cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract IA26: Combinatorial immunotherapies with the potential to reverse the carcinogenesis process

Until recently, barriers to immunotherapy clinical successes for pancreatic cancer have been due to a lack of understanding of the immune pathways within the pancreatic tumor microenvironment that hinder successful immune responses. Recent advances have identified new targets for developing cancer specific vaccines and new targets for modulating the tumor microenvironment to allow more potent activation and improved access of vaccine induced immune responses. We are just learning that non-neoplastic cells, including cancer-associated myofibroblasts, regulatory T cells, dendritic cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and tumor-associated macrophages, are hijacked by pre-invasive and invasive cancer cells to create a tolerogenic tumor microenvironment. Current research is focused on elucidating the mechanisms of this tolerogenic polarization within the tumor microenvironment with the goal of tipping the balance in favor of an anticancer immune response. With the recent advances in molecular technologies and the development of relevant pancreatic cancer mouse models, it is now within our reach to dissect the inhibitory pathways within the pancreatic tumor microenvironment. This will in turn, lead to new therapeutic opportunities that will eliminate these barriers and convert this deadly cancer into a treatable disease. References 1. Keenan et al. A Listeria vaccine and depletion of Tregs activate immunity against early pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasms and prolong the survival of mice. Gastronterology 2014;146:1784-994. 2. Lutz et al. Immunotherapy converts nonimmunogenic pancreatic tumors into foci of immune regulation. Cancer Immunology Research 2014; 2(7):616-31. 3. Kouo et al. Galectin-3 shapes antitumor immune responses by suppressing CD8+ T cells via LAG-3 and inhibiting expansion of plasmacytoid dendritic cells. Cancer Immunology Research 2015;3(4):412-23. [Supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (P50CA062924, R01CA122081, P30CA006973, and U19CA113341 to E.M.J.), and supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Center for Cancer.] Citation Format: Elizabeth M. Jaffee. Combinatorial immunotherapies with the potential to reverse the carcinogenesis process [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Second CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; 2016 Sept 25-28; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(11 Suppl):Abstract nr IA26.
Anthropometry of Brazilian Air Force pilots

AbstractAnthropometric data are essential for the design of military equipment including sizing of aircraft cockpits and personal gear. Currently, there are no anthropometric databases specific to Brazilian military personnel. The aim of this study was to create a Brazilian anthropometric database of Air Force pilots. The methods, protocols, descriptions, definitions, landmarks, tools and measurements procedures followed the instructions outlined in Measurer’s Handbook: US Army and Marine Corps Anthropometric Surveys, 2010–2011 – NATICK/TR-11/017. The participants were measured countrywide, in all five Brazilian Geographical Regions. Thirty-nine anthropometric measurements related to cockpit design were selected. The results of 2133 males and 206 females aged 16–52 years constitute a set of basic data for cockpit design, space arrangement issues and adjustments, protective gear and equipment design, as well as for digital human modelling. Another important implication is that this study can be considered ...
Bronchoscopy in children with tetralogy of fallot, pulmonary atresia, and major aortopulmonary collaterals

Objective Children with Tetralogy of Fallot, Pulmonary Atresia, and Major Aortopulmonary Collaterals (TOF/PA/MAPCAs) undergoing unifocalization surgery are at risk for developing more postoperative respiratory complications than children undergoing other types of congenital heart surgery. Bronchoscopy is used in the perioperative period for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. In this study, we describe bronchoscopic findings and identify factors associated with selection for bronchoscopy. Design Retrospective case-control. Patients and Methods All patients with TOF/PA/MAPCAs who underwent unifocalization surgery from September 2005 through March 2016 were included. Patients who underwent bronchoscopy in the perioperative period were compared to a randomly selected cohort of 172 control patients who underwent unifocalization without bronchoscopy during the study period. Results Forty-three children underwent perioperative bronchoscopy at a median of 9 days postoperatively. Baseline demographics were similar in bronchoscopy patients and controls. Patients who underwent bronchoscopy were more likely to have a chromosome 22q11 deletion and were more likely have undergone unifocalization surgery without intracardiac repair. These patients had a longer duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU duration, and length of hospitalization. Abnormalities were detected on bronchoscopy in 35 patients (81%), and 20 (35%) of bronchoscopy patients underwent a postoperative intervention related to abnormalities identified on bronchoscopy. Conclusion Bronchoscopy is a useful therapeutic and diagnostic instrument for children undergoing unifocalization surgery, capable of identifying abnormalities leading to an additional intervention in over one third of patients. Special attention should be given to children with a 22q11 deletion to expedite diagnosis and intervention for possible airway complications.
Autokinetic Effect as a Function of Intermittency of the Light Source

The latency of the autokinetic illusion was observed as it related to the rate of intermittency of the stimulus light. Rates of flicker from 2 to 10 cps were presented. Lowest latency was noted for the 10 cps condition. The function generated appears remarkably similar to that observed by Spigel (1963) with displacement as a dependent variable. Results are discussed in terms of the phenomenon of brightness enhancement and the effect of flicker on the perceived contour of the stimulus.
To Err is Human: Understanding the Data.

The Institute of Medicine's ground-breaking report on medical errors has helped to make patient safety a priority goal, but the findings of the report are often interpreted by the media. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Carbon, Nitrogen, and Mercury Isotope Evidence for the Biogeochemical History of Mercury in Hawaiian Marine Bottomfish.

The complex biogeochemical cycle of Hg makes identifying primary sources of fish tissue Hg problematic. To identify sources and provide insight into this cycle, we combined carbon (δ13C), nitrogen amino acid (δ15NPhe), and Hg isotope (Δ199Hg, Δ201Hg, δ202Hg) data for six species of Hawaiian marine bottomfish. Results from these isotopic systems identified individuals within species that likely fed from separate food webs. Terrestrial freshwater inputs to coastal sediments were identified as the primary source of tissue Hg in the jack species, Caranx ignobilis, which inhabit shallow marine ecosystems. Thus, coastal C. ignobilis were a biological vector transporting Hg from freshwater environments into marine ecosystems. Depth profiles of Hg isotopic compositions for bottomfish (excludung C. ignobilis) were similar, but not identical, to profiles for open-ocean pelagic fishes, suggesting that in both settings inorganic Hg, which was ultimately transformed to monomethylmercury (MeHg) and bioaccumulated, was ...
Selective conversion of acetone to isobutene and acetic acid on aluminosilicates: Kinetic coupling between acid-catalyzed and radical-mediated pathways

Abstract Solid Bronsted acids catalyze aldol condensations that form C C bonds and remove O-atoms from oxygenate reactants, but sequential β-scission reactions also cleave C C bonds, leading to isobutene and acetic acid products for acetone reactants. The elementary steps and site requirements that cause these selectivities to depend sensitively on Al content and framework type in aluminosilicate solid acids remain speculative. Acetone reactions on microporous and mesoporous aluminosilicates (FER, TON, MFI, BEA, MCM-41) showed highest β-scission selectivities on MFI and BEA; they increased as the Al content and the intracrystalline density of active protons decreased. The effects of acetone and H2O pressure on turnover rates and selectivities indicate that an equilibrated pool of reactive C6 ketols and alkenones are present at pseudo-steady-state concentrations during catalysis and that they act as intermediates in β-scission routes. Two distinct C6 β-scission pathways contribute to the formation of isobutene and acetic acid: (i) a minor H2O-mediated route involving β-scission of C6 ketols on protons and (ii) the predominant anhydrous path, in which H-transfer forms unsaturated C6 enols at protons and these enols propagate radical chains mediated by transition states stabilized by van der Waals contacts within vicinal microporous voids. This latter route is consistent with coupled-cluster free energy estimates for these unsaturated C6 enols and their respective free radicals. It accounts for β-scission selectivities that increase with decreasing proton density, a finding that precludes the sole involvement of acid sites and requires instead the kinetic coupling between reactions at protons and propagation steps mediated by transition states confined within proximate voids, even when such voids lack a specific binding site. These mechanistic interpretations also account for the observed effects of residence time, of the loss of active protons by deactivation, of acetone and H2O pressures, and of aluminosilicate framework structure on selectivity. These mechanistic insights also demonstrate the ability of voids to stabilize transition states that mediate homogeneous reactions by mere confinement, even in the absence of chemical binding onto specific sites, as well as the essential requirement of intimate proximity for the effective kinetic coupling between reactions on protons and in proton-free voids, a process mediated by the diffusion of very reactive and unstable intermediates present at very low local concentrations within microporous frameworks.
In situ field trial to evaluate the efficacy of Cutrine Ultra to manage a cyanobacteria population in a drinking water source

Algaecides can be used to effectively control a rise in cyanobacteria population. However, too high a concentration or long-term applications can pose detrimental effects on the ecosystem. This work investigated the potential of a copper-based algaecide to effectively manage the cyanobacteria population in a public water system when applied at a lower concentration. The cyanobacteria population (via phycocyanin) and chlorophyll-a concentration were tracked with optical probes over 14 days. The cyanobacteria population responded to the treatment within 2 days with the largest declines observed deeper in the water column and only marginal changes at the surface. The lowest cyanobacteria population was observed after 7 days for all depths in the water column with a 53% decrease at the surface. However, the cyanobacteria population increased by 14 days after treatment. The population at the 1 m depth increased by 151%, surpassing the initial population. There were notable differences between the cyanobacteria and chlorophyll-a data. For example, from 7 to 14 days, chlorophyll-a at the surface decreased by 26% whereas cyanobacteria exhibited a 74% increase. This may be highlighting a shift to cyanobacterial dominance in the phytoplankton community. This work produced strong evidence that algaecide application was successful in suppressing the in situ cyanobacteria population. However, it cannot be determined if the treated population rebounded or if new cyanobacteria entered the treatment area due to external environmental conditions such as flow and/or wind conditions. Careful application of lower algaecide concentrations may yield effective control of HABs with minimal harm to the surrounding ecosystem.
Security vulnerabilities in Javascript hotpatching in iOS with a commercial and open-source tool

The need for developers to be able to update mobile apps immediately on discovery of a critical is something the Apple iOS software patching system does not allow through their traditional app patching lifecycle. Two tools have been developed to solve this problem, one commercial and one open-source. Both employ JavaScript and dynamic code downloads and provide a method for users to receive immediate updates, but both have the potential to be abused and open the user to multiple security vulnerabilities. This paper will discuss the how tools JSPatch and Rollout.io, open-source and commercial respectively, enable quick updates but also expose users to multiple security vulnerabilities.
Macau Autonomy - Looking for a Fresh Awakening

After 10 years of life, the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) is under pressure because of the moat between expectations and achievements by Macau's local government and the spectrum of autonomy conquered through the leverage of the political arrangement. An arrangement opened by the bilateral negotiations between Portugal and the PRC that led to the signature of the Joint Declaration between the Government of Portugal and the Government of the PRC's concerning to the Question of Macao. A set of mutual obligations ratified in the letter and spirit of Macau Basic Law (MBL). The so-called "second system" has increasingly become under scrutiny as a new Law of State Security (Lei de Bases da Seguranca Interna) made its way and was quickly approved by the local Legislative Assmbly, albeit the reservations that rise in the legal community, in the pro-democracy camp and also among many expatriates. This law has beed seen as a Trojan Horse for the mainland interference and control of the MSAR, turning the exercise of the fundamental human rights and liberties uncertain.
Evaluating the Impact of Authentic Research on Secondary Student Self-efficacy and Future Scientific Possible Selves.

Background As the need to involve more students in STEM learning and future careers becomes more pressing, identifying successful methods of engaging students in meaningful scientific learning that increases their interest in science is essential. Student self-efficacy (their confidence or belief in their ability to accomplish tasks) is closely tied to student interest in science, as is student future scientific possible selves. Material and Methods This manuscript presents the findings of a study that evaluated the Clean Air and Healthy Homes Program (CAHHP), which provides students the opportunity to design and implement authentic scientific research on indoor air quality issues. The program's influence on student self-efficacy, scientific research and experimental design skills, and future scientific possible selves was examined. Students (n=169) from six schools completed a pre- and post-assessment at the beginning and end of the program. Results Results showed the greatest impact on student research self-efficacy, along with improvement in student research and experimental design skills. Conclusions We conclude that programs promoting authentic learning opportunities aligned with the most recent national science standards show great promise in improving both student interest and skills in science.
Assessment of the Cardiovascular System in Horses During Prepurchase and Insurance Examinations

Arrhythmias detected on prepurchase examination should be confirmed with an ECG. Exercising ECG determines if the arrhythmia is overdriven during exercise or is a safety concern. An echocardiogram is needed in all horses with a grade 3/6 or louder mid to late systolic, holosystolic, or pansystolic murmur or any holodiastolic decrescendo murmur to identify the cardiac abnormality and its hemodynamic impact. Most horses with arrhythmias and murmurs have a normal performance career and life expectancy and are insurable. Risks for sudden death and congestive heart failure associated with the common murmurs and arrhythmias are identified, because these horses cannot be insured.
Hand and Wrist Injuries in Tennis Players

The purpose of this article is to review common hand and wrist injuries experienced by tennis players. A myriad of different wrist pathologies can be seen in tennis players ranging from metacarpal and carpal stress fractures to triangular fibrocartilage injuries and ulnar impaction. These vary depending upon the nature of the player, stroke mechanics, and time point within the season. A broad differential should guide work-up and management of wrist pain in tennis players.
Clinical and Imaging Correlates of Pediatric Mucosal Appendicitis.

Abstract Background Mucosal appendicitis is a controversial entity that is histologically distinct from transmural appendicitis. There is mixed opinion regarding mucosal inflammation as a spectrum of appendicitis versus a negative appendectomy. The ability to distinguish these diagnoses preoperatively is of importance to prevent unnecessary surgery. We hypothesize that patients with mucosal appendicitis can be discriminated from those with transmural disease based on specific preoperative clinical and imaging findings. Materials and methods After IRB approval, all patients who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy at our institution during 2015 were reviewed in the electronic medical record. Patients with mucosal appendicitis were identified and matched 2:1 to a random cohort of nonperforated transmural appendicitis cases. Demographic and clinical data were collected, including history, examination, laboratory, and imaging findings. Preoperative factors associated with mucosal appendicitis were modeled using binomial logistic regression analysis. Results Of 1153 appendectomies performed during 2015, 103 patients had pathologic diagnosis of mucosal appendicitis. When compared with patients with mucosal infection, leukocytosis >10,000 per microliter led to 5.9 times higher likelihood of transmural pathology (P = 0.000). Noncompressibility on ultrasound was associated with 7.3 times higher likelihood of transmural disease (P = 0.015). Echogenic changes were predictive of transmural appendicitis, conferring 3.9 times the risk (P = 0.007). Presence of free fluid led to 2.3 times the rate of transmural pathology (P = 0.007). Finally, for every millimeter decrease in appendiceal diameter, patients were half as likely to exhibit transmural disease (P = 0.000). Together, these variables can successfully predict presence of mucosal appendicitis on final pathology report at a rate of 82.1%, and explain 60% of the variance in diagnosis of mucosal versus transmural appendicitis (P = 0.000). Conclusions Mucosal appendicitis remains a controversial pathologic entity, but is not associated with greater complications compared with transmural appendicitis when treated with laparoscopic appendectomy. Transmural disease can be predicted by leukocytosis, noncompressible appendix, presence of free fluid, larger appendiceal diameter and echogenicity.
Heterogeneous Statistical QoS-Driven Power Allocation for Collaborative D2D Caching Over Edge-Computing Networks

With the exponentially increasing demand for wireless multimedia services over 5G mobile wireless networks, the statistical quality-of-service (QoS) provisioning has been proven to be able to effectively guarantee the multimedia data transmissions over highly time-varying wireless channels. On the other hand, many research efforts have been focused on various 5G-promising candidate techniques, such as device-to-device (D2D) caching based communications to offload cellar traffics and address the data explosion problem for the next generation wireless networks. Furthermore, in order to enhance the reliability of video delivery without causing too much interference to other mobile users, researchers have applied the coordinated joint transmission techniques for collaborative D2D caching scheme, which enables mobile users to share popular multimedia files within a D2D communication group instead of downloading from remote backhaul networks. Towards this end, one of the key issues lies in the power allocation problems subject to the heterogeneous statistical delay-bounded QoS requirements for the collaborative D2D caching over edge-computing networks. To overcome the aforementioned challenges, in this paper we propose the collaborative D2D caching model and D2D communication schemes over edge-computing networks. Under the heterogeneous statistical delay-bounded QoS requirements, we formulate and solve the effective-capacity optimization problem for our proposed collaborative D2D caching schemes over edge-computing networks. Then, we develop the collaborative D2D-cache matching algorithms by using bipartite graph technique for selecting D2D-caching users to maximize the effective capacity. Also conducted is a set of simulations which evaluate the system performances and show that our proposed collaborative D2D caching schemes outperform the other existing schemes under heterogeneous statistical delay-bounded QoS constraints.
169 Comparison of pregnancy outcomes in dairy heifers artificially inseminated with sexed semen deposited in the uterine horns versus the uterine body

The use of sexed semen (SS) for AI of cattle has resulted in lower pregnancy per timed AI (P/TAI) compared with conventional semen. This has been attributed to lower sperm dose and cell damage during the cell sorting-freezing process. Horn AI is a common practice in equines and canines to improve pregnancy rate when using low sperm doses. The objective was to compare P/TAI and pregnancy loss (PL) in dairy heifers inseminated with SS deposited in the uterine horn (UH) ipsilateral to the ovary containing the preovulatory follicle (POF) versus TAI in the uterine body (UB). This study was performed on two dairy farms in Georgia (A and B). On farm A, 74 Holstein heifers (12 months old) received a 5-day Cosynch + controlled internal drug release (CIDR) protocol including an intravaginal insert (Eazi-Breed CIDR, Zoetis Animal Health) containing 1.38 g of progesterone for 5 days and a dose of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) intramuscularly (100 µg, 2 mL of Factrel, Zoetis Animal Health). At CIDR removal, heifers received a dose of prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) intramuscularly (25 mg, 5 mL of Lutalyse, Zoetis Animal Health) and again 24 h later; 72 h after CIDR removal, heifers received 100 µg of GnRH intramuscularly and TAI with frozen-thawed SS. On farm B, 237 Holstein × Jersey heifers (12 months old) received a modified 5-day Cosynch + CIDR. This protocol was similar to that on farm A but did not include GnRH at the time of CIDR insertion or a second dose of PGF2α 24 h after CIDR removal. Immediately before TAI, heifers were examined using transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) to determine on which ovary the POF was present. Each heifer was randomly assigned to TAI using SS in either the UH ipsilateral to the ovary containing the POF (n = 150; farm A, n = 32; farm B, n = 118) or the UB regardless of where the POF was identified (n = 161; farm A, n = 42; farm B, n = 119). Pregnancy was diagnosed 32 days after TAI using TRUS to determine P/TAI. Heifers diagnosed pregnant were re-examined using TRUS at 60 days of gestation to assess PL. Data were analysed using PROC LOGISTIC and the chi-square test of SAS (SAS Institute Inc.). Heifers that received SS in the UH had adequate P/TAI (50.6% (76/150); farm A: 50.0% (16/32); farm B: 50.8% (60/118)), which tended to be numerically greater (P = 0.12) than that observed in heifers receiving SS in the UB (43.4% (70/161); farm A: 40.5% (17/42); farm B: 44.5% (53/119)). In addition, PL was not different between groups and was within normal ranges for dairy heifers (10.0 and 9.4% for UH and UB, respectively). In conclusion, TAI of dairy heifers with SS deposited in the UH ipsilateral to the ovary containing the POF resulted in adequate P/TAI, which was 7.2% greater than TAI in the UB. Horn AI with SS might become a valuable tool for optimising reproductive efficiency and genetic selection of dairy herds.
Condition Based Maintenance + Data Collection and Offloading

A key requirement to successful fleet management is to have relevant and abundant data made available to the fleet managers. Access to accurate and sufficient fleet usage data enables decision-makers to drive strategies to reduce costs, increase system availability, and direct condition-based maintenance (CBM+) actions prior to system failure. The first step in obtaining the necessary data is to collect it from embedded sensors and make it available for offload. Once fleet managers receive the data, they can analyze it to identify trends that inform maintenance decisions. This paper describes how the Diagnostics And System Health (DASH) vehicle health management system (VHMS) has been integrated on the M109A7/M992A3 Family of Vehicles (FOV) to enable the collection and storage of Army Bulk CBM+ Data (ABCD) files. By processing system sensor data locally and creating compressed Common Data Format (CDF) files, DASH avoids the problems commonly encountered when attempting to move large, custom data files across low bandwidth networks. After DASH stores the ABCD data in a series of CDF files, the M109 FOV Data Off-loader moves the data onto an external computing platform from where it can be further transferred into a larger fleet management system for further analysis. This paper also discusses the challenges involved in establishing the necessary infrastructure to implement a comprehensive CBM+ system.
Circulating exosomes from patients with peripheral artery disease influence vascular cell migration and contain distinct microRNA cargo.

Abstract Objective Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a chronic condition characterized by inflammation. Emerging literature suggests that circulating exosomes and their microRNA (miRNA) contents may influence atherosclerosis and vascular remodeling. We hypothesize that circulating exosomes in patients with PAD directly modulate vascular cell phenotype and contain proinflammatory miRNAs. Methods Exosomes (particle size, 30-150 nm) were isolated from plasma of healthy individuals (n = 6), patients with mild PAD (mPAD; median Rutherford class, 2.5; n = 6), and patients with severe PAD (sPAD; median Rutherford class, 4; n = 5). Exosome identity, size, and concentration were determined by Western blot and nanoparticle tracking analysis. Human vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) and endothelial cell (EC) migration was assessed by a standard wound closure assay after exposure to exosome preparations. Monocyte-derived macrophages isolated from healthy volunteers were exposed to exosome preparations, and targeted gene expression was analyzed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Exosome miRNA cargos were isolated, and a panel of defined, vascular-active miRNAs was assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results There was no difference in overall exosome particle concentration or size between the three groups (one-way analysis of variance [ANOVA], P > .05). Compared with exosomes from healthy individuals, exosomes from mPAD and sPAD patients increased VSMC migration (1.0 ± 0.09-fold vs 1.5 ± 0.09-fold vs 2.0 ± 0.12-fold wound closure; ANOVA, P Conclusions Circulating exosomes from individuals with PAD exert in vitro functional effects on VSMCs and ECs that may promote adverse vessel remodeling. Exosomes from healthy individuals, mPAD patients, and sPAD patients contain distinct signatures of immune-regulatory miRNA. Together these data suggest that the proinflammatory cargo of circulating exosomes correlates with atherosclerosis severity in PAD patients and could influence vascular injury and repair.
Commonalities across commercial real estate indexes

This study analyzes the long-run relationships and short-run dynamics of four commercial real estate indexes (NAREIT, NCREIF, CoStar and Green Street Advisors) to evaluate whether evidence of commo...
Digital Ultrasonography for the Horse

The veterinarians of the University of Florida Equine Lameness & Imaging Service specialize in the treatment and rehabilitation of poor performance in sport horses. This series of one-page full color fact sheets describes various diagnostic and imaging services available for diagnosing and treating lameness issues in horses. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_series_equine_lameness_and_imaging_service
Design-Oriented Equivalent Circuit Model for Resonant Converters

Resonant converters are popular for their inherent soft-switching capability. Small-signal models for those converters are critical for an optimal controller design. The equivalent circuit models available so far are based on the fundamental harmonic approximation. This requires the resonant tanks to behave as good band-pass filters. Consequently, the models work well for series resonant converter (SRC) but not LLC converter. Moreover, the resulting models are too complicated to be useful and the corresponding simplified versions further sacrifice the accuracy. The recent modeling breakthrough is based on the describing function method. The accurate analytical models for both SRC and LLC are presented for the first time. Not surprisingly, the exact models are shown to be infinite-order systems. In most of the applications, the frequency range of interest is below the switching frequency, meaning the models can be simplified into a proper reduced-order form. This paper proposes a methodology to simplify the complicated results from the describing function method, and the corresponding equivalent circuit models is developed. For example, the proposed third- order model for the LLC converter is accurate at half switching frequency. In addition to the accuracy, the simplified models provide significant insights on the small-signal dynamics of resonant converters.
Eosinophilic esophagitis with and without airway involvement in children - A comparative analysis.

Abstract Background Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an allergic disease characterized by marked eosinophilic infiltration and inflammation of the esophagus eventually leading to esophageal dysfunction. This condition at times may involve the airway leading to breathing difficulties. Objective To compare the course of EoE in patients with or without airway involvement. Methods A retrospective chart review was done on patients with a diagnosis of Eosinophilic Esophagitis and that were managed in our Aerodigestive clinic from 2012 to 2018. A total of 121 EoE patients were included in the study. Each patient's disease course was examined for pertinent information including – but not limited to – age at presentation, allergies, endoscopic and pathology results, treatments prescribed, and time to resolution. The data was analyzed for any differences between the airway and non-airway groups for each of these variables. Results The variables that were analyzed showed no significant difference between patients suffering from EoE with (n = 19) and without (n = 102) airway involvement. However, patients with airway disease trended towards being younger in age at presentation as compared to those without airway symptoms (6.68 years vs. 9.69 years, p = 0.69). Analysis of endoscopic and pathology findings revealed no difference. Similarly, no differences were found between the prescribed treatments. Kaplan-Meier estimates of time to disease remission indicated that 50% of patients had resolution at one year, regardless of airway involvement (p = 0.31). Conclusions Our findings indicate that the disease course of patients with EoE does not vary depending on the presence of airway symptoms. Thus, patients with airway symptoms should not be diagnosed or treated any different than those without airway symptoms.
Female farmers in the United States: Research needs and policy questions

Abstract The literature on women in agricultural production in developing countries is vast. While female farmers in the United States have recently received more attention, their general characteristics and practices pursued have not received as much consideration by agricultural economists. Here we examine U.S. female farmers’ characteristics and factors associated with county level female farm shares using Census data. We find that these shares are higher near metropolitan core counties and that their presence is associated with agritourism activity as well as horticultural and small livestock production. We conclude with several policy questions and future research needed to assess the roles and impacts of female farm operators in the U.S.
Measuring the tolerance of the genetic code to altered codon size

Summary Protein translation using four-base codons occurs in both natural and synthetic systems. What constraints contributed to the universal adoption of a triplet-codon, rather than quadruplet-codon, genetic code? Here, we investigate the tolerance of the E. coli genetic code to tRNA mutations that increase codon size. We found that tRNAs from all twenty canonical isoacceptor classes can be converted to functional quadruplet tRNAs (qtRNAs), many of which selectively incorporate a single amino acid in response to a specified four-base codon. However, efficient quadruplet codon translation often requires multiple tRNA mutations, potentially constraining evolution. Moreover, while tRNAs were largely amenable to quadruplet conversion, only nine of the twenty aminoacyl tRNA synthetases tolerate quadruplet anticodons. These constitute a functional and mutually orthogonal set, but one that sharply limits the chemical alphabet available to a nascent all-quadruplet code. Our results illuminate factors that led to selection and maintenance of triplet codons in primordial Earth and provide a blueprint for synthetic biologists to deliberately engineer an all-quadruplet expanded genetic code.
Even If It’s Not Bribery: The Case for Campaign Finance Reform

We develop a dynamic multidimensional signaling model of campaign finance in which candidates can signal their ability by enacting policy and/or by raising and spending campaign funds, both of which are costly. Our model departs from the existing literature in that candidates do not exchange policy influence for campaign contributions, rather, they must decide how to allocate their efforts between policymaking and fundraising. If high-ability candidates are better policymakers and better fundraisers then they will raise and spend campaign funds even if voters care only about legislation. Voters' inability to reward or punish politicians based on past policy allows fundraising to be used to signal ability at the expense of voter welfare. Campaign finance reform alleviates this phenomenon and improves voter welfare at the expense of politicians. Thus, we expect successful politicians to oppose true campaign finance reform. We also show our model is consistent with findings in the empirical and theoretical campaign finance literature.
Improved Unsupervised Representation Learning of Spatial Transcriptomic Data with Sparse Filtering

We have developed representation learning methods, specifically to address the constraints and advantages of complex spatial data. Sparse filtering (SFt), uses principles of sparsity and mutual information to build representations from both global and local features from a minimal list of samples. Critically, the samples that comprise each representation are listed and ranked by informativeness. We used the Allen Mouse Brain Atlas gene expression data for prototyping and established performance metrics based on representation accuracy to labeled anatomy. SFt, implemented with the PyTorch machine learning libraries for Python, returned the most accurate reconstruction of anatomical ground truth of any method tested. SFt generated gene lists could be further compressed, retaining 95% of informativeness with only 580 genes. Finally, we build classifiers capable of parsing anatomy with >95% accuracy using only 10 derived genes. Sparse learning is a powerful, but underexplored means to derive biologically meaningful representations from complex datasets and a quantitative basis for compressed sensing of classifiable phenomena. SFt should be considered as an alternative to PCA or manifold learning for any high dimensional dataset and the basis for future spatial learning algorithms.
Transkutane Blutflußmessungen in der Aorta mit Hilfe von Ultraschall-Doppler-Geräten

Die vollstandige Beurteilung der Kreislauffunktion erfordert neben der Kenntnis der Blutdruckgrose die der Blutstromung. Wahrend die meisten zuverlassigen Methoden zur Blutstromungsmessung die Katheterisierung und damit die Eroffnung des Gefassystems des Patienten voraussetzen, ist es durch die Anwendung des Doppler. prinzips in der Ultraschalltechnik (2,6,11) moglich geworden, die Stromungsgeschwindigkeiten des Blutes in der Aorta von ausen, also transthorakal, zu messen. Aus den Flusgeschwindigkeitskurven konnen die maximale Stromungsgeschwindigkeit, die maximale Stromungsbeschleunigung und das Stromungsvolumen berechnet und somit die Funktionsfahigkeit des linken Ventrikels beschrieben werden (4, 9,10). Das Ziel unserer Untersuchungen war zu prufen, ob und inwieweit diese drei Parameter mit Hilfe des kontinuierlichen Ultraschall-Doppelgerakonnen.tes auf transkutanem Wegbestimmt werden konnen. Dazu wurde ein transkutanes, richtungsanzeigendes, kontinuierliches Ultraschall-Dopplergerat (CWD)mit Tragerfrequenzen von 2,5 bzw. 5,0 MHz entwikkelt. Zum Vergleich in der Stromungsvolumenmessung diente ein elektromagnetisches Flowmeter (EMF), zum Vergleich in der Registrierung der Spitzenflusgeschwindigkeiten und der maximalen Stromungsbeschleunigungen in der Aorta wurden Messungen mit einem gepulsten Ultraschall-Doppler (pD, Tragerfrequenz von 4,3 MHz) durchgefuhrt .
Household Saving in an Era of Financial Turmoil, 1975-1984

The structure of savings media has changed greatly in the 1975-1984 period. How have savers responded to these changes? The question is answered by an analysis of annual movement of gross and net additions to financial assets held by households in the form of fixed­ money claims. Gross financial saving is disaggre­ gated by type of institution and debt securities, and household liabilities are shown by type of debt. Net financial saving as a percentage of disposable per­ sonal income yields a savings rate that differs from the rate reported in national income accounts. In the study period, shifts between the various savings media have not been systematically related to yield differentials, a finding that calls for explanation. The article stresses the insights into savers' behavior that can be obtained from the analysis of household financial assets and pleads for greater attention to changes in these assets as a measure of consumer saving.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Neonates and Infants

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is defined as the involuntary retrograde passage of gastric contents into the esophagus with or without regurgitation or vomiting. It is a frequently experienced physiologic condition occurring several times a day, mostly postprandial and causes no symptoms. These infants are also called ‘happy spitters’. GER disease (GERD) occurs when reflux of the gastric contents causes symptoms that affect the quality of life or pathologic complications, such as failure to thrive, feeding or sleeping problems, chronic respiratory disorders, esophagitis, hematemesis, apnea, and apparent life-threatening events.
Pre-conceptual Development and characterization of an extruded graphite composite fuel for the TREAT Reactor

To explore fuel systems that are more robust under accident scenarios, the DOE-NE has identified the need to resume transient testing. The Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) facility has been identified as the preferred option for the resumption of transient testing of nuclear fuel in the United States. In parallel, NNSA’s Global Threat Reduction Initiative Convert program is exploring options to replace the existing highly enriched uranium core with low enriched uranium (LEU) core. To construct a new LEU core, fabrication processes similar to those used for the original core must be identified and developed. Initially, graphite matrix fuel blocks were either uniaxially pressed or extruded following historic routes; however, the project expanded to explore methods to increase the graphite content of the fuel blocks and modern resins. Materials properties relevant to fuel performance including density and thermal diffusivity were measured. The relationship between process defects and materials properties will be discussed. LA-UR-14-27588
Theory of bent-core liquid-crystal phases and phase transitions

We study phases and phase transitions that can take place in the recently discovered bow-shaped or bent-core liquid-crystal molecules. We show that to completely characterize phases exhibited by such bent-core molecules a third-rank tensor ${T}^{\mathrm{ijk}}$ order parameter is necessary in addition to the vector and the nematic (second-rank) tensor order parameters. We present an exhaustive list of possible liquid phases, characterizing them by their space-symmetry group and order parameters, and catalog the universality classes of the corresponding phase transitions that we expect to take place in such bent-core molecular liquid crystals. In addition to the conventional liquid-crystal phases such as the nematic phase, we predict the existence of other liquid phases, including the spontaneously chiral nematic ${(N}_{T}{+2)}^{*}$ and chiral polar ${(V}_{T}{+2)}^{*}$ phases, the orientationally ordered but optically isotropic tetrahedratic T phase, and a nematic ${N}_{T}$ phase with ${D}_{2d}$ symmetry that is neither uniaxial nor biaxial. Interestingly, the isotropic-tetrahedratic transition is continuous in mean-field theory, but is likely driven first order by thermal fluctuations. We conclude with a discussion of smectic analogs of these phases and their experimental signatures.
Measurement of mouse T cell receptor excision circles.

This unit provides the protocols necessary for the quantification of mouse single joint T cell receptor excision circles (sjTRECs) generated during TCRA gene rearrangement. These nonreplicated episomal circles of DNA are generated by the recombination process used to produce antigen-specific T cell receptors. The number of sjTRECs per mg of thymus tissue or per 100,000 lysed cells has been shown to be a molecular marker of thymopoiesis and naive T cells. This technology is beneficial to investigators interested in quantitating the level of thymopoiesis occurring in both in vivo and in vitro mouse systems and complements traditional phenotypic analyses of thymopoiesis. The Basic Protocol for real-time PCR details the assay for use on a Bio-Rad iCycler iQ. An Alternate Protocol is provided for an ABI Prism 7700. In addition, the unit includes Support Protocols for preparation of a mouse sjTREC DNA standard (Support Protocol 1) and preparation of mouse thymus tissue DNA (Support Protocol 2) as well as a protocol for proteinase K lysis of lymphocytes (Support Protocol 3) used in the Basic and Alternate protocols. Keywords: Mouse; Thymopoiesis; T cell receptor; Real-time PCR
Cytidine triphosphate synthetase of Escherichia coli B. I. Purification and kinetics.

Cytidine triphosphate synthetase (EC 6.3.4.2, UTP: ammonia ligase (ADP)) of Escherichia coli B has been purified about 300-fold. Kinetics of the reactions with both glutamine (plus GTP) and ammonia as nitrogen donors have been studied. Dependence of the rate on the concentration of each substrate approximately follows the Michaelis equation when all other substrates are at near saturation. But when other substrates are at low concentrations, the kinetics are strongly sinusoidal. Hill plots produce straight lines under all conditions, the slopes of which (n) vary from 1 to 4 depending on concentrations of other substrates. The product CTP has been found to inhibit competitively with UTP and to activate the enzyme, probably by replacing GTP. A simple model consistent with these results assumes that the enzyme is a dimer in which all sites must be filled to permit catalytic activity. The activity of the enzyme appears to be regulated both by its substrates and by its product.
Dynamics of the electro-optic response of blue bronze K 0.3 Mo O 3

We have studied the charge density wave (CDW) repolarization dynamics in blue bronze by applying square-wave voltages of different frequencies to the sample and measuring the changes in infrared transmittance, proportional to CDW strain. The frequency dependence of the electrotransmittance was fit to a modified harmonic oscillator response and the evolution of the parameters as functions of voltage, position, and temperature are discussed. Resonant frequencies decrease with distance from the current contacts, indicating that the resulting delays are intrinsic to the CDW with the strain effectively flowing from the contact. For a fixed position, the average relaxation time has a voltage dependence given by ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{0}\ensuremath{\sim}{V}^{\ensuremath{-}p}$, with $1lpl2$. The temperature dependence of the fitting parameters shows that the dynamics are governed by both the force on the CDW and the CDW current: for a given force and position, both the relaxation and delay times are inversely proportional to the CDW current as temperature is varied. The long relaxation and delay times $(\ensuremath{\sim}1\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{ms})$ suggest that the strain response involves the motion of macroscopic objects, presumably CDW phase dislocation lines.
Impacts of time delays on distributed algorithms for economic dispatch

Economic dispatch problem (EDP) is an optimization problem with the objective to minimize the total generation cost subject to the power balance constraint and generator capacity limits. Typically, EDP is solved in a centralized manner, however, recently, several consensus-based algorithms have been proposed to solve EDP in a distributed manner. In these algorithms, it is assumed that information are exchanged through the perfect communication network. However time delays are ubiquitous in the communication network. This paper investigates impacts of communication time delays on a distributed algorithm. This algorithm has been tested by applying time delays to different types of information exchange. Several case studies are carried out to evaluate the effectiveness and performance of the algorithm in the presence of time delays in communication networks. It is found that time delays can negatively affect convergence rate, resulting in the algorithm either converging to an incorrect value or failing to converge altogether.
(n-3) Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Promote Activation-Induced Cell Death in Murine T Lymphocytes

Previous studies showing dietary (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) attenuate T cell immune-mediated inflammatory diseases led us to hypothesize that (n-3) PUFA promote activation-induced cell death (AICD) in T cells. Because T cell subsets display a differential resistance to AICD, we compared the effects of (n-3) PUFA feeding on T cells stimulated in vitro to express different cytokine profiles. Mice were fed either diets lacking (n-3) PUFA (control) or (n-3) PUFA-containing diets for 14 d. Splenic T cells were stimulated with alphaCD3/alphaCD28, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)/Ionomycin or alphaCD3/PMA for 48 h, followed by reactivation with the same stimuli for 5 h. Apoptosis was measured using Annexin V/propidium iodide. (n-3) PUFA were selectively incorporated into membrane phospholipid pools. Cytokine analyses revealed that (n-3) PUFA enhanced AICD only in T cells expressing a T helper cell (Th)1-like cytokine profile after stimulation with PMA/Ionomycin compared to mice fed the (n-6) PUFA control diet (P = 0.0008). In contrast, no increase in apoptosis was seen in T cells stimulated with alphaCD3/PMA, which exhibited a Th2 cytokine profile. These data demonstrate that the ability of (n-3) PUFA to promote AICD is dependent on the activation stimulus. In conclusion, we have identified a novel mechanism by which (n-3) PUFA modulate T cell-mediated immunity by selective deletion of Th1-like cells while maintaining or enhancing the Th2-mediated humoral immune response.