cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
No Rush to Judgment for Bariatric Surgery

It isunclearwhether current studieswill address critical questions about the long-term outcomes of bariatric surgery, including the sustainability ofweight loss and comorbidity control and long-term complication rates.1 These critical gaps in knowledge pose a significant problem for people considering a potential surgical option to treat severe obesity. Contributing to these deficits are the paucity of comparative trials, incomplete follow-up, a lack of standardized definitions for changes inhealth status (eg, diabetesmellitus remission), and the tendency to a rush to judgment in favor of surgical treatment options. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is a good case in point, evolving very quickly during the last several years into the dominant procedure in use2 despite a complete void of information about the longer-termeffects. Golomb et al3 try to address this by documenting 1-, 3-, and 5-year results in a cohort of 443 sleeve gastrectomy cases but clearly raise more issues than they can answer. They show that bothweight loss and type2diabetes remissiondegrade substantiallyover time: excess weight loss from 77% to 56% and complete remission of diabetes from 51% to 20%between 1 and 5 years. Those results are fromonly56people available for 5-year followupand with rates of loss to follow-up of 50%, on average, at 1 and 3 years.Onemust assume that people lost to follow-upmaydiffer in important ways. In addition, there are no standards to report comorbid health changes following bariatric surgery, which limits the ability to compare results across studies. Golomb and colleagues do an excellent job of outlining the study’s ownspecific definitions of prevalence, incidence, and remission of type 2 diabetes and other health outcomes, but theseareneither standardnor sharedbetweenmembersof the research community. How can these problems be addressed? Large, prospective observational studies such as the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery Consortium study report standardized definitions and do better with long-term retention,4 but the burden ofwork and subsequent high cost are problematic inahighlycompetitive fundingenvironment.The issuesofcost and feasibility also make a large randomized trial that could compare surgical procedures across heterogeneous populations impractical. There is hope for the use of large electronic databases to contribute to these knowledge gaps, but thehandling of large amounts ofmissing data is a critical feature that is often not well articulated by the authors or well understoodby the readers. Theanswerswill likelybegeneratedover time not only by a few of these large-scale efforts but also by thoughtful inference thatwill bemade throughpooled analyses of data like that from Golomb and colleagues and from many other disparate randomized and nonrandomized studies of bariatric surgery.5 It will take time, patience, and awillingness to avoid a rush to judgment. In the meantime, clinicians andprospective patientswill need to discuss andweigh the evidence in a dynamic exchange driven not always by final conclusions but by the most current available data.
The bcp gene in the bcp-recA-vimA-vimE-vimF operon is important in oxidative stress resistance in Porphyromonas gingivalis W83.

Summary The ability of Porphyromonas gingivalis to overcome oxidative stress in the inflammatory environment of the periodontal pocket is critical for its survival. We have previously demonstrated that the recA locus, which carries the bacterioferritin co-migratory protein (bcp) gene and has a unique genetic architecture, plays a role in virulence regulation and oxidative stress resistance in P. gingivalis. To further characterize the bcp gene, which was confirmed to be part of the bcp-recA-vimA-vimE-vimF operon, we created a P. gingivalis bcp-defective isogenic mutant (FLL302) by allelic exchange. Compared with the wild-type, FLL302 had a similar growth rate, black pigmentation, β-hemolysis and UV sensitivity. Although there was no change in the distribution of gingipain activity, there was a 30% reduction in both Arg-X and Lys-X activities in the mutant strain compared with the wild-type. When exposed to 0.25 mm hydrogen peroxide, P. gingivalis FLL302 was more sensitive than the wild-type. In addition, the cloned P. gingivalis bcp gene increased resistance to 0.25 mm hydrogen peroxide in a bcp-defective Escherichia coli mutant. The mutant also demonstrated decreased aerotolerance when compared with the wild-type. Porphyromonas gingivalis FLL302 and the wild-type strain had similar virulence profiles in a mouse model of virulence. These observations suggest that the bcp gene may play a role in oxidative stress resistance but has a decreased functional significance in the pathogenic potential of P. gingivalis.
Successive Deposition of Metals in Solid Freeform Fabrication Processes, Part 1: Thermomechanical Models of Layers and Droplet Columns

Solid Freeform Fabrication (SFF) processes allow the automated building of three-dimensional shapes by successively depositing material in layers. Residual stress-induced tolerance losses are principal concerns in using these processes to create functional parts. Thermomechanical models of temperatures and stresses are presented, which are relevant to controlling residual stress effects in SFF processes. Models are applied to a particular SFF process; however, insights and conclusions are applicable to a large number of related processes. The temporal evolution of temperatures and stresses is investigated at two levels of detail. The successive deposition of layers of material is investigated first using one-dimensional simulations, approximating the build-up of residual stress in a multi-layered part. The successive deposition of a column of molten metal droplets (a technique used to create thick layers) is then modeled using two-dimensional axisymmetric simulations. Insights are given into process changes that can minimize residual stress-related effects in manufactured parts, including part constraint and localized preheating near the point of deposition. Results for thermomechanical interactions between droplets deposited in a column provide the foundation for studying interactions between adjacently deposited droplets, which is addressed in Part 2.
Aspirin-triggered lipoxin A4 and B4 analogs block extracellular signal-regulated kinase-dependent TNF-α secretion from human T cells

Lipoxins (LX) and their aspirin-triggered 15-epimer endogenous isoforms are endogenous anti-inflammatory and pro-resolution eicosanoids. In this study, we examined the impact of LX and aspirin-triggered LXA(4)-stable analogs (ATLa) on human T cell functions. 15-epi-16-(p-fluoro)phenoxy-LXA(4) (ATLa(1)) blocked the secretion of TNF-alpha from human PBMC after stimulation by anti-CD3 Abs, with the IC(50) value of approximately 0.05 nM. A similar action was also exerted by the native aspirin-triggered 15-epi-LXA(4), a new 15-epi-16-(p-trifluoro)phenoxy-LXA(4) analog (ATLa(2)), as well as LXB(4), and its analog 5-(R/S)-methyl-LXB(4). The LXA(4) receptor (ALX) is expressed in peripheral blood T cells and mediates the inhibition of TNF-alpha secretion from activated T cells by ATLa(1). This action was accomplished by inhibition of the anti-CD3-induced activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase, which is essential for TNF-alpha secretion from anti-CD3-activated T cells. These results demonstrate novel roles for LX and aspirin-triggered LX in the regulation of T cell-mediated responses relevant in inflammation and its resolution. Moreover, they provide potential counterregulatory signals in communication(s) between the innate and acquired immune systems.
Tectonics of the North Anatolian Transform Fault

The North Anatolian Transform Fault is the active right-lateral strike-slip zone that extends from Karliova in the east to the Gulf of Saros in the west and that runs parallel with the Black Sea coast of Turkey. It separates the Anatolian scholle in the south from the Eurasian plate in the north. It originated as a result of the partial closure of the southern branch of Neo-Tethys along the Bitlis/Zagros suture during the medial Miocene, but was mainly nucleated on the suture zone of the northern branch of Neo-Tethys that had closed earlier during the Palaeocene/Eocene. The fault today is characterized by a distinctive rift morphology that extends from Karliova to Mudurnu with only two local interruptions by the right-stepping en echelon offsets of Erzincan and Re5adiye, where two pull-apart basins formed. The seismicity of the fault is characterized by bursts of activity separated by quiet periods of about 150 years. The North Anatolian transform fault appears to have originated sometime between the Burdigalian and the Pliocene and since has accumulated a throw of 85.5 km in the east, which decreases to about 20 km in the west. Large, southwestwards striking splays that take off from the fault segment it along strike and are believed to be responsible for the westerly decrease of its throw along the main strand. The fault is the result of the Anatolian scholle’s being driven westward away from the intracontinental zone of convergence of eastern Anatolia.
Drivers and applications of optical technologies for Internet Data Center networks

The rise of large-scale Data Centers to power the Internet infrastructure is driving new architectural directions for optical networking. This paper highlights these architectural options and discusses technology building blocks for scaling inter-Datacenter connectivity.
Orthogonal Injection Ion Funnel Interface Providing Enhanced Performance for Selected Reaction Monitoring-Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry

The electrodynamic ion funnel facilitates efficient focusing and transfer of charged particles in the higher-pressure regions (e.g., ion source interfaces) of mass spectrometers, thus providing increased sensitivity. An “off-axis” ion funnel design has been developed to reduce the source contamination and interferences from, e.g. ESI droplet residue and other poorly focused neutral or charged particles with very high mass-to-charge ratios. In this study, a dual ion funnel interface consisting of an orthogonal higher pressure electrodynamic ion funnel (HPIF) and an ion funnel trap combined with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was developed and characterized. An orthogonal ion injection inlet and a repeller plate electrode was used to direct ions to an ion funnel HPIF at a pressure of 9–10 Torr. Key factors for the HPIF performance characterized included the effects of RF amplitude, the DC gradient, and operating pressure. Compared to the triple quadrupole standard interface more than 4-fold improveme...
THE BETA-ADRENERGIC RECEPTOR OF FROG ERYTHROCYTE: PURIFICATION BY BIOSPECIFIC AFFINITY CHROMATOGRAPHY

Beta-adrenergic receptors of frog erythrocytes, solubilized by treatment with 1% digitonin, can be extensively purified by chromatography on a new alprenolol-agarose affinity support. Adsorption and elution of receptor activity displayed properties of a typical beta-adrenergic process. Thus, beta-adrenergic agonists and antagonists competed for receptor adsorption and eluted receptor activity with a typical stereospecific beta-adrenergic order of potency. Adsorption of soluble receptor activity to the affinity support was in excess of 90% while more than 90–95% of total protein was unretarded by the gel. Biospecific elution of receptor activity yielded 30–60% of the adsorbed activity with a purification of 1500 fold over the starting soluble preparations. Binding affinities of the highly purified preparations were essentially identical to those of unpurified soluble preparations.
Control for stochastic sampling variation and qualitative sequencing error in next generation sequencing analysis of KRAS actionable mutations

bisulfite converted and purified from 3.5ml plasma samples utilizing a commercially available kit. In a casecontrol design 149 specimens from lung cancer patients and age-matched healthy individuals were evaluated. The diagnostic performance was compared to the results from a previously conducted training study on 151 specimens. Data and Results: For the training study including 59 LC subjects the performance of the marker panel reached very high sensitivity (78–95%) at reasonable rates of false positives (5–36%). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was AUC 1⁄4 0.91. This clinical performance was confirmed in a similar sized marker validation study of an independent set of 149 patients. A total of 49 LC cases and 100 age-matched clinical controls were tested. At 95% specificity level sensitivity was 67%. Sensitivity of 95% was observed at a specificity level of 62%. Sensitivitywas evenly high acrossmajor histological types and stage groups. The AUC 1⁄4 0.94 observed in the testing studywas not statistically different from the result of the training set (p-value > 0.05). Conclusions: The combined analysis of the two DNA methylation markers SHOX2 and PTGER4 can be used to detect lung cancer in plasma samples with very high sensitivity at reasonable false positive rate. These findings were derived in a training study and confirmed in this marker validation study. The marker panel is being used as the basis for the development of a blood-based lung cancer diagnostic tool with very high sensitivity. This new diagnostic tool may ultimately show clinical utility in combination with current imaging techniques by reducing the false positive rate of such methods and has the potential for broader applications in definition of the at-risk screening population.
Partially penetrating slug tests in an unweathered till layer

This research improves field based estimates of aquitard compressibility and permeability. A semianalytical model of partially penetrating, overdamped slug tests achieves this objective. The short term solution is an existing fully penetrating model, the long term solution is the polar residue of an inverse Laplace transform, and an exponential spline function patches the solutions together. Large amplitude slug test data from ten pairs of partially penetrating monitoring wells installed in an unweathered till at Scituate Hill in eastern Massachusetts calibrate the model. The deposit is bound by weathered till and the Dedham Granite fracture zone, and both are far more permeable than the unweathered till. The calibrated till permeability of 8.4 × 10 –16 m 2 is about 25% less than existing model calibrations that include boundary recharge in permeability values. The calibrated till compressibility of 5.1 × 10 –10 Pa –1 reflects the proper inclusion of recharge as a long term source of groundwater, rather than the unrealistically large compressibility calibrations required by fully penetrating models.
Nondestructive Testing of Materials Using Thermal Imaging

Nondestructive testing is helpful in preventing unintended failures in manufactured components. The research presented here examines a thermal nondestructive testing method that makes use of laser heating. Potential defects are found by using a thermal camera to examine the temperature response on the nonheated side of the object being tested. A mathematical model for the temperature response is generated using a two-dimensional numerical conduction solution in cylindrical coordinates. The presence of defects is difficult to detect by simply examining thermal images, but if the temperature response calculated by the mathematical model is subtracted from the measured temperature field, any defects in the material become much more obvious. In examining what is, essentially, the residual temperature field, which should ideally consist of measurement noise, any aberrations in measured temperature from material defects are effectively magnified. The sensitivity with which defects can be detected is strongly af...
Effect of strain and surface composition on Young’s modulus of optical fibers

In recent years the required in-service stress for optical fibers has risen dramatically. In the case where fibers are loaded to high stress levels (>200 kpsi), in bending, for example, it is generally assumed that material properties such as the Young’s modulus remain invariant with strain.
The Intersection of Victim Race and Gender: The “Black Male Victim Effect” and the Death Penalty

Previous research on race and the death penalty has shown that victim race is a significant predictor of whether a jury imposes a death sentence. However, less attention has been given to the effec...
Coating of β-Tricalcium Phosphate on Yttria-Partially Stabilized Zirconia Using Magnesium Metaphosphate as an Interlayer

Yttria-partially stabilized zirconia (Y-PSZ) coated with β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) was studied for developing high-strength biomaterial. Y-PSZ substrate was first coated with a slurry of magnesium metaphosphate used as an interlayer and heated at 1120° to 1240°C. Then the product was coated with a slurry of β-TCP and heated at 1100° to 1220°C. The obtained coatings bonded well to the substrate. The β-TCP phase was retained in the coating layer of all samples. A tetragonal-to-monoclinic destabilization of the Y-PSZ was observed in the reaction layer.
Autoverification of the Peripheral Blood Count

This article describes a software design for autoverification that emulates the algorithm used to verify blood counts in a large teaching hospital laboratory. The user designs the individual test criteria in the plan’s configuration. These criteria may be modified to suit the needs of individual laboratories. The software logic that supports decision making uses current results, previous results, result range flags, instrument flags, and variable delta checking in the automated process. The user-designed criteria supports an autoverification performance rate of greater than 70% of all blood counts performed daily at this institution. The configuration used is sensitive enough to correctly identify a mislabeled or misdrawn specimen. The benefits of autoverification include consistent result reporting, greatly decreased specimen turnaround time, enhanced workflow, and reduced laboratory overhead.
Implementation and assessment of a required transitions-of-care residency rotation.

Purpose The implementation of a required residency rotation in transitions of care (TOCs) and the resulting resident-led clinical interventions and learning experiences are described. Summary A newly required four-week TOC rotation was implemented for postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residents at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Unlike acute care rotations, this learning experience encouraged residents to focus on providing direct patient care in a holistic manner and use pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic strategies to improve patient outcomes. The residents encountered patients with multiple comorbidities and were expected to manage common chronic diseases in a predominantly geriatric population. This rotation focuses on medically complex patients at high risk for readmission. TOC pharmacists and residents collaborate with multidisciplinary teams in both the outpatient and inpatient settings around the time of discharge from the hospital. All residents found the experience valuable and believed that the lessons learned would be incorporated into their future clinical practice. Residents gained a thorough understanding of conducting comprehensive medication reviews, assessing barriers to patients’ understanding of and adherence to their medications, and working as part of a multidisciplinary team to address and overcome medication-related barriers during TOCs. Conclusion The TOC rotation at MGH provided PGY1 residents with a better understanding of the challenges of continuity of care, the impact of medication access on patient outcomes, and the promotion of medication adherence through patient engagement. The activities reported most valuable by residents included providing direct patient education, performing case reviews with the preceptor, collaborating with the preceptor on patient visits, and completing comprehensive medication reviews.
Studies on Variation of Grain Traits of Medium Hybrid Rice under Different Nitrogen Application Levels in Different Ecological Regions

The relation of geographical position,soil fertility and nitrogen application to grain traits was studied at 6 ecological sites in 4 provinces of southwestern China with Ⅱ You 7,a widely used high-yielding medium hybrid rice combination,and Yuxiangyou 203,a new high-yielding and good quality medium hybrid rice combination,as the materials.The results showed that there existed a significant difference at the 1% level among varieties and experimental sites in all of the tested 6 grain traits(grain length,grain width,grain thickness,1 000-grain weight,grain density and grain plumpness) and there was a significant difference at the 1% level among nitrogen application levels and the interactions of nitrogen application levels with varieties and sites in some of the grain traits.For both varieties,decreasing nitrogen application levels increased grain length and width thus increased 1 000-grain weight and improved grain plumpness under the conditions of higher contents of total N,total P,available P and available K in soil in the lower longitude and higher latitude regions.However,different varieties had a different reaction to ecological conditions,soil fertility and nitrogen application in some grain traits.Ⅱ You 7 was suitable for growing under the conditions of high altitude,low N,high P and high organic matter contents in soil while Yuxiangyou 203 was suitable for growing under the conditions of low N,high P and high K contents in soil.
The Toxic Screen: Visions of Petrochemical America in HBO's True Detective (2014)

This article argues that the use of toxic visual and narrative tropes in contemporary dramatic television can expand our capacity to envision and critique the deadly effects of industrial pollution. The HBO series True Detective is an exemplary case study in how evocative toxic images can be integrated into familiar television narratives to animate society's deadly relationship with toxic chemicals. The petrochemical mise-en-scene of True Detective enlivens the toxic image with inferential power, or visual enthymemes, that invite audiences to draw connections between traumas that unfold through narrative action and omnipresence of toxic iconography. Developing a concept of the toxic screen, this article illustrates how televisual portraits amplify the inferential power of images to convey the pain of toxic exposure.
105-P : APPARENT LOSS OF CD33 MARKER EPITOPE IN A RELAPSED AML PATIENT THAT AFFECTED RESULTS OF LINEAGE SPECIFIC ENGRAFTMENT MONITORING

Aim Commercial cell separation kits based on monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against CD markers are widely used for monitoring lineage-specific chimerism testing. Methods We use the myeloid cell kit by StemCell Technologies for CD33 and CD66b positive selection (clones D34260.251 and BIRMA17C). Results Patient received a related stem cell transplant and engraftment monitoring was done monthly on blood, CD3 and myeloid cell fraction. Initially the patient showed full engraftment; however, at four months blood showed mixed chimerism with 66% donor DNA, a trace of patient’s DNA in CD3 and full engraftment in the CD33/CD66. This combination of results was hard to explain and discordant with the clinical findings that suggested AML relapse. Flow cytometry on the same sample showed the presence of a significant population of CD33 blasts, suggesting that CD33 was expressed on patient’s myeloid population. Chimerism in bone marrow and CD34 marrow fraction was assessed immediately and showed mixed chimerism with 8% and 40% of donor DNA, respectively. CD33/CD66 cell fraction was expected to show a significant presence of patient’s DNA, however, repeated testing of CD33/CD66 again showed full engraftment. A new blood sample was collected and cell separations were done in parallel with two kits: EasySep CD33/CD66 (StemCell Technologies) and Dynabeads CD15 kit (Invitrogen). Chimerism testing of these fractions showed 100% in CD33/CD66 and only 58% donor DNA in CD15 fraction. We tested multiple samples from patients with mixed myeloid chimerism using CD15 cell separation kit as control. All tests showed excellent concordance between CD33/CD66 and CD15 fractions. Conclusions Apparently some event that occurred during AML relapse in this patient led to a change in CD33 epitope targeted by mAb D34260.251 on patient’s myeloid blasts. This case suggests that caution should be exercised any time a discordant lineage specific chimerism profile is observed and a different cell marker should be used to confirm the findings.
Politics, Kingship, and Poetry in Medieval South India: Moonset on Sunrise Mountain

In this compelling new study, Whitney Cox presents a fundamental re-imagining of the politics of pre-modern India through the reinterpretation of the contested accession of Kulottunga I (r.1070–1120) as the ruler of the imperial Chola dynasty. By focusing on this complex event and its ramifications over time, Cox traces far-reaching transformations throughout the kingdom and beyond. Through a methodologically innovative combination of history, theory and the close reading of a rich series of Sanskrit and Tamil textual sources, Cox reconstructs the nature of political society in medieval India. A major intervention in the fields of South Asian social, political and cultural history, religion and comparative political thought, this book poses fresh comparative and conceptual questions about politics, history, agency and representation in the pre-modern world.
Stream heat budget modeling with HFLUX

Process-based models of fluid flow and heat transport in fluvial systems can be used to quantify unknown spatial and temporal patterns of hydrologic fluxes and to predict system response to change. In this study, a deterministic stream heat budget model, the HFLUX Stream Temperature Solver (HFLUX), is developed and evaluated using field studies. Field studies are conducted across two sites with different streamflow rates (0.07 vs 1.4m3/s), and point sources versus diffuse sources of groundwater discharge, to demonstrate model transferability. A winter versus summer comparison at one site suggests latent heat flux should be derived using energy-based methods in summer and mass transfer approaches during winter. For each field study, HFLUX successfully modeled stream temperatures through space and time with normalized root mean square errors of 3.06.2%. Model calibration to observed temperature data in order to quantify groundwater contributions and a sensitivity analysis are demonstrated using HFLUX. Heat budget model is evaluated across contrasting field sites and seasons.Seasonal considerations when calculating heat fluxes are discussed.Longitudinal stream discharge profiles are auto-generated through calibration.
Grandmothers’ Pedagogy: Lessons for Supporting Native Students’ Attendance at Universities

Relationships with and support from family is vital to increasing Native American college students’ persistence and their overall degree attainment. Native family and support systems extend beyond the nuclear family. Missing from our general conversations about family support is the powerful and unique influence that grandmothers have among Native college students. Using Indigenous storywork, an Indigenous qualitative methodological approach, first-year Navajo (n=10) college students share stories of how grandmothers supported their transition into college. Findings reveal that grandmothers’ teachings such as listening, sharing stories, and an openness to vulnerability motivated students to navigate through complex challenges. Examples from universities that have incorporated grandmother-like pedagogy are discussed. These lessons probe our thinking to consider how higher education institutions can move towards grandmothers’ pedagogy that cultivates a loving and caring environment for Native students.
Abstract 13: Mineralocorticoid Receptor Blockade does not Result in Arterial Destiffening in Healthy Older Adults

Arterial stiffness, an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease, is increased in aging, but the underlying mechanisms are not completely understood. We hypothesized that mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activation is partly responsible for increased arterial stiffness and that MR blockade would lead to arterial destiffening in healthy older adults. To test this hypothesis, we administered in a randomized, double blind, crossover study, 100 mg of Eplerenone (MR blocker) or placebo once per day for one month with one month washout, in 23 healthy older adults (age, 64±1 years; mean±SE) and assessed arterial stiffness (aortic, arm and leg pulse wave velocity (PWV; doppler flowmeter) and carotid artery compliance, distensibility, beta-stiffness index, augmentation index (high resolution ultrasonography and applanation tonometry). Despite reductions in blood pressure in response to Eplerenone (systolic blood pressure: 127±3 vs. 120±2 mmHg, P=0.01; diastolic blood pressure: 74±1 vs.72±1 mmHg, P=0.02; placebo vs. Eplerenone), arterial stiffness did not change (aortic PWV, 9.2±1.2 vs. 8.9±1.2m/sec, P=0.5; arm PWV, 11.4±0.6 vs. 11.7±0.7 m/sec, P=0.7; leg PWV, 13.4±0.4 vs.12.8±0.5 m/sec, P=0.3; carotid artery compliance, 0.17±0.02 vs. 0.16±0.02 mm 2 /mmHg, P=0.6; distensibility, 12.7±1.6 vs.13.6±1.5 10 -3 kPa -1 , P=0.6; beta stiffness index, 3.2±0.3 vs. 3.4±0.3, P=0.5; augmentation index, 24.3±2.9 vs. 22.0±2.9 %, P=0.3, placebo vs. Eplerenone). In conclusion, MR blockade does not result in arterial destiffening in healthy older adults despite reductions in blood pressure.
D1-Dopamine Receptor Supersensitivity in the Dopamine-Depleted Striatum Involves a Novel Activation of ERK1/2

A key feature of basal ganglia organization is the existence of the “direct” and “indirect” pathways, which arise from two distinct intermingled populations of medium spiny neurons within the striatum and connect either directly or indirectly with the output nuclei of the basal ganglia. Physiologically, these neuron populations are often indistinguishable as both respond similarly to excitatory inputs from the cortex. On the other hand, they display very distinct responses mediated by signal transduction systems, which are responsible for gene expression changes underlying long term neuronal plasticity. These differences are due to the clear segregation of D1 and D2 dopamine receptor (D1r and D2r) subtypes, respectively to direct and indirect striatal projection neurons. The opposing functional effects of dopamine on these striatal projection neurons is evident following lesions of the nigrostriatal dopamine system, which results in increases in gene expression in the D2 receptor-expressing indirect projection neurons and suppression of gene expression in D1 receptor-expressing direct projection neurons. Treatments with D2 receptor agonists normalize gene expression in indirect projection neurons. However, D1 agonist treatment results in a supersensitive response in direct pathway neurons. This D1 receptor supersensitive response in the dopamine-depleted striatum is distinct from D1 receptor response in the dopamine-intact striatum suggesting that there is an irreversible reorganization of the linkage between the D1 receptor and signal transduction systems. Our studies demonstrate that in the dopamine-depleted striatum the D1 supersensitive response is a consequence of a novel linkage of D1 receptors to the extracellular receptor kinase (ERK1/2).
Prefetch-Based Energy Optimization on Smartphones

Cellular network enables pervasive data access, but it also increases the power consumption of smartphones due to the long tail problem , where the cellular interface has to stay in the high-power state for some time after each data transmission. To reduce the tail energy, data that will be used in the future can be prefetched. However, prefetching unnecessary data may waste energy, and this problem becomes worse when the network quality is poor. In this paper, we generalize and formulate the prefetch-based energy optimization problem, where the goal is to find a prefetching schedule that minimizes the energy consumption of the data transmissions under the current network condition. To solve this nonlinear optimization problem, we first propose a greedy algorithm, and then propose a discrete algorithm with better performance. We have implemented and evaluated the proposed algorithms in two apps: in-app advertising and mobile video streaming. Evaluation results show that the proposed algorithms can significantly reduce the energy consumption.
Expression of the purine biosynthetic enzyme phosphoribosyl formylglycinamidine synthase in neurons.

Purines are metabolic building blocks essential for all living organisms on earth. De novo purine biosynthesis occurs in the brain and appears to play important roles in neural development. Phosphoribosyl formylglycinamidine synthase (FGAMS, also known as PFAS or FGARAT), a core enzyme involved in the de novo synthesis of purines, may play alternative roles in viral pathogenesis. To date, no thorough investigation of the endogenous expression and localization of de novo purine biosynthetic enzymes has been conducted in human neurons or in virally infected cells. In this study, we characterized expression of FGAMS using multiple neuronal models. In differentiated human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, primary rat hippocampal neurons, and in whole-mouse brain sections, FGAMS immunoreactivity was distributed within the neuronal cytoplasm. FGAMS immunolabeling in vitro demonstrated extensive distribution throughout neuronal processes. To investigate potential changes in FGAMS expression and localization following viral infection, we infected cells with the human pathogen herpes simplex virus 1. In infected fibroblasts, FGAMS immunolabeling shifted from a diffuse cytoplasmic location to a mainly perinuclear localization by 12 h post-infection. In contrast, in infected neurons, FGAMS localization showed no discernable changes in the localization of FGAMS immunoreactivity. There were no changes in total FGAMS protein levels in either cell type. Together, these data provide insight into potential purine biosynthetic mechanisms utilized within neurons during homeostasis as well as viral infection. Cover Image for this Issue: doi: 10.1111/jnc.14169.
Exploration or Convergence? Another Meta-Control Mechanism for GAs.

Genetic algorithm based optimizers have to balance extensive exploration of solution spaces to find good solutions with convergence to generate solutions quickly. Many optimizers use a two phase approach where the first phase explores the solution space and the second converges on a set of potential regions. This paper describes a meta-level algorithm (GA ITER ) that iteratively applies a GA based optimizer with a bias towards either exploration or convergence. The optimizer is executed with a very small number of evaluations which leads to fast generation of solutions. The iterative approach of GA ITER has been shown to lead to fast generation of good solutions. Experiments in problems from two real-world domains have shown that GA ITER can improve the performance of an existing GA without compromising the quality of the solution.
Cost-Efficient Heterogeneous Worker Recruitment under Coverage Requirement in Spatial Crowdsourcing

With the progress of mobile devices and the successful forms of using the wisdom of crowds, spatial crowdsourcing has attracted much attention from the research community. The idea of spatial crowdsourcing is recruiting a set of available crowds to finish the spatial tasks located in crowdsourcing locations, e.g., landmarks, by using their handheld devices. This paper addresses the worker recruitment problem in spatial crowdsourcing under the coverage and workload-balancing requirements. The coverage constraint means that any crowdsourcing location should be visited by at least one of the recruited workers to satisfy the Quality-of-Service requirement, e.g., traffic monitoring or climate forecast. In addition, we argue that each crowdsourcing operation has a cost in reality, e.g., data traffic or energy consumption and the resource may be limited at each crowdsourcing location. The objective of this paper is to solve a Coverage and Balanced Crowdsourcing Recruiting (CBCR) problem, which ensures the coverage requirement and minimizes the maximum crowdsourcing cost for any crowdsourcing location. We prove that the CBCR problem is NP-hard in the general case. Then, we discuss the CBCR problem in the 1-D scenario. In the 1-D scenario, we first propose a directionally coverage scheme and further extend it to a Polynomial-Time Approximation Scheme (PTAS) to trade-off the computation complexity and the performance. The performance can be bounded to 2 + $\varepsilon$ ɛ , where $\varepsilon$ ɛ can be an arbitrary small value. Then, we found that there exists a sub-optimal structure, and thus the dynamic programming approach is proposed to find the optimal solution in the 1-D scenario. In the general 2-D scenario, we first prove that it has a sub-modular property and thus the naive greedy algorithm has an approximation ratio of $\ln n + 1$ ln n + 1 . In addition, we propose a randomized rounding algorithm with an expectation bound of $O(\frac{\log n}{\log \;\log n})$ O ( log n log log n ) . Extensive experiments on realistic traces demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.
A Tree-Based Multiscale Regression Method

A tree-based method for regression is proposed. In a high dimensional feature space, the method has the ability to adapt to the lower intrinsic dimension of data if the data possess such a property so that reliable statistical estimates can be performed without being hindered by the “curse of dimensionality”. The method is also capable of producing a smoother estimate for a regression function than those from standard tree methods like CART in the region where the function is smooth and also being more sensitive to discontinuities of the function than smoothing splines or other kernel methods. The estimation process in this method consists of three components: a random projection procedure that generates partitions of the feature space, a wavelet-like orthogonal system defined on a tree that allows for a thresholding estimation of the regression function based on that tree and, finally, an averaging process that averages a number of estimates from independently generated random projection trees.
Tweeting racial representation: how the congressional Black Caucus used Twitter in the 113th congress

The social media and microblogging site Twitter has emerged as both a vehicle for political expression and a powerful tool for political organizing within the African American community. This paper...
Hypothesis Tests and Confidence Intervals to Infer Population Characteristics and Differences

Samples are collected and analyzed to efficiently estimate population characteristics. Chapter Three explores the practice of inference: “inference” how hypotheses about what may be true in the population are tested and how population parameters are estimated with confidence intervals. Included in this chapter are tests of hypotheses and confidence intervals for
Breaking Away from the Traditional Lab Report: A Technical Email as a Writing Assignment in an Engineering Laboratory Course

Engineering laboratory courses often contain laboratory reports as writing assignments to be used as an assessment and grading tool for the course. While laboratory report writing is a useful skill, this article discusses an assignment which was used as an alternative to a traditional laboratory report within a dynamic systems laboratory course. This writing assignment is framed within the context of a hypothetical scenario involving a supervisor requesting a laboratory experiment to compare the effectiveness of two different designs for controlling the speed of a gearbox unit. Performance goals are specified by the ``customer'' so that students have a reference with which to frame their responses. Despite the shortened length of the writing assignment, students are forced to apply critical thinking and use evidence from their experiments to answer the posed question with a clear conclusion.
Evaluation Metrics for Item Recommendation under Sampling.

The task of item recommendation requires ranking a large catalogue of items given a context. Item recommendation algorithms are evaluated using ranking metrics that depend on the positions of relevant items. To speed up the computation of metrics, recent work often uses sampled metrics where only a smaller set of random items and the relevant items are ranked. This paper investigates sampled metrics in more detail and shows that sampled metrics are inconsistent with their exact version. Sampled metrics do not persist relative statements, e.g., 'algorithm A is better than B', not even in expectation. Moreover the smaller the sampling size, the less difference between metrics, and for very small sampling size, all metrics collapse to the AUC metric.
The impact of a service-learning foot soak experience on nursing students' attitudes towards the homeless.

Background Opportunities for meaningful engagement with the homeless can alter negative attitudes. The purpose of this study was to assess changes in attitudes towards the homeless among undergraduate nursing students participating in a service-learning foot soak experience. Methods This was a prospective, pretest and posttest interventional study. Student attitudes were measured through: (a) the attitudes toward homelessness inventory and (b) thematic analysis of a guided reflection on the experience. Results Mean posttest total scores (mean = 50.06; standard deviation = 7.004) were significantly (P = .001) higher from mean pretest scores (mean = 47.06; standard deviation = 5.455), indicating more positive attitudes towards the homeless (n = 47) after the clinic. Three categories of themes that reflected student experiences are as follows: (a) benefits, (b) context, and, (c) potential consequences. Conclusions A foot soak clinic can increase students' understanding of experiences faced by homeless persons through genuine human interaction, and has benefits to community members and learners.
High-resolution 3D microwave imaging using an optically tracked linear array

Active three-dimensional (3D) microwave and millimeter-wave imaging techniques have been extensively developed for concealed threat detection at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), most notably the cylindrical millimeterwave imaging method currently in use for airport screening. Typically, a linear array is mechanically scanned over a cylindrical or planar aperture in order to form a high-resolution 3D image. A linear array mounted on a low-cost encoderdriven rail system was desired for rapid data collection and evaluation of concealed threat detection on a stationary target. A rail system to sweep out a planar aperture was quickly developed, however, due to the low-cost implementation of the rail system and encoder, resulting images were lower quality than expected. It was determined that the position information provided by the rail system encoder was not accurate enough to generate an image of the desired quality. Instead of using a traditional encoder wheel with the rail system, optical motion tracking was used to record 3D position information of the linear array synced with the radar as it was manually scanned over a nominally planar aperture. While optical motion tracking can provide position information with sub-millimeter level accuracy, it doesn’t guarantee that the scanned aperture is strictly planar or uniformly sampled. Reconstruction techniques necessary to incorporate 3D position information and compensate for an irregular imaging aperture are developed. Experimental results showing the benefit of precise optical motion tracking for a manually scanned linear array are presented.
Thymic involution in the suspended rat model for weightlessness: decreased glucocorticoid receptor concentration.

Hindlimb muscle atrophy, thymic involution and adrenal hypertrophy in rats during spaceflight can be simulated using suspension models. Skeletal muscle and thymus are sensitive to gluco-corticoids (GC), and previous studies have demonstrated that muscle atrophy in suspended rats is associated with increased GC receptor concentration. The objectives were to confirm thymic involution during suspension, and determine if involution correlated with increased GC receptor concentration. Seven days of antiorthostatic (AO) suspension of rats produced a significant (P less than 0.001) reduction in thymic wet weight not associated with an alteration of percent water content. GC receptor concentration (pmol/mg protein) decreased 20 percent (P less than 0.025) in thymus glands from 7 day AO suspended rats. Suspension, therefore, is associated with involution of the thymus, but this is not dependent upon AO positioning. Thymus GC receptor concentrations were depressed in 7-day suspended rats, in contrast with previous observations on skeletal muscle, suggesting that different mechanisms may underlie these responses.
Transitional Noir, 1960s–Early 1970s

The unique trait of Transitional Noir is its coexistence with the last films of classic film noir. Transitional Noirs coalesce into a consistent group because of their efforts to observe the purpose of neo-noir and to be different than their classic predecessors. The Killers (Don Siegel 1964) and Point Blank (John Boorman 1967), both starring Lee Marvin, serve as the examples of Transitional Noir and offer two different positions within Transition Noir, one at the beginning of the movement and the other at a more advanced moment. Transitional Noir reflects the tumultuous 1960s by calling reality into question—suggesting the questionable existence of characters or the world they live in.
Beyond FDG: Novel Radiotracers for PET Imaging of Melanoma and Sarcoma

Although metabolic imaging with the PET radiopharmaceutical 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) has been successfully used for the evaluation of melanoma and sarcoma, there is interest within the nuclear medicine community in the development of novel PET tracers that would provide additional diagnostic information on these afflictions. Several investigational tracers that bind to specific target sites on tumors have been examined as biomarkers for PET studies of patients with melanoma and sarcoma.
Playing Parrot: American Trompe L’oeil and Empire

American trompe l’oeil still life is full of global goods. Attending to this genre within a nexus of trade and colonialism in the Gilded Age can correct for an absence of empire in transnational sc...
Optimal Bayesian estimation in stochastic block models

With the advent of structured data in the form of social networks, genetic circuits and protein interaction networks, statistical analysis of networks has gained popularity over recent years. Stochastic block model constitutes a classical cluster-exhibiting random graph model for networks. There is a substantial amount of literature devoted to proposing strategies for estimating and inferring parameters of the model, both from classical and Bayesian viewpoints. Unlike the classical counterpart, there is however a dearth of theoretical results on the accuracy of estimation in the Bayesian setting. In this article, we undertake a theoretical investigation of the posterior distribution of the parameters in a stochastic block model. In particular, we show that one obtains optimal rates of posterior convergence with routinely used multinomial-Dirichlet priors on cluster indicators and uniform priors on the probabilities of the random edge indicators. En route, we develop geometric embedding techniques to exploit the lower dimensional structure of the parameter space which may be of independent interest.