CT, MR imaging, or 18F-FDG PET) would be their plan in about half of the cases. After NaF PET, the postimaging plan was revised to treatment in 77%, 52%, and 71% for IS, FOM, and POM, respectively. When intended management was classified as either treatment or nontreatment, the overall change in intended management ranged from 44% to 52% and from 12% to 16% if no effect was assumed for those cases with pre-PET plans for other imaging (imaging-adjusted impact). Interpreting physicians recorded definite findings of bone metastasis in 14%, 29%, and 76% for IS, FOM, and POM, respectively. The intended care patterns varied widely across indication and scan abnormality category combinations. Conclusion: NaF PET has high overall impact, principally related to its effect on replacing intended use of other advanced imaging. Its imaging-adjusted impact was similar to that observed with 18F-FDG PET for restaging or suspected recurrence in other cancer types.
Dynamical properties of the derivative of the Weierstrass elliptic function

We discuss properties of the Julia and Fatou sets of the derivative of the Weierstrass elliptic } function. We find triangular lattices for which the Julia set is the whole sphere, or which have superattracting fixed or period two points. We study the parameter space of the derivative of the Weierstrass elliptic function on triangular lattices and explain the symmetries of that space.
Neonatal Insult to the Hippocampal Region and Schizophrenia: A Review and a Putative Animal Model

OBJECTIVE To review the mounting evidence implicating early hippocampal dysfunction in the pathogenesis and the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. An account is made of recent neurodevelopmental hypotheses indicating how an early dysfunction of the hippocampal region disrupts maturational events in brain systems connected to that structure, thus inducing dysfunctional connectional development. Finally, an animal model is presented. METHOD Socioemotional behaviour of monkeys (Macaca mulatta) with selective neonatal hippocampal lesions was assessed by analyzing their interactions with their age-matched controls at 2 months, 6 months, and 5 to 8 years of age and by comparing the social interactions at each age with those of normal controls paired together. RESULTS At 2 months of age, monkeys with neonatal hippocampal lesions presented minor disturbances in initiation of social interactions. These subtle changes of behaviour were less evident at 6 months, although by that age, the operated monkeys displayed more withdrawals in response to an increase in aggressive responses from their unoperated peers. In adulthood, the amount of time spent by the hippocampectomized monkeys in social contacts with their normal peers decreased markedly. In addition, operated monkeys exhibited more locomotor stereotypies than normal controls. CONCLUSION These experimental findings indicate that the time-course and nature of the behavioural disturbances resulting from early trauma to the hippocampal region have some similarities with the clinical symptoms of schizophrenic patients and the typical time-course of the disease.
Collaborative Mixed Reality Visualization of an Archaeological Excavation

We present VITA (visual interaction tool for archaeology), an experimental collaborative mixed reality system for offsite visualization of an archaeological dig. Our system allows multiple users to visualize the dig site in a mixed reality environment in which tracked, see-through, head-worn displays are combined with a multi-user, multi-touch, projected table surface, a large screen display, and tracked hand-held displays. We focus on augmenting existing archaeological analysis methods with new ways to organize, visualize, and combine the standard 2D information available from an excavation (drawings, pictures, and notes) with textured, laser range-scanned 3D models of objects and the site itself. Users can combine speech, touch, and 3D hand gestures to interact multimodally with the environment. Preliminary user tests were conducted with archaeology researchers and students, and their feedback is presented here.
Pained expression: metaphors of sickness and signs of ‘authenticity’ in Kurt Cobain's Journals

This article investigates the relationship between biography and authenticity within the aesthetics of grunge musician Kurt Cobain, using the 2002 Riverhead Press volume of his journals as a primary source. Focusing on Cobain's fascination with the human form and with bodily fluids, I argue that his idea of the ‘sick body’ functioned as a central metaphor that shaped his approach to various media (prose, lyrics, drawing and singing) such that there was a homology between these different forms. I draw on excerpts from the Journals to show the meanings that he associated with the ‘sick body’, including the ways in which it indexed his own biography of physical pain and social marginalisation. Using the Nirvana song ‘Hairspray Queen’ as a case study, I then show the interactions between musical and linguistic signs of the sick body and how these interactions reveal Cobain's ideas on music's meaning. Ultimately, I argue that in song lyrics and performance, Cobain prized scatological imagery, eviscerating vocals and unintelligible lyrics as a means to signal the ‘authenticity’ of his art.
Response of Crystal Growth Experiments to Time-Dependent Residual Accelerations

Real-time Seebeck voltage variations across a Sn−Bi melt during directional solidification in MEPHISTO on USMP-11 show a distinct variation which can be correlated with thrusted firings. The Seebeck voltage measurement is related to the response of the instantaneous average melt composition at the melt-solid interface. This allows a direct comparison of numerical simulations with the Seebeck signals obtained on USMP-1. The effects of such accelerations on composition for a directionally solidifying Sn−Bi alloy have been simulated numerically. USMP-1 acceleration data was used to assist in our choice of acceleration magnitude and orientation.
Learning Markov graphs up to edit distance

This paper presents a rate distortion approach to Markov graph learning. It provides lower bounds on the number of samples required for any algorithm to learn the Markov graph structure of a probability distribution, up to edit distance. We first prove a general result for any probability distribution, and then specialize it for Ising and Gaussian models. In particular, for both Ising and Gaussian models on p variables with degree at most d, we show that at least Ω((d − s/p)log p) samples are required for any algorithm to learn the graph structure up to edit distance s. Our bounds represent a strong converse; i.e., we show that for a lower number of samples, the probability of error goes to 1 as the problem size increases. These results show that substantial gains in sample complexity may not be possible without paying a significant price in edit distance error.
Measurements of OH, HO2+RO2, H2SO4, and MSA at the South Pole during ISCAT 2000

Measurements of hydroxyl radical (OH), sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and methane sulfonic acid (MSA) together with the first HO2+RO2 observations at the South Pole are presented. These results were recorded as part of the Investigation of Sulfur Chemistry in the Antarctic Troposphere 2000 (ISCAT 2000) study. OH concentrations were found to be highly elevated, having a mean value over the time period of 15 November–30 December 2000 of 2.5 � 10 6 molecule cm � 3 , thus confirming the results from ISCAT 1998. Although data were more limited for the sum of HO2+RO2, a mean value of � 7 � 10 7 molecule cm � 3 was estimated. Typically, OH and HO2+RO2 both showed large day-to-day variability. Box model simulations suggest that most of this variability was a direct result of elevated and highly variable levels of nitric oxide. Comparisons of OH with overhead O3 column density measurements revealed that for certain time periods as much as a 30% enhancement occurred in OH as a result of decreases in column O3 levels. Like ISCAT 1998, the observational data for H2SO4 and MSA generally showed very low concentrations with mean values of 2.7 � 10 5 and 8 � 10 4 molecule cm � 3 , respectively. When compared against measured levels of particulate sulfate and methane sulfonate, these low gas phase concentrations indicate, as suggested by the more limited data from the ISCAT 1998 study, that local production of gas phase sulfur species contributes little to particle composition. r 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Architecture for low cost electronically steered phased arrays

A series fed row-column beam steering architecture is studied for the realization of a low cost electronically steered phased array. Series feeds are used for distributing the local oscillator (LO) and for collecting/distributing the intermediate frequency (IF). Using series feeds reduces the number of panel layers and thus reduces cost. The row/column beam steering approach avoids using a phase shifter with each radiating element and drastically reduces the number of phase shifters necessary. A small prototype array is presented to demonstrate the operation of the architecture.
On the use of a spectrum-based model for linear viscoelastic materials

A new spectrum-based model for describing the behavior of time-dependent materials is presented. In this paper, unlike most prior modeling techniques, the time-dependent response of viscoelastic materials is not expressed through the use of series. Instead, certain criteria have been imposed to select a spectrum function that has the potential of describing a wide range of material behavior. Another consequence of choosing the spectrum function of the type used in this paper is to have a few closed form analytic solutions in the theory of linear viscoelasticity. The Laplace transform technique is used to obtain the necessary formulae for viscoelastic Lame' functions, relaxation and bulk moduli, creep bulk and shear compliance, as well as Poisson's ratio. By using the Elastic–Viscoelastic Correspondence Principle (EVCP), material constants appearing in the proposed model are obtained by comparing the experimental data with the solution of the integral equation for a simple tensile test. The resulting viscoelastic functions describe the material properties which can then be used to express the behavior of a material in other loading configurations. The model's potential is demonstrated and its limitations are discussed.
New insights into the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide on metallic copper surfaces

We report new insights into the electrochemical reduction of CO2 on a metallic copper surface, enabled by the development of an experimental methodology with unprecedented sensitivity for the identification and quantification of CO2 electroreduction products. This involves a custom electrochemical cell designed to maximize product concentrations coupled to gas chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance for the identification and quantification of gas and liquid products, respectively. We studied copper across a range of potentials and observed a total of 16 different CO2 reduction products, five of which are reported here for the first time, thus providing the most complete view of the reaction chemistry reported to date. Taking into account the chemical identities of the wide range of C1–C3 products generated and the potential-dependence of their turnover frequencies, mechanistic information is deduced. We discuss a scheme for the formation of multicarbon products involving enol-like surface intermediates as a possible pathway, accounting for the observed selectivity for eleven distinct C2+ oxygenated products including aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, and carboxylic acids.
Tooth anomalies in the oral-facial-digital syndrome.

The relation of alveolar clefts to morphogenesis of teeth in the line of the cleft was explored. The oral-facial-digital (OFD) syndrome is a unique experiment of nature wherein the position of the cleft is posterior to where it occurs in the more common types of cleft. In the latter the cleft occurs anterior to the maxillary canine and affects the number and form of the lateral incisor. In the OFD syndrome the cleft occurs posterior to the canine with duplicate canines, sometimes “T”-shaped, occurring on either side of the alveolar cleft. These findings suggest a common timespace relation between alveolar clefting and tooth-bud formation, probably occurring in the sixth week of embryonic life.
Molecular mechanisms of chemical carcinogenesis in rodent models

Animal models provide an invaluable tool for studying carcinogenesis. They are particularly useful in the field of mammary biology because of the cryptic nature of the etiology in human breast cancer tumorigenesis. Animal models can be used to cope with the complexity of the physiological disease or as an assay system for manipulations performed in vitro. Our discussion will be limited to studies performed in mice and rats, although other animal model systems have also contributed significantly to our understanding of mammary gland tumorigenesis.
Activating relaxation-controlled diffusion mechanisms for tailored moisture resistance of gelatin-based bioadhesives for engineered wood products

Abstract The feasibility of tailoring the moisture resistance of bioadhesives by activating relaxation-controlled diffusion mechanisms is demonstrated herein using gelatin, a hydrophilic biopolymer, as a model biobased resin for engineered wood products. The effect of gelatin-to-water concentration and tannin addition on the governing kinetics of water transport in gelatin-based bioadhesives was investigated in this work. Time-dependent flexural mechanical properties of laminated (a) gelatin and (b) gelatin–tannin wood veneer composites conditioned at both moderate and high humidity were characterized and compared to oriented strand board and plywood. Results indicate that increases in both gelatin and tannin content not only decrease rates of water uptake, volumetric swelling, and maximum moisture contents of gelatin-based resins, but also increasingly induce relaxation-controlled moisture diffusion behavior, which implies short-term moisture resistance and long-term moisture affinity. This behavior could be leveraged to address both in-service (i.e., strength, stiffness) and out-of-service (i.e., rapid biodegradation) requirements for engineered wood products.
Effect of Gamma Irradiation, Fractionation, and Penicillin Supplementation on the Rachitogenic Activity of Rye for Chicks

Abstract Experiments were conducted to study the effect of gamma irradiation on the rye-vitamin D antagonism in broiler chicks. In an initial study, the irradiated grain was exposed to gamma rays for 6 hr (2 Mrad) and was fed to rachitic chicks for only 12 hr before a single oral dose of vitamin D3. In another trial, birds were fed during the entire experiment (12 days) on the different experimental diets, and the irradiated grain was exposed to gamma rays for 20 hr. Results indicate that the factor in rye that interferes with vitamin D utilization was largely inactivated by exposing this grain to gamma rays for 20 hr. Additional information is reported in this paper related to the alleviation by extraction or antibiotic supplementation on the rachitogenic properties of rye. These studies were conducted by feeding to rachitic chicks the test materials for only a short period of time (12 hr) before a vitamin D3 oral dose and measuring the bone mineralization 48 hr later. Results indicate that the rachitogenic factor in rye is not present in the ash portion of the grain, that it can be largely overcome by water extraction and penicillin supplementation, and that an organic solvent extraction has no effect. Cooked beans which depress growth and increase the growth response to antibiotics are not rachitogenic.
Epidemiological Analysis of Epidemic Encephalitis Type B in Nanyang City from 1954 to 2006

Objective To investigate the occurrence of epidemic encephalitis type B in Nanyang city in order to provide measures for the disease prevention and control. Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis was performed. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Results An obvious seasonal variation of encephalitis B was observed. The occurrence was mainly found in the young age group. Before 1990, the outbreak occurred at a interval of about 8 to 10 years, and the incidence was decreasing since 1991. Conclusion Increasing the rate of vaccination, strengthening of the monitoring program,and improving the serological are the preventive measures to reduce the incidence of encephalitis B.
A Goodness-of-fit Test based on the Empirical Characteristic Function when Parameters must be Estimated

SUMMARY The goodness-of-fit test using the empirical characteristic function proposed by Koutrouvelis (1980) is extended to the case where parameters must be estimated. The proposed test statistic is shown to have an asymptotic chi-squared distribution with degrees of freedom reduced by the number of parameters estimated.
An endogenous source of the superoxide anion in the central nervous system.

While it is known that oxygen intermediates, i.e., the superoxide radical anion, hydrogen peroxide, and the hydroxyl radical are toxic1–3, their role in pathological processes in the central nervous system (CNS) is not clear. To understand how these reactive oxygen metabolites are involved, two issues must be addressed. First, are there endogenous sources of oxygen intermediates in the CNS? Second, can oxygen intermediates produce functional neuronal changes?
Population balance model development and experimental validation for the heteroaggregation of oppositely charged micro- and nano-particles

Abstract The properties of heteroaggregates (aggregates of particles that are different in various aspects such as size, surface charge) depend on the properties of the particles along with the initial relative concentration of the particles. In this article, the heteroaggregation of two different types of oppositely charged hydrogel particles, alginate microparticles and chitosan nanoparticles were studied. A population balance model (PBM), popularly used to model particulate processes was developed based on the inter-particle interactions such as van der Waals, electrostatic and hydration in order to study the effect of initial relative concentration of alginate and chitosan on the final heteroaggregate size distribution. The presence of three different regimes (namely, ‘dispersed, uncoated’, ‘agglomerated’ and ‘dispersed, coated’) based on the initial concentration of alginate and chitosan was observed both from the model calculations and the experiments. In addition, to better understand these interactions, the effect of various process parameters on the aggregation kinetics were studied.
Targeted cyber-attacks: Unveiling target reconnaissance strategy via Social Networks

The massive explosion of Online Social Networks (OSNs) has brought both great opportunities and security threats. As one of the richest sources on personal information, intelligent attackers have actively used OSNs for target reconnaissance in which sensitive information of specific users and organizations are gathered for later attacks. Modeling and investigating the attackers' techniques is crucial for prevention and countermeasure of cyber-targeted attacks. In this paper, we rigorously model the target reconnaissance in closed-wall OSNs (e.g. Facebook) using probabilistic graphs. In our model, the attackers need to send friend requests smartly to gather as much information from targeted users as possible while avoiding being detected by the services operators. We formulate the attacker's task as the Adaptive Targeted Crawling Maximization problem which is shown to be NP-hard. Further, we use adaptive submodularity theory to show that there exists a simple greedy strategy that the attackers may deploy to guarantee a near-optimal effectiveness. Simulations on real-world social networks also confirms the effectiveness of the strategy in comparison with other naive node-ranking methods. Our work is a first step towards a theoretical foundation to analyze behaviors of intelligent attackers and the susceptibility of organizational social networks.
Safety and Efficacy of Commercially Available Ultrasound Contrast Agents for Rest and Stress Echocardiography: A Multicenter Experience

Objectives The authors sought to define the risks versus benefits of ultrasound contrast agents in patients undergoing stress echocardiography. Background The Food and Drug Administration recently placed a “black box” warning on the ultrasound contrast agents Definity (Bristol-Myers Squibb Medical Imaging, Billerica, Massachusetts) and Optison (GE Healthcare, Princeton, New Jersey) after their use was temporally related to 4 deaths. The safety of contrast has not been systematically evaluated. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 42,408 patients at 3 different institutions who had baseline suboptimal images and/or underwent myocardial perfusion imaging and received contrast agents; 18,749 of these underwent stress echocardiography. The outcomes (death and myocardial infarction [MI]) within 30 min, 24 h, and during long-term follow-up were recorded. Results No deaths or MIs were observed within 30 min; 1 death and 5 nonfatal MIs were observed within 24 h. This was not different from a matched cohort of 15,989 patients not receiving contrast. At 1 h and at 30 days after contrast administration, no significant differences in death rates or MIs were observed between patients who did and did not receive contrast during their stress echocardiogram. Endocardial border visualization in patients with suboptimal images resulted in comparable sensitivity (81% vs. 73%, p = NS) and diagnostic accuracy (82% vs. 77%, p = NS) for wall motion analysis compared with patients with optimal image quality. At long-term follow-up, abnormal wall motion and/or myocardial perfusion predicted adverse outcomes (20.6%) when compared with patients with normal studies (3.7%). Conclusions Despite recent warnings regarding echocardiographic contrast, our findings indicate it is a safe and useful diagnostic tool in assessment of patients suspected of having coronary artery disease.
Reusable Electrochemical DNA Biosensor for the Detection of Waterborne Uranium

We have developed an electrochemical biosensor for the detection of uranium, in the uranyl ion form, at low levels in water. This biosensor could have both academic and environmental monitoring applications. Uranium contamination of water sources poses serious health consequences, and this biosensor may aid in the improvement of targeting and the efficiency of remediation of contaminated water sources by improving the speed of initial identification as well as monitoring during remediation efforts. Our design uses a modified uranyl-binding aptamer that has been inserted into an oligonucleotide scaffold to create a reusable, conformation-switching electrochemical DNA biosensor with an apparent dissociation constant of 15±5 μM and a limit of detection within an order of magnitude of the Environmental Protection Agency's maximum contamination level for uranium in drinking water.
Catalytic, Enantioselective, Intramolecular Sulfenofunctionalization of Alkenes with Phenols.

The catalytic, enantioselective, cyclization of phenols with electrophilic sulfenophthalimides onto isolated or conjugated alkenes affords 2,3-disubstituted benzopyrans and benzoxepins. The reaction is catalyzed by a BINAM-based phosphoramide Lewis base catalyst which assists in the highly enantioselective formation of a thiiranium ion intermediate. The influence of nucleophile electron density, alkene substitution pattern, tether length and Lewis base functional groups on the rate, enantio- and site-selectivity for the cyclization is investigated. The reaction is not affected by the presence of substituents on the phenol ring. In contrast, substitutions around the alkene strongly affect the reaction outcome. Sequential lengthening of the tether results in decreased reactivity, which necessitated increased temperatures for reaction to occur. Sterically bulky aryl groups on the sulfenyl moiety prevented erosion of enantiomeric composition at these elevated temperatures. Alcohols and carboxylic acids prefer...
The Accuracy of Citizen Science Data: A Quantitative Review

Author(s): Aceves-Bueno, Erendira; Adeleye, Adeyemi S; Feraud, Marina; Huang, Yuxiong; Tao, Mengya; Yang, Yi; Anderson, Sarah E
Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Rapid Intensification Probabilistic Forecasts from an Ensemble of Machine Learning Methods

Abstract Atlantic tropical cyclone (TC) rapid intensification (RI) continues to be a major forecasting challenge, with forecast skill scores only about 15% better than climatology. To date, RI forecasts have been completed using linear discriminant analysis (LDA) on predictors optimized for RI forecasts, and no study has directly addressed machine learning’s (hereafter AI) capability in forecasting RI. As such, the objective of this study is to quantify the RI predictability using proxy forecast model data and an ensemble of AI methods to generate probabilistic RI forecasts. Atlantic RI events from 1985 to 2011 were retained for all valid times (over water) for each TC, and these cases were used to train an AI ensemble optimized (through three steps) for RI prediction. First, backwards elimination feature selection was used on a blend of the proxy forecast data, predictors from the currently utilized LDA model, and observed TC track information (such as intensity and position) to optimize the predictor suite. Second, numerous configurations of three AI methods (support vector machines [SVMs], artificial neural networks [ANNs], and random forests [RFs]) were tested using bootstrap-based cross-validation to ascertain the best configurations of each AI method. Finally, the best AI configurations were used to generate probabilistic output for RI, weighted by each ensemble member’s individual cross-validation performance. Resulting probabilistic forecasts were in line with the current LDA method, though the upper skill limit of the ensemble exceeded 30% improvement over climatology, which far exceeds the current LDA scheme.
Extending Future Time Perspective Theory through Episodic Future Thinking Research: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Thinking About the Future

This chapter considers expanding the work on time perspective to include both imagining and planning for the future. Specifically, the authors argue that Future Time Perspective (FTP) and motivation researchers have focused on how we set and achieve goals, but have failed to consider how imagining the future affect can influence our motivation in the present. The authors also dispute the representation of FTP and other future-oriented motivation as cold and rational, highlighting the empirical neglect of how thinking of the future may support positive emotions. Additionally, they assert that neurocognitive research on episodic future thinking may provide FTP researchers with a path to bring thinking about the future together with feeling about the future.
Sleep disturbance and symptom burden in sarcoidosis.

Abstract Introduction Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory disease associated with myriad symptoms, including fatigue. It can affect physiological processes like sleep, leading to poor sleep quality and excessive daytime sleepiness. We hypothesized that sarcoidosis patients would report more severe sleep disturbance than healthy controls and that relationships would be found with sleep disturbance and the severity of other symptoms. Methods We enrolled 84 sarcoidosis patients and 30 healthy controls and recorded demographic and clinical characteristics. Self-report measures were used to assess sleep disturbance, psychosocial symptoms, and quality of life at enrollment and longitudinally. Relationships between different self-report outcomes were analyzed using correlation statistics. Results Using the General Sleep Disturbance Scale, 54% of sarcoidosis patients reported frequent and occasional sleep disturbance compared to only 17% of healthy controls (p Conclusions Sarcoidosis patients experienced significant sleep disturbance that correlated with higher levels of fatigue, depression, and cognitive dysfunction, and poorer quality of life. These associations were present regardless of disease severity or activity and result in decrements in quality of life and mental health.
Use of the Adjoint Equation

This chapter discusses the use of the adjoint equation. For every solution, the adjoint equation can be found, and the order of the original equation can be reduced by one. For an n- th order linear differential operator L [·] (shown operating on the function u ( x )) L [ u ( x )] = a 0 xd n u / dx n + a 1 ( x )d n−1 u/dx n−1 + …+ a n -1 ( x ) du / dx + a n ( x ) u then the adjoint of L [·] is defined to be L *[·]. The chapter also highlights that if an operator and its adjoint are identical, then the operator is said to be formally self-adjoint. In this case, the adjoint method does not help to find a solution of the original differential equation. Similar results hold for linear partial differential equations.
Characterization of betabellins 15D and 16D, designed beta-sandwich proteins that have amyloidogenic properties

Amareth Lim, Alexander M. Makhov, Lawreen H. Connors, Jeremy Bond, Hideyo Inouye, Jack D. Griffith, Daniel A. Kirschner, Catherine E. Costello, and Bruce W. Erickson Department of Chemistry and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 U.S.A.; Department of Biochemistry and Department of Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118 U.S.A.; and Department of Biology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 U.S.A.
A Hyper-Surface for the Combined Rate and Size Effects on the Material Properties

The recent interests in developing multiscale model-based simulation procedures have brought about the challenging tasks of bridging different spatial and temporal scales within a unified framework. However, the research focus has been on the scale effect in the spatial domain with the loading rate being assumed to be quasi-static. Although material properties are rate-dependent in nature, little has been done in understanding combined loading rate and specimen size effects on the material properties at different scales. In addition, the length and time scales that can be probed by the molecular level simulations are still fairly limited due to the limitation of computational capability. Based on the experimental and computational capabilities available, therefore, an attempt is made here to formulate a hyper-surface in both spatial and temporal domains to predict combined size and rate effects on the mechanical properties of materials.
Randomized Algorithms for Hamiltonian Simulation

We consider randomized algorithms for simulating the evolution of a Hamiltonian \(H ={ \sum \nolimits }_{j=1}^{m}{H}_{j}\) for time t. The evolution is simulated by a product of exponentials of H j in a random sequence, and random evolution times. Hence the final state of the system is approximated by a mixed quantum state. First we provide a scheme to bound the error of the final quantum state in a randomized algorithm. Then we obtain randomized algorithms which have the same efficiency as certain deterministic algorithms but which are simpler to implement.
Cholinergic dysfunction in Alzheimer disease: cause or effect?

Publisher Summary Central cholinergic deficits are the cause of the intellectual impairments that characterize the clinical syndrome. The chapter shows that cholinergic dysfunction is associated with DAT. The dysfunction fits into the chain of pathogenesis. If the cholinergic impairment is not the primary etiologic factor, the cholinergic hypothesis of DAT has been most productive in stimulating ideas, research, and possible treatments. Indeed, treatment approaches that utilize cholinergic agents may prove to be valuable in DAT regardless of the ultimate etiology. The pharmacologic treatments are designed to enhance cholinergic transmission in the hope of improving cognitive function in the affected individuals. The success of cholinomimetic treatments depends on the integrity of the postsynaptic cholinergic receptor system. There have been three main approaches to improving presynaptic cholinergic function: (1) precursor therapy, using drugs to increase the presynaptic synthesis of ACh (analogous to the use of L-dopa in Parkinson disease), (2) cholinergic receptor agonists (e.g. arecoline), and (3) anticholinesterase agents, to decrease the breakdown of ACh.
Identifying Gender Differences in Information Processing Style, Self-efficacy, and Tinkering for Robot Tele-operation

As robots become more ubiquitous it is important to understand how different groups of people respond to possible ways of interacting with the robot. In this study, we focused on gender differences while users were tele-operating a humanoid robot that was physically co-located with them. We investigated three factors during the human-robot interaction (1) information processing strategy (2) self-efficacy and (3) tinkering or exploratory behavior. Experimental result show that the information on how to use the robot was processed comprehensively by the female participants whereas males processed them selectively $(\pmb{p} . Males were more confident when using the robot than females $(\pmb{p}=\mathbf{0.0002})$ . Males tinkered more with the robot than females $(\pmb{p} = \mathbf{0.0021})$ . Tinkering might have resulted in greater task success and lower task completion time for males. Similar to existing work on software interface usability, our results show the importance of accounting for gender differences when developing interfaces for interacting with robots.
Phenol content in sprouted grains

Abstract Cereal grains contain a myriad of phenolic compounds, including alk(en)ylresorcinols, avenanthramides, flavonoids, hydroxycinnamic and other phenolic acids, lignans, lignins, simple phenols, phenolamides, condensed tannins, and tocopherols. When consumed in human diets, many phenolic compounds could exert beneficial health effects. However, potential human health benefits of phenolic compounds strongly depend on their individual chemical structures and resulting physicochemical properties. Therefore, for a given cereal-based ingredient, both the qualitative phenolic profile and the content of individual compounds are relevant for human health and ingredient stability considerations, and processing techniques that change the phenolic profile or content are intriguing. This chapter will describe the different kinds of phenolic compounds found in grains and pseudocereals, their location and function in grains, the challenges inherent to accurately quantifying phenolic compounds in cereals, and the effect of sprouting on the grains’ phenolic profiles and concentrations.
The Pitcher’s Elbow

Overuse and acute traumatic injuries to the elbow are common in the young throwing and overhead athlete. Overhead sports—and baseball pitching in particular—impart great stress on the growing elbow. Despite advances in both our understanding of throwing mechanics and injury prevention strategies, providers commonly encounter patients with medial epicondylar apophysitis, osteochondritis dissecans, and ulnar collateral ligament injuries. Awareness of the pertinent anatomy, risk factors, clinical presentation, and treatment principles is critical in the care of pediatric throwing athletes with these injuries.
Q-Loading of Colpitts-Based Mass-Sensing Oscillators in Resonator-based MEMS Airborne Particulate Matter (PM) Sensors

Air pollution is a major world-wide health concern, in particular the adverse effects resulting of exposure to fine airborne particulate matter (PM 2.5 ). Oscilator topologies have thus far been an overlooked aspect of MEMS based gravimetric PM-sensors. In this work, we analyze the effect of mass loading on selected Colpitts oscillator topologies. Five different Colpitts oscillators are considered in this paper, single ended and differential versions of common gate and common drain and an inverter-based Colpitts oscillator. Our results show that the Complementary common gate topology is the most stable regarding change in frequency and amplitude. The frequency of the complementary common gate increases by 2.5% to 114MHz when the loading is increased to 3KΩ and 11%. with a loading of 6KΩ.
Individual differences in the acoustic properties of human skulls.

The acoustic properties of skulls and how they might affect hearing was investigated. Broadband noise was projected through the skull and spectrally analyzed using a Fast Fourier Transform and in 1/3-octave bands. Energetic peaks were found centered near 1050 and 4000 Hz, and troughs near 100 and 650 Hz, in addition to substantial individual differences (e.g., range greater than 29 dB around 900 Hz). Acoustic patterns from each skull were subsequently compared with air and bone conduction sensory thresholds. Individual skull patterns reliably correlated with bone conduction thresholds, but not air conduction thresholds, indicating a possible mediating role of the skull to hearing.
Hereditary or Not? Understanding Serrated Polyposis Syndrome

To present the current understanding of the diagnosis, management, and potential genetic causes of serrated polyposis syndrome. The clinical criteria for serrated polyposis syndrome was recently updated and now includes individuals with five or more serrated polyps proximal to the rectum that are 5 mm in size or greater and at least two that are 10 mm in size of greater as well as individuals with 20 or more serrated polyps throughout the colon with at least five proximal to the rectum. There is a significant risk for colon cancer in first-degree relatives of individuals with serrated polyposis syndrome. However, less than 3% of serrated polyposis syndrome cases are explained by identifiable germline mutations, with mutations in RNF43 being the only currently validated genetic cause. Serrated polyposis syndrome is rarely explained by identifiable germline mutations, but there remains an increased risk for colorectal cancer in first-degree relatives. Referral for genetic counseling and testing is recommended for individuals with serrated polyposis syndrome and a personal history of coexisting adenomatous polyposis or with a concerning family history and can be considered for all individuals with serrated polyposis syndrome. Close endoscopic surveillance of those with serrated polyposis syndrome and their first-degree relatives is recommended. Continued efforts at identifying hereditary causes of serrated polyposis are needed.
A Phase II Trial of Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide As Graft-Versus-Host Disease Prophylaxis in HLA-Mismatched Unrelated Donor Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Despite of the continuous increase in the number of volunteer donors available through the registry, many patients who require an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) cannot find a fully-matched donor. While a mismatched unrelated donor (MMUD) is frequently available, it is associated with inferior outcomes and increased risk of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). Post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) has been effective in haploidentical HCT, and increasingly used in matched donor HCTs. However, limited data exist in MMUD setting. We conducted a prospective single center trial (NCT 03128359) of PTCy for MMUD HCT with the primary objective of estimating 1-year GvHD-free relapse/progression-free survival (GRFS). As of October 2019, all planned 39 patients have been enrolled with a median follow up of 11 months (range: 1-23). Here we present the preliminary estimate of 1-year GRFS and other HCT outcomes in two strata; myeloablative conditioning (n=19) using Fludarabine (90 mg/m2) and FTBI (1200 cGy) or reduced intensity conditioning (n=19) using Fludarabine (100 mg/m2) and Melphalan (140 mg/m2 or 100 mg/m2 if >60 years old). Patients between 0 to 75 years of age and KPS of ≥70% with hematologic malignancies undergoing HCT from a 7/8 HLA-matched (A-, B-, C-, and DR-) donor were eligible. Patients with donor specific antibodies to the mismatched HLA-locus were excluded. All patient received PBMCs (3-5 × 106/kg) followed by GVHD prophylaxis consisting of PTCy (50 mg/kg for 2 days), Tacrolimus (1 mg), and mycophenolate mofetil (1 gr 3 × a day). Median age at the time of HCT was 53 years (range: 21-72), and 50% of patients were male. Disease risk was low in 47% (n=18), intermediate in 37% (n=14), and high in 16% of the patients (n=6). At transplant, 29 patients were in complete remission, and 9 had active disease. HCT-CI was 0 in six (16%) and 1-2 in 15 (39%) and >2 in 17 (45%) patients. Donors' median age was 32 years (range: 19-53) and donors were mismatched at HLA-A (n=14), -B (n=12), -C (n=8), or DR-loci (n=5). Median number of mismatches was 2 of 12 (range: 1-4). Female to male donor HCT was in 11% of recipients. Neutrophil engraftment occurred in all patients (median time to engraft: 16 days; range 13-35). One-year overall survival (OS) and GRFS were 92% (95% CI: 70-98) and 70% (95% CI: 51-83), respectively. Non-relapse mortality and relapse rate at 1 year were at 8% (95% CI: 2-29) and 13% (95% CI: 5-34), respectively. Cumulative incidence of day 100 acute GvHD grade 2-4 was 50% (95% CI: 35-71) and 1-year chronic GvHD was 56% (95% CI: 39-81). No severe chronic GvHD by the NIH criteria was observed. In conclusion, the data from our phase II trial of PTCy showed highly promising OS/GRFS in patients receiving 7/8 MMUD HCT, and that PTCy in MMUD setting offers an alternative and effective HCT approach for patients who do not have an available matched donor.
Activation of the expiratory muscles via lower thoracic high frequency spinal cord stimulation in awake animals.

Abstract Lower thoracic spinal cord stimulation is an effective method of restoring an effective cough in participants with complete spinal cord injury. The high voltage requirements however significantly limits this application in subjects with intact lower chest wall sensation. In anesthetized animals, we have shown that the expiratory muscles can also be effectively activated with low stimulus currents (1 mA) but with high stimulus frequencies (HF-SCS -500 Hz). In 3 intact, awake pigs the responses to HF-SCS, were evaluated. HF-SCS was associated with marked expansion of the abdominal wall and external oblique EMG activity without any associated changes in heart rate or vocalization. During a terminal procedure under general anesthesia, responses to HF-SCS were re-assessed. Abdominal movement and EMG were similar to that observed in the awake state. HF-SCS (1.5 mA) resulted in an airway pressure of 65 ± 2cmH2O. Our results indicate that lower thoracic HF-SCS may be a useful method to restore an effective cough in patients with intact chest wall sensation.
Resource-envy-free and efficient allocations: A new solution for production economies with dedicated factors

Abstract I consider the problem of determining an equitable and efficient allocation of resources in production economies with factors which must be dedicated to production and cannot be consumed directly. First, I show that in such economies envy-free and efficient allocations exist under standard assumptions. However, I argue this notion of fairness is unsuitable for the present context. I then introduce a new notion of fairness, which I call resource-envy-freeness. First, I associate with each consumption bundle its resource footprint consisting of the vector of factors used to produce it. I then show that preferences over consumption bundles can be extended to preferences over factor bundles. An allocation is resource-envy-free if no agent prefers another agent’s resource footprint to its own. The analysis of resource-envy-free allocations in production is exactly analogous to the analysis of envy-free allocations in exchange. I establish that resource-envy-free and efficient allocations exist under standard assumptions, and I demonstrate that such allocations are intuitively appealing.