cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of ultraviolet light on the expression of genes for human U1 RNA.

Two types of UV-light-induced inhibitions of the synthesis of small nuclear RNA species U1, U2, U3, U4, and U5 were described previously: an immediate inhibition and a separate, delayed suppression that requires 1-2 hr of postirradiation cell incubation and UV doses that are about tenfold lower. In the present report, U1 RNA transcription in isolated nuclei from HeLa cells, assayed by RNAase T1 protection, reproduced the delayed inhibition. The sizes of the protected RNA fragments suggest that it is the initiation of U1 RNA transcription that is blocked during this inhibition. Transient expression of a marked human U1 RNA gene that contains 425 and 92 nucleotides of the 5′ and 3′ flanking sequences, respectively, showed delayed, but not immediate inhibition (while the endogenous U1 RNA genes exhibited immediate suppression). This indicates that continuity of the U1 gene flanking sequences beyond those segments and/or chromosomal integration of the U1 gene are not needed for the delayed inhibition, but may be required for the immediate inhibition. Irradiation of a U1 RNA gene, followed by its injection into Xenopus laevis oocyte nuclei, did not reproduce the immediate or delayed inhibitions. This suggests that direct UV radiation damage to DNA in the U1 RNA gene region is not the critical lesion in either the immediate or delayed UV-light-induced inhibitions of U1 RNA synthesis. In addition, the RNAase T1 protection pattern of transcripts synthesized in isolated nuclei from nonirradiated HeLa cells suggests that these cells may produce small amounts of U1 RNA molecules with variant nucleotide sequences in the mature region of the transcript.
Floating point fault tolerance with backward error assertions

The paper introduces an assertion scheme based on the backward error analysis for error detection in algorithms that solve dense systems of linear equations, Ax=b. Unlike previous methods, this backward error assertion model is specifically designed to operate in an environment of floating point arithmetic subject to round-off errors, and it can be easily instrumented in a Watchdog processor environment. The complexity of verifying assertions is O(n/sup 2/), compared to the O(n/sup 3/) complexity of algorithms solving Ax=b. Unlike other proposed error detection methods, this assertion model does not require any encoding of the matrix A. Experimental results under various error models are presented to validate the effectiveness of this assertion scheme. >
An analysis of single image defogging methods using a color ellipsoid framework

The goal of this article is to explain how several single image defogging methods work using a color ellipsoid framework. The foundation of the framework is the atmospheric dichromatic model which is analogous to the reflectance dichromatic model. A key step in single image defogging is the ability to estimate relative depth. Therefore, properties of the color ellipsoids are tied to depth cues within an image. This framework is then extended using a Gaussian mixture model to account for multiple mixtures which gives intuition in more complex observation windows, such as observations at depth discontinuities which is a common problem in single image defogging. A few single image defogging methods are analyzed within this framework and surprisingly tied together with a common approach in using a dark prior. A new single image defogging method based on the color ellipsoid framework is introduced and compared to existing methods.
Convention-Based Syntactic Descriptions

This paper introduces a formalism for the syntactic description of programming languages. While our work clearly borrows from existing, well-known formalisms such as EBNF, its primary contribution is to provide a notation that can serve both as a concise, formal linguistic description as well as input to a parser generator. This is achieved through the use of notational conventions in place of excessive markup. These conventions are fully defined and enable a syntax to remain concise without relying on informal descriptions. Benefits of the notation include a clear separation of microsyntax and macrosyntax — a trait curiously lacking from many published programming language standards. We also provide a description of the formalism using its own notation.
Resilience as Part of Conflict Resolution: Merging Victimology and Leadership to Secure Peace

Researchers contend the root cause of victimology is conflict resulting from ideological, ethnic, tribal, and socio-political differences between cultures (Van Dijk, 2000). This paper discusses the need for scholars to merge leadership and victimology disciplines that create a theoretical and application framework addressing the influence of state and non-state leaders. The author argues that victimology research addresses the victim and offender relationship. However, it lacks the leadership component as a causal relationship and if this is not researched, the cycle of violence will continue. Additionally, this paper aims to address the challenges global leaders have among failed states to deter victims from offenders, assure the prevention of victims by offenders, employ resilience principles within disarmament demobilization and reconciliation activities in order to ensure stability. Finally, the author argues the need to integrate global leadership traits and competences with victimology and the need for further conflict research.
Place as occupational histories : an investigation of the deflated surface archaeological record of Pine Point and Langwell Stations, Western New South Wales, Australia

This monograph presents a theoretical and methodological approach to the investigation of deflated surface stone artefact scatters beyond those that emphasise synchronic behavioural interpretations. The study is undertaken on Pine Point and Langwell Stations, two adjoining pastoral leases south of Broken Hill in arid western New South Wales, Australia. The main objective of the study is to investigate long-term accumulated patterns in stone artifact assemblage composition within archaeological deposits with known occupational chronologies. These are derived from the dating of charcoal from heat retainer hearths.
Learning from Post-Editing: Online Model Adaptation for Statistical Machine Translation

Using machine translation output as a starting point for human translation has become an increasingly common application of MT. We propose and evaluate three computationally efficient online methods for updating statistical MT systems in a scenario where post-edited MT output is constantly being returned to the system: (1) adding new rules to the translation model from the post-edited content, (2) updating a Bayesian language model of the target language that is used by the MT system, and (3) updating the MT system’s discriminative parameters with a MIRA step. Individually, these techniques can substantially improve MT quality, even over strong baselines. Moreover, we see super-additive improvements when all three techniques are used in tandem.
Possible role of anti-SSA/Ro antibodies in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension

Introduction There are many different causes of pulmonary hypertension and the pathogenesis of the disease is still being elucidated. Although they are not the most common, autoimmunity and inflammation have been identified as possible causes. No one autoantibody has been identified as the definite cause of pulmonary hypertension. We present a rare association of anti-SSA/Ro antibodies and isolated pulmonary hypertension.
Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC) is a primary myocardial disease of unknown cause characterized by left ventricular or biventricular dilatation and impaired myocardial contractility1. Depend...
Gender and asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome

AbstractObjective: To assess relationships between obstructive lung diseases, respiratory symptoms, and comorbidities by gender. Methods: Data from 12 594 adult respondents to the 2012 South Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System telephone survey were used. Five categories of chronic obstructive airway disease (OAD) were defined: former asthma only, current asthma only, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) only, asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS), and none. Associations of these categories with respiratory symptoms (frequent productive cough, shortness of breath, and impaired physical activities due to breathing problems), overall health, and comorbidities were assessed using multivariable logistic regression for men and women. Results: Overall, 16.2% of men and 18.7% of women reported a physician diagnosis of COPD and/or asthma. Former asthma only was higher among men than women (4.9% vs. 3.2%, t-test p = 0.008). Current asthma only was more prevalent among women than men (7.2% vs. ...
Numerical Modeling of Energy-Beam Induced Localized Melting of Thin SI Films

We have developed a quantitative model, based on a two-dimensional finite difference enthalpy method, which accounts for the localized melting behavior of thin Si films on substrates. The model incorporates radiative and conductive heat flow components and takes account of the phase changes that occur during zone-melting recrystallization. Emphasis is placed on the effects resulting from the differences in reflectivity and emissivity between solid and liquid Si. The model provides quantitative information concerning the temperature profile of the Si film and the configuration of the solid-liquid interface. Results of the analysis indicate that there exist two distinct types of transition behavior: i) reflectivity-change dominated and ii) emissivity-change dominated. Partial melting and a nonplanar solid-liquid interface are characteristics of the reflectivity-change dominated behavior. The emissivity-change dominated behavior, on the other hand, can be characterized by explosive-like melting and a planar solid-liquid interface. The conditions and physical factors which give rise to these behaviors are discussed.
The factorizations of adjoint polynomials of S~ω-class graphs with chromatically equivalence Analysis

By studying factorization of Sω-class graphs,We prove that structure theorem of chromatically equivalent graph of their complement.
Urological Applications of Human Papillomavirus Typing Using Deoxyribonucleic Acid Probes for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Genital Condyloma

The use of deoxyribonucleic acid probes to examine the type of the human papillomavirus genome found in penile lesions is described at a technical level and in a clinical application. At least 40 different types of human papillomavirus have been identified and these types vary not only in their deoxyribonucleic acid base sequences but also in their clinical manifestations. Although deoxyribonucleic acid probes currently have a role only in a research setting, this study delineates the possible role of this technology in a clinical setting to detect subclinical intraurethral human papillomavirus. The results have widespread implications regarding the treatment of condyloma and the associated cervical dysplasia. In this series 25 grossly visible lesions were typed and 85 per cent contained human papillomavirus types 6 and 11. In contrast, microscopic lesions identified in the male partners of women with cervical dysplasia were shown to contain human papillomavirus types 16, 18 or 31 in 60 per cent of the cases. In addition, urethral brushings were obtained and were positive for human papillomavirus in 50 per cent of the cases despite normal urethroscopy. Human papillomavirus types 16, 18 or 31 accounted for 70 per cent of the positive urethral brushings.
Bovine lipoprotein and apolipoprotein profiles as influenced by sex and growth

Three (intact) Angus males and females that were half-sibs and born within 21 d of each other were selected for this study. Each animal was bled periodically from birth to slaughter (18 mo) to determine the qualitative composition of plasma lipoproteins and apolipoproteins during its growth and development. Major components observed were: 1) very low-density (VLDL), 2) low-density (LDL), and 3) high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Individual amounts of triglycerides, cholesterol, and proteins for the VLDL were not different (P greater than .05) between sexes at any time during growth and development. At 1 yr of age and 15 mo of age, females had significantly larger (143.4 and 93.5 mg/dl) amounts of protein in the HDL than males (67.0 and 93.5 mg/dl), respectively. Within the male group, the LDL triglyceride concentration of calves was significantly (P less than .05) higher (7.4 mg/dl) than at all other bleeding times. Within the female group, cholesterol values for the VLDL were significantly (P less than .05) larger as calves and weanlings (16.5 and 21.7 mg/dl respectively) than for other bleeding periods. At all stages of growth and development, the HDL apoprotein profiles showed a distinct band with a weight of about 28,000 Da, which represented apolipoprotein-A-I. During the suckling stage, pooling of LDL fractions provided two components on the acrylamide gel (7.5 to 20%), apolipoprotein-B and a low molecular weight band. At 12 and 15 mo, no low molecular weight band was present in the pooled LDL fraction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Developments in purging in autotransplantation.

Autologous bone marrow transplantation is a curative treatment for some hematologic malignancies and potentially some solid tumors. Sensitive laboratory studies have demonstrated that histologically uninvolved bone marrow is often infiltrated with tumor cells, providing at least a theoretical reason to postulate that reinfused tumor cells may contribute to disease recurrence. Several recent studies support the hypothesis that effective marrow purging may improve the disease-free survival in patients with leukemia and lymphoma.
Deep Secure Encoding for Face Template Protection

In this paper we present a framework for secure identification using deep neural networks, and apply it to the task of template protection for face password authentication. We use deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to learn a mapping from face images to maximum entropy binary (MEB) codes. The mapping is robust enough to tackle the problem of exact matching, yielding the same code for new samples of a user as the code assigned during training. These codes are then hashed using any hash function that follows the random oracle model (like SHA-512) to generate protected face templates. The algorithm makes no unrealistic assumptions and offers high template security, cancelability, and matching performance comparable to the state-of-the-art. The efficacy of the approach is shown on CMU-PIE, Extended Yale B, and Multi-PIE face databases. We achieve high (~ 95%) genuine accept rates (GAR) at zero false accept rate (FAR) while maintaining a high level of template security.
Forecasting and control

This chapter discusses forecasting and control. It provides analysis of observations or measurements that are being recorded sequentially in time. Time series problems arise in a wide variety of contexts. Different series entail different objectives. A series of measurements on the concentration of a tumor marker in the blood of a given test subject may be used to monitor the progression of a tumor or its response to treatment. An element of subjective assessment is almost always called for in the interpretation of the results delivered by standard forecasting methods, in the sense that a given series of measurements rarely if ever tells the whole story about the probable course of the future events.
Real-Time Digital Computer System for Ureteral Physiology Investigation

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the use and advantages of real-time digital computer system for ureteral physiology. The most important features of the computer system for ureteral physiology is its dynamic nature, with which it permits a high degree of flexibility in its utilization and a convenient environment for changes to be made. The computer can be indispensable for the multichannel recording and processing of data with immediate feedback of calculations and measurements on the output terminals. These, compounded with well-defined graphic representations of experimental results on output equipment, have kept the experimenter fully informed of trends in the relevant parameters of the observed data and, in effect, have provided a more appropriate utilization of the data.
Errors Related to CPOE

Electronic health records (EHRs) and computer-based provider order entry (CPOE) systems were developed in part to reduce the risk of injury to patients. Their potential to increase the quality and safety of care is well documented but concerns remain about the consequences of poor design, implementation or inadequate adaptation to established practices and realities of clinical work. This case study describes a potassium chloride overdose in a hospitalized patient that occurred despite the use of electronic ordering. Several important aspects of the serious adverse event were in fact attributable to failures in interaction with a system that had many design and functional characteristics inconsistent with common usability conventions and principles of cognitive engineering. Cognitive errors with the potential to engender adverse events may occur relatively frequently when complex information technology is used routinely in safety-critical work environments. The risk of a certain type of error can be effectively reduced by employing safe design practices during software development, while others can be addressed during implementation and by monitoring and periodic evaluation of critical processes under normal working conditions.
Gene Editing of Human Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells: Promise and Potential Hurdles

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) have great therapeutic potential because of their ability to both self-renew and differentiate. It has been proposed that, given their unique properties, a small number of genetically modified HSPCs could accomplish lifelong, corrective reconstitution of the entire hematopoietic system in patients with various hematologic disorders. Scientists have demonstrated that gene addition therapies—targeted to HSPCs and using integrating retroviral vectors—possess clear clinical benefits in multiple diseases, among them immunodeficiencies, storage disorders, and hemoglobinopathies. Scientists attempting to develop clinically relevant gene therapy protocols have, however, encountered a number of unexpected hurdles because of their incomplete knowledge of target cells, genomic control, and gene transfer technologies. Targeted gene-editing technologies using engineered nucleases such as ZFN, TALEN, and/or CRISPR/Cas9 RGEN show great clinical promise, allowing for the si...
Mechanistic Estimation of Lightweight Deflectometer Target Field Modulus for Construction Quality Control

The lightweight deflectometer (LWD) is an emerging device for evaluating the quality of compacted layers. Establishing the proper field target modulus for the LWD is crucial for judging the quality of the compacted unbound layers. A rigorous numerical approach to determine the project-specific field target values for a LWD device during the pavement design process is presented in this study. The input parameters to the model include the thickness of the layers, as well as the nonlinear stiffness parameters of each layer estimated from the resilient modulus tests. Simple relationships are proposed to estimate the target modulus when the earthwork can be approximated as a single layer. A parametric study was performed to quantify the impact of the input parameters on the estimated target modulus. The applied load and the plate diameter of the LWD along with some of the nonlinear soil parameters significantly affect the target modulus. The processes of the development and validation of these models are presented in this paper. Furthermore, the impact of moisture variation on estimated target LWD modulus is discussed.
The effects of different saturation levels of the Shifting Boundaries intervention on preventing adolescent relationship abuse and sexual harassment

Prior research with the Shifting Boundaries (SB) prevention program suggests that it can prevent adolescent relationship abuse and sexual harassment. We assessed the relative impact of a combined set of SB classroom (SBC) and SB building (school-wide; SBS) interventions on adolescent relationship abuse and sexual harassment outcomes when the program is delivered to all three grades in a middle school (full saturation) compared to when only two or one of the three grades receive it. We randomly assigned 23 middle schools (1,764 students) in New York City to varying saturation levels of SB: 6th grade only, 6th and 7th grade, or 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Providing SB to only one grade level does just as well at preventing peer violence and adolescent relationship abuse as treating multiple grades. However, there was evidence that additional saturation led to sexual harassment reductions. Schools that delivered SB to 6th and 7th graders (compared to just 6th graders) reduced sexual harassment victimization 6 months post-treatment. The results largely support a minimalist approach, in that SB may be effective in preventing peer violence and adolescent relationship abuse outcomes by delivery to one grade level. However, there is a need for more research to continue exploring the potential benefits of a saturated delivery of SB across all grades, building on our finding that 6th and 7th grade implementation of SB was more effective at reducing sexual harassment than 6th grade only implementation.
Expressing the Geobacter metallireducens PilA in Geobacter sulfurreducens Yields Pili with Exceptional Conductivity

ABSTRACT The electrically conductive pili (e-pili) of Geobacter sulfurreducens serve as a model for a novel strategy for long-range extracellular electron transfer. e-pili are also a new class of bioelectronic materials. However, the only other Geobacter pili previously studied, which were from G. uraniireducens, were poorly conductive. In order to obtain more information on the range of pili conductivities in Geobacter species, the pili of G. metallireducens were investigated. Heterologously expressing the PilA gene of G. metallireducens in G. sulfurreducens yielded a G. sulfurreducens strain, designated strain MP, that produced abundant pili. Strain MP exhibited phenotypes consistent with the presence of e-pili, such as high rates of Fe(III) oxide reduction and high current densities on graphite anodes. Individual pili prepared at physiologically relevant pH 7 had conductivities of 277 ± 18.9 S/cm (mean ± standard deviation), which is 5,000-fold higher than the conductivity of G. sulfurreducens pili at pH 7 and nearly 1 million-fold higher than the conductivity of G. uraniireducens pili at the same pH. A potential explanation for the higher conductivity of the G. metallireducens pili is their greater density of aromatic amino acids, which are known to be important components in electron transport along the length of the pilus. The G. metallireducens pili represent the most highly conductive pili found to date and suggest strategies for designing synthetic pili with even higher conductivities. IMPORTANCE e-pili are a remarkable electrically conductive material that can be sustainably produced without harsh chemical processes from renewable feedstocks and that contain no toxic components in the final product. Thus, e-pili offer an unprecedented potential for developing novel materials, electronic devices, and sensors for diverse applications with a new “green” technology. Increasing e-pili conductivity will even further expand their potential applications. A proven strategy is to design synthetic e-pili that contain tryptophan, an aromatic amino acid not found in previously studied e-pili. The studies reported here demonstrate that a productive alternative approach is to search more broadly in the microbial world. Surprisingly, even though G. metallireducens and G. sulfurreducens are closely related, the conductivities of their e-pili differ by more than 3 orders of magnitude. The ability to produce e-pili with high conductivity without generating a genetically modified product enhances the attractiveness of this novel electronic material.
Modeling of Anisotropic Magnetic Objects by Volume Integral Equation Methods

This paper presents the modeling of electromagnetic scattering from objects with magnetic anisotropy. We study the solutions of both the volume integral equation (VIE) method and augmented volume integral equation (A-VIE) method. For the VIE method, it is built from the 3D vector wave equation for electric field only. For the A-VIE method, it is built from 3D vector wave equation for both electric and magnetic fields. Numerical results show that the A-VIE method has better accuracy and convergence for magnetic objects compared to the VIE method.
Multidimensional Integrative Genomics Approaches to Dissecting Cardiovascular Disease.

Elucidating the mechanisms of complex diseases such as cardiovascular disease remains a significant challenge due to multi-dimensional alterations at molecular, cellular, tissue, and organ levels. To better understand cardiovascular disease and offer insights into the underlying mechanisms and potential therapeutic strategies, data from multiple omics types (genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics, microbiome) from both humans and model organisms has become available. However, individual omics data types capture only a fraction of the molecular mechanisms. To address this challenge, there have been numerous efforts to develop integrative genomics methods which can leverage multi-dimensional information from diverse data types to derive comprehensive molecular insights. In this review, we summarize recent methodological advances in multi-dimensional omics integration, exemplify their applications in cardiovascular research, and pinpoint challenges and future directions in this incipient field.
3D-DPE: A 3D high-bandwidth dot-product engine for high-performance neuromorphic computing

We present and experimentally validate 3D-DPE, a general-purpose dot-product engine, which is ideal for accelerating artificial neural networks (ANNs). 3D-DPE is based on a monolithically integrated 3D CMOS-memristor hybrid circuit and performs a high-dimensional dot-product operation (a recurrent and computationally expensive operation in ANNs) within a single step, using analog current-based computing. 3D-DPE is made up of two subsystems, namely a CMOS subsystem serving as the memory controller and an analog memory subsystem consisting of multiple layers of high-density memristive crossbar arrays fabricated on top of the CMOS subsystem. Their integration is based on a high-density area-distributed interface, resulting in much higher connectivity between the two subsystems, compared to the traditional interface of a 2D system or a 3D system integrated using through silicon vias. As a result, 3D-DPE's single-step dot-product operation is not limited by the memory bandwidth, and the input dimension of the operations scales well with the capacity of the 3D memristive arrays. To demonstrate the feasibility of 3D-DPE, we designed and fabricated a CMOS memory controller and monolitically integrated 2 layers of titanium-oxide memristive crossbars. Then we performed the analog dot-product operation under different input conditions in two scenarios: (1) with devices within the same crossbar layer and (2) with devices from different layers. In both cases, the devices exhibited low voltage operation and analog switching behavior with high tuning accuracy.
Terminal Sedation from the Moral Rights’ Perspective

Is terminal sedation morally permissible, and how is it related to forgoing life support, physician assisted suicide and voluntary active euthanasia? I shall follow Torbjorn Tannsjo in Chapter 2 in this volume in understanding terminal sedation as containing two parts: first, sedating the patient to the point of unconsciousness and, second, stopping the provision of nutrition and hydration. Tannsjo argues that terminal sedation is both morally and legally permissible and should be accepted by those who oppose both physician assisted suicide and voluntary active euthanasia. I agree that it is morally and legally permissible. In the United States it is accepted practice in many health care institutions and hospices and so far as I am aware it has not been legally challenged. However, I do not agree with the analysis and argument that Tannsjo gives in support of that position and I want first to delineate our disagreement.
Short-term Response of Seven Pine Species to Sodium Chloride Spray

Six 5-needled pines (Pinus aristata Engelm., P. cembra L., P. parviflora Seib & Zuccc., P. peuce Griseb., P. strobiformis Engelm., and P. strobus L.) and one 2-needled pine (Pinus thunbergii Parl.) sprayed with a 2% NaCl solution for 10 days showed differences in percent browning, internal and external Cl− concentrations, and survival. Salt-sprayed seedlings of P. thunbergii (a well-known salt tolerant species) and P. cembra showed the least foliar damage, lowest external Cl− concentranons, and best survival. Internal Cl− concentrations were significantly lower for P. thunbergii than for all other species. Pinus strobus, P. peuce, and P. aristata showed a large degree of foliar symptoms and the highest internal Cl− concentrations. Pinus strobiformis and P. parviflora were intermediate in symptom expression and in internal concentrations of Cl−. Of the 5-needled species, P. cembra appeared most tolerant to salt spray.
The Private World of Soviet Scientists from Stalin to Gorbachev

Rogacheva sheds new light on the complex transition of Soviet society from Stalinism into the post-Stalin era. Using the case study of Chernogolovka, one of dozens of scientific towns built in the USSR under Khrushchev, she explains what motivated scientists to participate in the Soviet project during the Cold War. Rogacheva traces the history of this scientific community from its creation in 1956 through the Brezhnev period to paint a nuanced portrait of the living conditions, political outlook, and mentality of the local scientific intelligentsia. Utilizing new archival materials and an extensive oral history project, this book argues that Soviet scientists were not merely bought off by the Soviet state, but that they bought into the idealism and social optimism of the post-Stalin regime. Many shared the regime's belief in the progressive development of Soviet society on a scientific basis, and embraced their increased autonomy, material privileges and elite status.
Channel estimation for massive MIMO with 2-D nested array deployment

Abstract The problem of channel estimation in 5G is regarded as the one of the bottleneck problems due to its complexity related with large number of antenna elements at the BS side and more narrower beams when choosing high frequency such as millimeter wave. In this paper, we study the channel estimation problem for massive MIMO with a new antenna array at the base station (BS) side. The randomly deployed single antenna user equipments (UEs) within a single cell in the cellular network comprise of a random array. Based on the geometric channel model, using multiple snapshots of beamforming and combining vectors at the BS and UEs side respectively, the problem is formulated as a sparsity-aware problem and the coordinate descent algorithm is employed to retrieve the significant channel gain. Simulation results show the effective of the algorithm under two different scenarios with high SNR and low SNR respectively and for both cases, we can find the significant paths with properly chosen penalization parameter λ .
Breast cancer vaccines delivered by dendritic cell-targeted lentivectors induce potent antitumor immune responses and protect mice from mammary tumor growth.

Breast cancer immunotherapy is a potent treatment option, with antibody therapies such as trastuzumab increasing 2-year survival rates by 50%. However, active immunotherapy through vaccination has generally been clinically ineffective. One potential means of improving vaccine therapy is by delivering breast cancer antigens to dendritic cells (DCs) for enhanced antigen presentation. To accomplish this in vivo, we pseudotyped lentiviral vector (LV) vaccines with a modified Sindbis Virus glycoprotein so that they could deliver genes encoding the breast cancer antigen alpha-lactalbumin (Lalba) or erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (ERBB2 or HER2) directly to resident DCs. We hypothesized that utilizing these DC-targeting lentiviral vectors asa breast cancer vaccine could lead to an improved immune response against self-antigens found in breast cancer tumors. Indeed, single injections of the vaccine vectors were able to amplify antigen-specific CD8T cells 4-6-fold over naive mice, similar to the best published vaccine regimens. Immunization of these mice completely inhibited tumor growth in a foreign antigen environment (LV-ERBB2 in wildtype mice), and it reduced the rate of tumor growth in a self-antigen environment (LV-Lalba in wildtype or LV-ERBB2 in MMTV-huHER2 transgenic). These results show that a single injection with targeted lentiviral vectors can be an effective immunotherapy for breast cancer. Furthermore, they could be combined with other immunotherapeutic regimens to improve outcomes for patients with breast cancer.
The Role of Companionship and Conflict in Perceptions of a Friend’s Heavy Alcohol and Marijuana Use

Individuals have been found to “project” their own substance use onto perceptions of their friends’ substance use. This study explores whether companionship and conflict relate to incorrect percept...
Sequence analysis of hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein 3‑4A serine protease and prediction of conserved B and T cell epitopes

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a global health issue. The nonstructural protein 3 (NS3)-4Agene of HCV is responsible for serine protease activity. The aim of the present study was to develop a global consensus sequence of HCV serine protease, analyze conserved residues, and predict highly conserved B- and T-cell binding epitopes in the NS3-4A protein. A total of 160 NS3-4A sequences from the six genotypes of HCV were refracted in the current study. The amino acid sequences were aligned to obtain a global consensus sequence. The location of possible B- and T-cell epitopes were predicted in the HCV NS3-4A consensus sequence by employing bioinformatics tools. Despite the high mutation rate of HCV, the functionally important residues are highly conserved. These include residues that form the catalytic triad (His57, Asp81 and Ser139), the S1 and S6 pocket, zinc-binding site (Cys97, Cys99, Cys145 and His149) and the substrate binding groove. The epitopes B1, B8 and B9 are predicted to be ideal candidates for B-cell-based vaccine and are >95% conserved across six major HCV genotypes. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I epitopes, M4, M5, M7 and M10, and MHC class II epitopes, T5, T7 and T10 are ideal epitopes for vaccine development with high antigenicity scores and high conservancy across major HCV genotypes. The predicted B- and T-cell epitopes are ideal targets for vaccine development, and are capable of producing a strong immune response for all major genotypes of HCV.
Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy is Not Associated with a Delay of Adjuvant Treatment.

High-volume single-institution studies support the oncologic safety of nipple sparing mastectomy (NSM). Concerns remain regarding the increased potential for complications, recurrence, and delays to subsequent adjuvant therapy. A national database was used to examine treatment and outcomes for NSM patients. Women undergoing unilateral NSM or skin sparing mastectomy (SSM) for stage 0–4 breast cancer from 2004 to 2013 were identified from the National Cancer Database. Demographic and oncologic characteristics, short-term outcomes and time to local and systemic treatment were compared. NSM was performed on 8173 patients: 8.7% were node positive, and for stage 1–4 disease, 10.6% were triple negative (TN) and 15.3% were HER2-positive. NSM patients were less likely than SSM patients to receive chemotherapy [CT] (37.4 vs. 43.4%) or radiation [PMRT] (15.6 vs. 16.9%), and were also more likely to present with clinically early-stage disease. NSM patients with high-risk features were more likely to receive CT in the neoadjuvant [NCT] than adjuvant setting [AC] (OR 3.76, 1.81, and 1.99 for clinical N2/3, TN, and HER2-positive disease, all p < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, NSM patients had a higher rate of pathologic complete response [pCR] (OR 1.41, p < 0.001). Readmission rate, positive margin rate and time to CT, PMRT or hormonal therapy were not increased for NSM compared to SSM patients. Over one third of NSM patients received chemotherapy and/or radiation. NSM patients with high-risk features were more likely to receive NAC and obtain a pCR. NSM patients did not experience worse outcomes or delayed adjuvant therapy compared to SSM.
Numerical methods for nonlinear equations

This article is about numerical methods for the solution of nonlinear equations. We consider both the fixed-point form and the equations form and explain why both versions are necessary to understand the solvers. We include the classical methods to make the presentation complete and discuss less familiar topics such as Anderson acceleration, semi-smooth Newton’s method, and pseudo-arclength and pseudo-transient continuation methods.
True Critical Points at Infinity

Given a curve x ∈ Cβ its director \(\dot x\) splits under the form $$ \dot x = a\xi + bv; $$ a is constant. The decreasing pseudo-gradient Z0 of [2] has the additional property of nonincreasing the number of zeros of b.
Transformations of the State in Telecommunications

Since it became involved in telecommunications during the course of the nineteenth century, the state has played several roles in telecommunications: owner-operator, regulator, facilitator, and stopgap for private sector deficiencies. During the past two decades direct state involvement in telecommunications has been reduced, renewed demands for state intervention and a return of the state are currently made. This paper reviews the different roles of the state, weighs their advantages and shortcomings, and assesses the state’s future involvement. Ownership and regulation have historically been considered as institutional alternatives to address problems of market failure and deficiency but they also have complementary functions. Likewise, the role of the state as facilitator and stopgap overlaps with these other roles and complements them. The experience with privatization and liberalization was brought into a new light by the recent economic crisis. It is unlikely that the state will return in a major role as an owner in telecommunications. However, the balance between private and state activity is being pragmatically realigned, resulting in a new mix of institutional arrangements that might better take advantage of the strengths of each.
Recasting citizenship: Introduction

The imposition of universal male conscription by the first French Republic in 1798 and the end of conscription by the Fifth French Republic, announced by French President Jacques Chirac in 1996, are major landmarks for the recasting of modern citizenship and the terrain covered by this collection.1 Covering over two centuries between 1780 and 1996, the essays focus on the changing structures of European citizenship-granting bodies as well as on the evolving characteristics of claim-making populations. In 1798, universal male conscription marked the culmination of the French republic's mobilization of its male citizens, the apogee of a dramatic expansion of citizenship rights won at the cost of vastly increased citizen responsibilities. In 1996, the proposed end of conscription in France (it had already been abolished in Belgium and scheduled for abolition in Holland) marked the fading away of the military rivalries that had made the continent a battlefield but also generated citizenship rights for both men and women. In fact, while overall European states were limiting access to citizenship, with the elimination of conscription, the basic state-building relationship of the revolutionary era was operating in reverse: states diminished responsibilities to recruit long-term resident migrants to citizenship. Given the aging of European populations, could such procedures indicate a new direction in the evolution of citizenship? At the same time, European states were facing new competition for citizens' loyalties. Western European states were members of a market-based European Union (EU) that brought sustained prosperity but little meaningful political participation. From Portugal, to Ireland, to Italy, a new Western European standard of living spread in the decades after World War II but, more recently, a new spirit of exclusionary nationalism has flourished in many EU nations. Could a new and deeper European union be built under such conditions?
Critical Reflections on Working with Diverse Families: Culturally Responsive Professional Development Strategies for Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Educators

Professional development that focuses on supporting teachers' abilities to work with diverse families is keenly needed. This article outlines three instructional strategies and how they were used with undergraduate students in an inclusive early childhood teacher education program: (a) involving diverse family members as instructional supports; (b) performance of family scenarios; and (c) examining diverse families in popular media. These strategies, undergirded by the importance of critical reflection, have been implemented as part of a statewide preservice teacher education initiative in Iowa. Program evaluation data provide preliminary evidence of their potential to foster the development of necessary cultural dispositions for future teachers to meet the growing diversity among children and families.
The Spectacle of Self-Absorption

When one surveys the large body of criticism which followed the publication of the four volumes of Thomas Mann’s Joseph and his Brothers, it is found that this criticism is overwhelmingly subjective and impressionistic in character. Taking American criticism alone, we cite Clarence Seidenspinner, reviewing the book in Christian Century, who has “never before read anything quite so breathtaking and profoundly numinous.” Such outspokenly positive, if not overly penetrating, criticism is found in the majority of the reviews. Charles Neider, a critic of note, lauds the tetralogy in the New Mexico Quarterly Review for its “ability to lift a culture and a civilization out of fable and make it live, and to fill in the Bible’s hiatus with surpassing beauty in modern terms.” Adverse comment centers around the book’s length and supposed discursiveness. Thus, Slochower, who has done some excellent work on this book, quotes some reviewers as condemning the fourth volume as a “great bore”, containing a “turbid philosophy”. Dorothy Thompson calls the “Prelude” “stiff reading” and Elmer Davis recommends that readers who lack a taste for epistomological history omit the Prelude altogether and start the book on “about page 242.” Reviewers with pronounced religious and political views exhibit an even more opinionated attitude. Summing up an exhaustive study of American Joseph-criticism, Edmund Ordon finds that “it has failed to see how unified Mann’s thinking and artistic expression are, how in the Joseph-cycle if anywhere in twentieth-century art, content meaning and form are fused into one inseparable whole.”
Intraspecific variation in Gape–prey size Relationships and Feeding Success During Early Ontogeny in Red Drum, Sciaenops Ocellatus

The relationship between predator gape and prey consumption in laboratory-reared larva and field-caught early juvenile red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, was investigated in light of the hypothesis that feeding success varies throughout the early life history intervals of marine fishes. We expected the feeding ability of red drum to be more strongly constrained by mouth gape in smaller fish and expected this ability to improve with gape size. To test this hypothesis, field-caught, early juvenile red drum were examined to determine the relationship between gape size and prey size consumed. In field-caught early juveniles, gape (height and width) and prey size consumed (length and width) increased linearly with standard length (SL); however, mean width of prey consumed was only 20–47% of gape width. Furthermore, when regressed on SL, gape width yielded a higher slope than prey width. To further test this hypothesis on less developed, pre-metamorphic fish, age-specific differences in gape, number of prey and size of prey consumed prior to metamorphosis were determined from laboratory-reared red drum larvae. Similar patterns were observed for gape height– and gape width–SL relationships in laboratory-reared red drum larvae. Size of consumed prey increased from three days from hatching (dfh) to 18 dfh. The percentage of feeding larvae also increased from ∼3% at 3 dfh to 97% at 18 dfh. In both field-caught, early juvenile red drum and laboratory-reared larvae, there was little evidence that the size of prey consumed was constrained by mouth gape. It is hypothesized that besides gape size, the development of other features of the feeding mechanism (e.g., hyoid and opercular series) influences prey-capture performance prior to settlement in marine fishes.
Use and effectiveness of health impact assessment in the energy and natural resources sector in the United States, 2007 – 2016

Decisions made in the energy and natural resources sector can affect public health. This report reviews the characteristics and assesses the effectiveness of health impact assessments (HIAs) conduc...
The psychometric properties of the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality rating scale.

Objective The CAMS Rating Scale (CRS) is an adherence measure for the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS), a suicide-specific clinical intervention. This study examined the ability of the CRS to assess adherence to CAMS. Methods Video-recorded therapy sessions of clinicians delivering either CAMS or Enhanced Care-As-Usual (E-CAU) were rated with the CRS. These ratings (N = 98) were used to evaluate criterion validity, internal consistency, and factor structure. Results Criterion validity and factor analyses did not support the organization of the CRS into its current subscales. Furthermore, the identified factor model and item-level statistics revealed weak CRS items. Finally, internal consistency was higher among CAMS clinicians than among clinicians delivering E-CAU. Conclusion These results establish the CRS as a measure that can effectively assess the adherence to CAMS in its current form. Potential revisions to future iterations of the CRS are discussed.