cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: Update on Therapeutics

OBJECTIVE:To review the available literature addressing the treatment of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) and carcinoid tumors.DATA SOURCES:Relevant literature was identified by a PubMed search (January 1977-December 2011) of English-language literature using the terms gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, pancreatic neuroendocrine, carcinoid, and pancreatic islet cell tumor.STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:All published studies and abstracts, as well as relevant consensus guidelines, evaluating the current literature about PNETs and carcinoid tumors were included.DATA SYNTHESIS:Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) are a genetically diverse group of complex malignancies with varying biological and clinical courses. Historically believed to be rare, recent epidemiologic data suggest their incidence is rising. Two of the most commonly diagnosed GEP-NETs are PNETs and carcinoid tumors. Both subtypes are well-differentiated tumors and present as low or intermediate grade. ...
Variable length chloroplast markers for population genetic studies in Acmispon (Fabaceae)

UNLABELLED: • PREMISE OF THE STUDY: To estimate genetic structure, chloroplast loci containing length-variable regions were developed for two legumes, Acmispon argophyllus and A. dendroideus. • METHODS AND RESULTS: Primers for 14 chloroplast loci containing repeat regions were developed from the chloroplast genome sequence of the legume Lotus japonicus and tested in Acmispon. Nine loci exhibited polymorphism in Acmispon, with up to six alleles per locus. Gene diversity ranged from 0 to 0.775 in A. argophyllus and 0.142 to 0.766 in A. dendroideus. The primers also amplified in other Acmispon species. Sequencing of the fragments revealed discordance between fragment sizes and underlying sequence for three loci containing complex repeat regions. • CONCLUSIONS: Although genotypes were easily generated and sized, sequencing may be more informative of genetic variation in loci with complex repeat regions. These loci exhibit substantial variation and should be useful for understanding genetic structure associated with seed dispersal in Acmispon.
Physical Consequences of Ultrasound in Plant Tissues and Other Bio-Systems

With plant tissue, as well as with selected animal cells in suspensions and tissues, it has been possible to make direct observations by optical microscopy during irradiation with ultrasound. This visual inspection reveals a number of kinds of mechanical action by which ultrasound produces changes in biosystems. In general, cell membranes are set into vibration. These vibrations are especially vigorous near gas-filled intercellular spaces, which abound in plant tissues. Because of these complex oscillations, cytoplasmic structures behave as if acted on by time-independent forces and torques; also intracellular and extracellular fluids are caused to flow. Much of the mechanical action is understandable on the basis of theory for nonlinear acoustics. Second-order approximations to the solutions lead to the phenomena of acoustic streaming, radiation force (including aggregation tendencies) and sonic torque. Bio-systems present unique situations for applying this physical theory, as yet mostly on a qualitative basis. Examples of semi-quantitative agreement exist, and we can expect an increasing ability to make quantitative predictions as systematic experimental and theoretical studies proceed.
Effects of Performance Versus Game-Based Mobile Applications on Response to Exercise

Given the popularity of mobile applications (apps) designed to increase exercise participation, it is important to understand their effects on psychological predictors of exercise behavior. This study tested a performance feedback-based app compared to a game-based app to examine their effects on aspects of immediate response to an exercise bout. Twenty-eight participants completed a 30-min treadmill run while using one of two randomly assigned mobile running apps: Nike + Running, a performance-monitoring app which theoretically induces an associative, goal-driven state, or Zombies Run!, an app which turns the experience of running into a virtual reality game, theoretically inducing dissociation from primary exercise goals. The two conditions did not differ on primary motivational state outcomes; however, participants reported more associative attentional focus in the performance-monitoring app condition compared to more dissociative focus in the game-based app condition. Game-based and performance-tracking running apps may not have differential effects on goal motivation during exercise. However, game-based apps may help recreational exercisers dissociate from exercise more readily. Increasing the enjoyment of an exercise bout through the development of new and innovative mobile technologies is an important avenue for future research.
Improving Robot Navigation Through Self-Supervised Online Learning

In mobile robotics, there are often features that, while potentially powerful for improving navigation, prove difficult to profit from as they generalize poorly to novel situations. Overhead imagery data, for instance, has the potential to greatly enhance autonomous robot navigation in complex outdoor environments. In practice, reliable and effective automated interpretation of imagery from diverse terrain, environmental conditions, and sensor varieties proves challenging. We introduce an online, probabilistic model to effectively learn to use these scope-limited features by leveraging other features that, while perhaps otherwise more limited, generalize reliably. We apply our approach to provide an efficient, self-supervised learning method that accurately predicts traversal costs over large areas from overhead data. We present results from field testing on-board a robot operating over large distances in off-road environments. Additionally, we show how our algorithm can be used offline to produce a priori traversal cost maps and detect misalignments between overhead data and estimated vehicle positions. This approach can significantly improve the versatility of many unmanned ground vehicles by allowing them to traverse highly varied terrains with increased performance.
High-throughput genetics strategies for identifying new components of lipid metabolism in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Microalgal lipid metabolism is of broad interest because microalgae accumulate large amounts of triacylglycerols (TAGs) that can be used for biodiesel production (Durrett et al Plant J 54(4):593–607, 2008; Hu et al Plant J 54(4):621–639, 2008). Additionally, green algae are close relatives of land plants and serve as models to understand conserved lipid metabolism pathways in the green lineage. The green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Chlamydomonas hereafter) is a powerful model organism for understanding algal lipid metabolism. Various methods have been used to screen Chlamydomonas mutants for lipid amount or composition, and for identification of the mutated loci in mutants of interest. In this chapter, we summarize the advantages and caveats for each of these methods with a focus on screens for mutants with perturbed TAG content. We also discuss technical opportunities and new tools that are becoming available for screens of mutants altered in TAG content or perturbed in other processes in Chlamydomonas.
GE-05EXOME SEQUENCING REVEALS BRAF MUTATIONS IN PAPILLARY CRANIOPHARYNGIOMAS.

Craniopharyngiomas are epithelial tumors that typically arise in the suprasellar region of the brain. Patients experience substantial clinical sequelae both from extension of the tumors and from therapeutic interventions which damage the optic chiasm, the pituitary stalk, and the hypothalamic area. Using whole exome sequencing we identified mutations in beta-catenin (CTNNB1) in nearly all adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas (11/12; 92%) and recurrent mutations in BRAF (V600E) in all papillary craniopharyngiomas (3/3; 100%). Targeted genotyping revealed BRAF V600E in 95% of papillary craniopharyngiomas (36 of 39 tumors) and CTNNB1 mutation in 96% of adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas (51 of 53 tumors). The CTNNB1 and BRAF mutations were clonal in each tumor subtype and no other recurrent mutations or genomic aberrations were detected in either subtype. Adamantinomatous and papillary craniopharyngiomas harbor mutations that are mutually exclusive and clonal. These findings have important implications for the diagnosis and treatment of these neoplasms.
Emergency general surgery, malnutrition and outcomes in critical illness.

Emergency General Surgery (EGS) is a rapidly evolving but understudied branch of Acute Care Surgery. Limited information exists regarding the contribution of malnutrition to the outcome of critically ill patients who undergo EGS.
Examination Results of Hepatitis B Surface Antibody among 4065 Employees of Catering Industry in Shijiazhuang City

[Objective]To understand the levels of hepatitis B surface antibody among employees of catering industry in Shijiazhuang City.[Methods]ELISA method was adopted to conduct detection of hepatitis B surface antibody on 4065 employees of catering industry.The results were statistically analyzed.[Results]The positive rate of hepatitis B surface antibody among employees was 44.01%,the difference was significant between employees with different educational levels,but no significant difference existed between employees of different genders,and different nationalities.[Conclusion]The level of hepatitis B surface antibody of employees in catering industry of this city is low.It is necessary to enhance health education,to popularize hepatitis B prevention and control knowledge,and to improve vaccination rate of hepatitis B.
Separatism with Unification

I will attempt to make several points in these comments. I consider the Woodward and Devonis chapter to be very important. It deals with a valuable theory construction methodology that can contribute to psychology’s unification. It makes contributions to this methodology and the chapter breaks new ground in suggesting this methodology can be used to analyze theories in the history of psychology -- opening the possibility of a new type of study.
The Effects of the Menstrual Cycle on Vibratory Characteristics of the Vocal Folds Investigated With High-Speed Digital Imaging

Summary Objectives This study investigated the effect of menstrual cycle on vocal fold vibratory characteristics in young women using high-speed digital imaging. This study examined the menstrual phase effect on five objective high-speed imaging parameters and two self-rated perceptual parameters. The effects of oral birth control use were also investigated. Methods Thirteen subjects with no prior voice complaints were included in this study. All data were collected at three different time periods (premenses, postmenses, ovulation) over the course of one menstrual cycle. For five of the 13 subjects, data were collected for two consecutive cycles. Six of 13 subjects were oral birth control users. From high-speed imaging data, five objective parameters were computed: fundamental frequency, fundamental frequency deviation, harmonics-to-noise ratio, harmonic richness factor, and ratio of first and second harmonics. They were supplemented by two self-rated parameters: Reflux Severity Index and perceptual voice quality rating. Analysis included mixed model linear analysis with repeated measures. Results Results indicated no significant main effects for menstrual phase, between-cycle, or birth control use in the analysis for mean fundamental frequency, fundamental frequency deviation, harmonics-to-noise ratio, harmonic richness factor, first and second harmonics, Reflux Severity Index, and perceptual voice quality rating. Additionally, there were no interaction effects. Conclusions Hormone fluctuations observed across the menstrual cycle do not appear to have direct effect on vocal fold vibratory characteristics in young women with no voice concerns. Birth control use, on the other hand, may have influence on spectral richness of vocal fold vibration.
THE FATE OF SALMONELLAE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COTTAGE CHEESE

Summary The effects of cooking temperatures ranging from 110 to 130 F on the fate of salmonellae during the manufacture of Cottage cheese were determined. Seven test species noted for heat resistance and occurrence in dairy products were used to inoculate cheese milk. Salmonellae determinations were made on the milk, whey, curd and cheese at varying stages of manufacture. Salmonellae survived at 110 and 115 F in all trials, and at 120 F in 1 of 5 trials. None survived at 125 F. Creamed Cottage cheese was inoculated with salmonellae, stored at 40 F and analyzed periodically. No marked decrease in numbers was observed during storage.
Individual differences in language and working memory affect children's speech recognition in noise.

AbstractObjective: We examined how cognitive and linguistic skills affect speech recognition in noise for children with normal hearing. Children with better working memory and language abilities were expected to have better speech recognition in noise than peers with poorer skills in these domains. Design: As part of a prospective, cross-sectional study, children with normal hearing completed speech recognition in noise for three types of stimuli: (1) monosyllabic words, (2) syntactically correct but semantically anomalous sentences and (3) semantically and syntactically anomalous word sequences. Measures of vocabulary, syntax and working memory were used to predict individual differences in speech recognition in noise. Study sample: Ninety-six children with normal hearing, who were between 5 and 12 years of age. Results: Higher working memory was associated with better speech recognition in noise for all three stimulus types. Higher vocabulary abilities were associated with better recognition in noise fo...
Inertial effects in systems with magnetic charge

Abstract This short article sets out some of the basic considerations that go into detecting the mass of quasiparticles with effective magnetic charge in solids. Effective magnetic charges may be appear as defects in particular magnetic textures. A magnetic monopole is a defect in this texture and as such these are not monopoles in the actual magnetic field B , but instead in the auxiliary field H . They may have particular properties expected for such quasiparticles such as magnetic charge and mass. This effective mass may–in principle–be detected in the same fashion that the mass is detected of other particles classically e.g. through their inertial response to time-dependent electromagnetic fields. I discuss this physics in the context of the “simple” case of the quantum spin ices, but aspects are broadly applicable. Based on extensions to Ryzkhin's model for classical spin ice, a hydrodynamic formulation can be given that takes into account inertial and entropic forces. Ultimately, a form for the susceptibility is obtained that is equivalent to the Rocard equation, which is a classic form used to account for inertial effects in the context of Debye-like relaxation.
Cooperation in developing a disaster prevention and response plan for Arctic shipping

Abstract The melting Arctic ice creates opportunities in cargo and passenger shipping for the international maritime community. Considering the circumpolar circumstances, the growth in Arctic shipping can result in a higher risk of mishaps and disasters. Disaster response may be more complex due to harsh, unpredictable weather conditions, varying stakeholders, differing political systems from the border countries and the disputed accountability for costs. Planning for an Arctic disaster is a ‘wicked problem.’ A ‘wicked problem’ is one that is difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize. These conditions are due to the complexity of stakeholder interdependencies, environmental conditions, social/cultural/political concerns, and economic risks. The ‘wicked problem’ context helps to view decisions made on disaster prevention and response plans for Arctic shipping in terms of mitigation and minimization of the extent and duration of the negative consequences, rather than with a solution mindset. To achieve this goal, cooperation strategies are developed. This study maintains that cooperation among involved stakeholders is the most effective mechanism for an appropriate prevention and response plan. Cooperation not only increases effectiveness, but also the speed of response.
Author's reply: Use of discard pleural fluid in molecular research.

We thank Grannis for his comments and interest in our article—The ethical use of mandatory research biopsies. Nat. Rev. Clin. Oncol. 8, 620–6251 (Use of discard pleural fluid in molecular research. Nat. Rev. Clin. Oncol. doi:10.138/nrclinonc.2011.114-c1).2 We agree that when research biopsies are included in clinical trials involving patients with metastatic cancer, the most accessible location of the disease is the preferred site of tissue collection. In patients with lung and breast cancers, malignant pleural effusions are common, and cytologically positive cancer cells can be readily collected from these effusions and analyzed in translational studies. Genomic, transcriptomic, methylation and proteomic studies can be performed on both fresh specimens and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks prepared with the cells collected from these effusions.3–4 Importantly, molecular analyses of lung adenocarcinoma cells from pleural fluid have been used to predict response to targeted agents.6,7 Investigations about the biological aspects of metastatic cells in the pleural fluid can be incorporated into the clinical trial protocols, and via serial pleural throacenteses, the molecular characteristics of these cells and potential mechanisms of acquired resistance to investigational agents can be analyzed. The internal review boards will likely approve the protocols in which pleural fluid—that would have otherwise been discarded—is collected for scientific analysis. This approach adds minimal additional risk for the patients undergoing a clinically indicated thoracentesis. However, safety issues will arise if a protocol proposes serial or a single thoracentesis for only research purposes. Iatrogenic pneumothorax is more likely to occur after therapeutic thoracentesis and frequently requires insertion of a chest tube.8 Nevertheless, as outlined by Grannis, in patients with indwelling pleural catheters there is a unique opportunity to regularly collect tumor cells without the need for repeated biopsies.
Mapping Spatial Information Landscape in Cyberspace with Social Media

This chapter describesa Spatial Web Automatic Reasoning and Mapping System (SWARMS) for visualizing and analyzing space-time dimensions of information landscape represented by a social media channel—Twitter. SWARMS utilizes computer programming and Twitter Search APIs to retrieve tweets by searching keywords from the Twitter database. Two case studies were conducted to analyze the spatial information landscape: the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election and 2012 summer movies. The two case studies were selected because these events can have a reality check by comparing to the actual election results and the movie box office revenue. Our preliminary spatial analysis indicates that there is correlation and geographic linkage between cyberspace communications and the real-world events. However, some cyberspace representation maps or information landscapes may be distorted from reality to degrees that depend on the media communication channels and varies by topics. As a pilot study of mapping cyberspace to real space, this chapter presents two case studies on visualizing information landscape in cyberspace and also addresses some limitations and suggestions for future research in this domain.
Rapid, concurrent alterations in pre- and postsynaptic structure induced by naturally-secreted amyloid-β protein

Abstract In Alzheimer’s disease increasing evidence attributes synaptic and cognitive deficits to soluble oligomers of amyloid β protein (Aβ), even prior to the accumulation of amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuronal cell death. Here we show that within 1–2 h picomolar concentrations of cell-derived, soluble Aβ induce specific alterations in pre- and postsynaptic morphology and connectivity in cultured hippocampal neurons. Clusters of presynaptic vesicle markers decreased in size and number at glutamatergic but not GABAergic terminals. Dendritic spines also decreased in number and became dysmorphic, as spine heads collapsed and/or extended long protrusions. Simultaneous time-lapse imaging of axon-dendrite pairs revealed that shrinking spines sometimes became disconnected from their presynaptic varicosity. Concomitantly, miniature synaptic potentials decreased in amplitude and frequency. Spine changes were prevented by blockers of nAChRs and NMDARs. Washout of Aβ within the first day reversed these spine changes. Further, spine changes reversed spontaneously by 2 days, because neurons acutely developed resistance to continuous Aβ exposure. Thus, rapid Aβ-induced synapse destabilization may underlie transient behavioral impairments in animal models, and early cognitive deficits in Alzheimer’s patients.
Bayesian Information Fusion Networks for Biosurveillance Applications

This study introduces new information fusion algorithms to enhance disease surveillance systems with Bayesian decision support capabilities. A detection system was built and tested using chief complaints from emergency department visits, International Classification of Diseases Revision 9 (ICD-9) codes from records of outpatient visits to civilian and military facilities, and influenza surveillance data from health departments in the National Capital Region (NCR). Data anomalies were identified and distribution of time offsets between events in the multiple data streams were established. The Bayesian Network was built to fuse data from multiple sources and identify influenza-like epidemiologically relevant events. Results showed increased specificity compared with the alerts generated by temporal anomaly detection algorithms currently deployed by NCR health departments. Further research should be done to investigate correlations between data sources for efficient fusion of the collected data.
An Epidemiologic Perspective for Health Care Management

The organization and delivery of health care services in this last decade of the 20th century have been heavily influenced by two themes. One found in a substantial body of literature is the proposition that care delivered from high-volume providers can favorably affect the health status of patients served (Luft et al., 1990). The other theme is associated with the growing importance of quality in health care. To achieve volume, health care organizations are forming into systems at a rapid pace. These systems can take on a variety of configurations, from loose affiliations among hospitals to systems that provide the full continuum of care, ranging from health promotion to hospice. Volume can provide economy-of-scale advantages in the delivery of services. Although it is desirable to achieve lower costs through volume, adequate volume is also necessary for a provider to gain a level of experience that enhances the quality of care. Quality is also linked to reducing health care costs because, in theory, the delivery of high-quality care avoids costs related to unnecessary procedures, unnecessary hospitalizations, and so forth.
Structure and action of mammalian ribonuclease (angiogenin) inhibitor.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the recent studies of the mammalian ribonuclease inhibitor, and in particular, human placental ribonuclease inhibitor (PRI). Far less is known about this protein inhibitor of ribonucleases than about protein inhibitors of proteinases, for which a vast literature exists. Nevertheless, recent studies have revealed distinctive properties of this family of proteins, properties of interest from the point of view of understanding their relation to the inhibition of the activities of the mammalian RNase superfamily of enzymes, including angiogenin in particular. Angiogenin exhibits specific, saturable binding to calf pulmonary endothelial cells . It stimulates phospholipases C and A, in endothelial cells at concentrations as low as 0.1 ng/ml, but is not an endothelial cell mitogen. The 35% identity of the angiogenin primary structure to that of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A (RNase A) is a most unexpected feature. Three residues catalytically essential in RNase A (Lys-41, His-12, and His-119) are fully conserved in angiogenin. Importantly, the catalytic activity of angiogen is distinct from that of RNase A or other RNases, and this in turn, distinguishes it from all other angiogenic factors. These findings provided a unique opportunity to examine naturally occurring ribonuclease inhibitors for their antiangiogenic properties, and this resulted in the finding that the human protein RNase inhibitor abolishes both the angiogenic and ribonucleolytic and phospholipase C-stimulating activities of angiogenin.
A Brief Guide to Ministry with LGBTQIA Youth

Controversies about human sexuality have occupied North American theological discussions for decades. As such, there is no shortage of publications addressing the biblical and theological rationale...
Small Bank Lending in the Era of Fintech and Shadow Banking: A Sideshow?

Amid the emerging dominance of nonbanks, small banks use key financing advantages to persist in the mortgage market. We provide evidence on the heterogeneous impact of two shocks to the supply of mortgage credit: post-crisis regulatory burden and GSE financing cost changes. Small banks exploit disproportionate regulation on the largest four banks (Big4) and their ability to lend on balance sheet to strongly substitute for the retreating Big4. The erasure of guarantee fee (g-fee) discounts for large lenders facilitates small bank growth in GSE lending. Small banks also grow balance sheet loans in areas more exposed to g-fee hikes.
Pathophysiology, treatment, and prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infection

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common microbial infections in humans and represent a substantial burden on the health care system. UTIs can be uncomplicated, as when affecting healthy individuals, or complicated, when affecting individuals with compromised urodynamics and/or host defenses, such as those with a urinary catheter. There are clear differences between uncomplicated UTI and catheter-associated UTI (CAUTI) in clinical manifestations, causative organisms, and pathophysiology. Therefore, uncomplicated UTI and CAUTI cannot be approached similarly, or the risk of complications and treatment failure may increase. It is imperative to understand the key aspects of each condition to develop successful treatment options and improve patient outcomes. Here, we will review the epidemiology, pathogen prevalence, differential mechanisms used by uropathogens, and treatment and prevention of uncomplicated UTI and CAUTI.
Neural correlates of emotional reactivity and regulation associated with treatment response in a randomized clinical trial for posttraumatic stress disorder

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition often associated with difficulty in emotion regulation, including reappraising negative emotions. This study assessed neural mechanisms associated with emotion regulation in veterans prior to and following treatment for PTSD. Participants with PTSD and combat exposed controls (CC) completed diagnostic evaluation and underwent fMRI scanning while completing Emotion Regulation Task (ERT) and Emotional Faces Assessment Task (EFAT). Participants with PTSD were randomly assigned to Prolonged Exposure plus placebo (PE+PLB), Sertraline plus enhanced medication management (SERT+EMM), or PE plus SERT (PE+SERT) and repeated diagnostic evaluation and MRI scanning following treatment. The amygdala, dmPFC, and dlPFC were examined as regions of interest. On ERT, veterans with PTSD showed significantly less dmPFC activation than CCs during reappraisal vs emotional maintenance. Within the PTSD group, results demonstrated a significant association between less activation in the dmPFC during emotion reappraisal vs maintenance trials before treatment and greater reductions in symptoms from pre- to post-treatment. During the EFAT, there were no group differences between participants with PTSD and CCs in brain activation, and no relationships between brain function and PTSD symptoms. These findings suggest that less emotional reactivity might potentially reflect less need for recruitment of prefrontal regions when reappraising negative emotion, and is an individual factor associated with better treatment outcome.
Monitoring and Evaluation of Learning Outcomes

This chapter presents findings from the analysis of the EGRA and EGMA end-of-project assessment results for the TELA radio, reading camp, Feed and Read and after-school tutoring components. To ensure objectivity, the TELA project was evaluated by a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) team that worked independently of the academic and production teams. We have done our utmost to retain the core contents (except for some additional explanatory notes), of the monitoring and evaluation report drafted by Katherina Hamler in our M&E team.
Minimizing the Negative Effects of Visitor Harassment: A Look at Jamaica

This study’s goal was to determine whether trader harassment intensity (THI) could predict the intentions of visitors to Jamaica to return to the island, recommend the island to others, and support...
Semantic Feature Discovery of Trojan Malware using Vector Space Kernels

Malware analysis techniques without context or abstraction can be easily evaded by small changes in syntax. Semantic features represent an underlying pattern of abstraction in a program. Vector space models of malicious program instructions enable malware analysis via supervised document analysis and unsupervised cluster analysis. Document level features can be used for supervised learning, and malicious program semantics can be captured by both the eigenvalue decomposition of term frequencies and community discovery in the feature vector space. To obtain a fine-grained view of malicious program semantics intra-document opcode structures can be viewed without class labels for unsupervised clustering, as well as used in aggregate with class labels for malicious topic discovery via Singular Value Decomposition and to create a fine-grained semantic kernel. These patterns can be used to train a suitable classifier based on semantic features. The selection of these features can be evaluated by several criteria, including their embedded classifier performance. This paper presents preliminary results of classifiers trained to recognize static features of malicious documents and subgroup discovery via clustering algorithms to identify relevant features based on a semantic interpretation.
π-Conjugation effect on the aggregation-induced emission of extended viologens

This work focuses on the AIE properties of extended viologens (EVs), specifically the effect of π-conjugation by employing several aryl groups including phenyl, naphthyl, and anthryl. The DFT calculations show that these EVs with larger aryl groups adopt a twisted geometry due to steric hindrance between the aryl and vinylene–pyridinium units, while the EV with a phenyl ring adopted a planar one.
Bariatric Surgery and Type 2 Diabetes Remission Rates: a Retrospective Cohort Study Comparing Military Veterans and Beneficiaries.

The disease burden of type 2 diabetes (T2D) costs the military healthcare system an estimated $1.66 billion annually. Thirty-four percent of veterans and 28% of military beneficiaries are obese, a common feature of T2D. Bariatric surgery is a viable treatment for T2D, whether if long-term remission of T2D post-bariatric surgery occurs remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess differences between outcomes of veterans and military beneficiaries following bariatric surgery. A retrospective cohort study assessed retirees and beneficiaries diagnosed with T2D who had bariatric surgery between 2005 and 2015. Outcomes included T2D remission and vitamin and mineral deficiencies each year for 5 years post-op, analyzed via ANOVA. Ninety-one patients, 46 beneficiaries and 45 retirees, were included with a mean age of 51 and 57, respectively. No significant differences between T2D remission and vitamin/mineral deficiencies 5 years post-op were found between groups. Patients with uncontrolled diabetes before surgery were less likely to achieve T2D remission for all 5 years post-op, regardless of military affiliation (p < .05). Veterans do not have better rates of T2D remission or weight loss following bariatric surgery than other populations. Control of T2D pre-surgery is a potential clinical indicator of T2D remission success following bariatric surgery.
Subacromial impingement by a lipoma arborescens.

Subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) is the leading cause of shoulder pain. A systemic approach for abnormal causes of SIS is recommended to avoid misdiagnosing rare or sinister pathologies. To our knowledge, only nine cases of subacromial lipoma arborescens associated with impingement syndrome have been reported in the literature. In this report, we briefly discuss histopathologic and radiological signs of an unusual case of impingement syndrome caused by subacromial “lipoma arborescens” and describe arthroscopic synovectomy after the failure of conservative management. The patient remains symptom-free five years after surgery.
A DARWINIAN DYNAMIC MODEL FOR THE EVOLUTION OF POST-REPRODUCTION SURVIVAL

We derive and study a Darwinian dynamic model based on a low-dimensional discrete- time population model focused on two features: density-dependent fertility and a trade-off between inherent (densi...
Rasch Analysis of the Behavioral Assessment Screening Tool (BAST) in Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury

The Behavioral Assessment Screening Tool (BAST) measures neurobehavioral symptoms in adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Exploratory Factor Analyses established five subscales: Negative Affect, Fatigue, Executive Function, Impulsivity, and Substance Abuse. In the current study, we assessed all the subscales except Substance Abuse using Rasch analysis following the Rasch Reporting Guidelines in Rehabilitation Research (RULER) framework. RULER identifies unidimensionality and fit statistics, item hierarchies, targeting, and symptom severity strata as areas of interest for Rasch analysis. The BAST displayed good unidimensionality with only one item from the Impulsivity scale exhibiting potential item misfit (MnSQ 1.40). However, removing this item resulted in a lower average domain measure (1.42 to − 1.49) and higher standard error (0.34 to 0.43) so the item was retained. Items for each of the four subscales also ranged in difficulty (i.e. endorsement of symptom frequency) with more severe symptoms being endorsed in the Fatigue subscale and more mild symptoms being endorsed in the Impulsivity subscale. Though Negative Affect and Executive Function displayed appropriate targeting, the Fatigue and Impulsivity Subscales had larger average domain values (1.35 and − 1.42) meaning that more items may need to be added to these subscales to capture differences across a wider range of symptom severity. The BAST displayed excellent reliability via item and person separation indices and distinct strata for each of the four subscales. Future work should use Rasch analysis in a larger, more representative sample, include more items for the Fatigue and Impulsivity subscale, and include the Substance Abuse subscale.
Molecular Level Characterization of Diatom and Coccolithophore-Associated Biopolymers That Are Binding 210Pb and 210Po in Seawater

Through a combination of selective extractions and molecular characterization techniques including Isoelectric Focusing Chromatography and Electrospray Ionization Fourier-Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass spectrometry, molecular structures of diatom (Phaeodactylum tricornutum) and coccolithophore (Emiliania huxleyi)-associated biopolymers that are responsible for the distinct partitioning behavior between 210Pb and 210Po were determined. Our results show that diatom-derived biopolymers have distinctive elemental grouping distributions as compared to those excreted by the coccolithophore, with the former consisting of more heterogeneous elements (i.e., nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorus-containing organic compounds). For the coccolithophore culture, two 210Pb-enriched biopolymers (non-attached exopolymeric substances and coccosphere shell-associated biopolymers) have a higher abundance of CHO-type compounds, suggesting CHO-only-type compounds as the main binding moieties for 210Pb. In contrast, such association was not evident in the diatom culture. Different with 210Pb, 210Po enrichment in coccolithophore-derived attached exopolymeric substances and Fe-Mn-associated metabolites coincided with the higher abundance of nitrogen/sulfur-containing organic compounds in these two biopolymer fractions, suggesting the strong parallel of Po with the production of nitrogen-rich organic matter as well as sulfur-containing amino acids. These different associations between 210Pb/210Po and organic functional groups were further explored by separating 210Pb or 210Po-labeled coccolithophore-derived biopolymers via isoelectric focusing. This technique suggests that phosphate group-containing molecules but not the other molecules that contain heterogeneous elements (e.g., CHONS, CHON, and CHOS) as the strongest binding agents for 210Pb, while the more hydrophobic (high protein to carbohydrate ratio) nitrogen/sulfur-enriched organic moieties acted as the main 210Po-binding ligands. It is concluded that the deficiency of 210Po with respect to 210Pb can be influenced by the relative abundance of nitrogen/sulfur-enriched organic moieties to the nitrogen/sulfur-depleted organic compounds in the water column. This behavior constrains the application of 210Po-210Pb approach to quantify the particulate organic carbon (POC) export flux in the ocean. It also explains that differences in chemical binding of the 210Po as compared to those of other radionuclides (e.g., thorium-234) as the main factor. That suggests that differences in decay half-lives or physical factors are less important when these nuclides are applied to estimate the POC flux in the ocean.
Machine Learning-Assisted Wireless PHY Key Generation with Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces

The key generation rate (KGR) performance of wireless physical layer (PHY) key generation can be limited by the quasi-static slow fading environment. In this work, we aim to exploit the radio environment reconfiguration ability enabled by reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) to improve KGR of PHY key generation. By rapidly changing the RIS configurations, the randomness or entropy rate of the wireless channel can be significantly increased, thus improving the KGR. To achieve high KGR while keeping low bit disagreement ratio (BDR), for the first time, we propose a machine learning (ML) based adaptive quantization level prediction scheme to decide an optimal quantization level based on channel state information (CSI). Simulation results show that with a prediction accuracy as high as 98.2%, the proposed ML-based prediction model tends to assign high quantization levels in the high SNR regime to reduce BDR, while adopting low quantization levels under low SNRs to maintain a low BDR.
VIDEC After One Year—Installation and Operation

The Vibration Analysis and Deviation Concept (VIDEC), a computerized steam propulsion plant performance monitoring and failure prediction system, is presently operating on a new containership. This interim report is an attempt to document the history of this system for the concept development phase through fabrication, software design, in-plant simulation, shipyard installation, and initial shipboard operation. A brief system description including system concepts is presented. The paper concentrates on the system implementation, installation, and initial operation. A discussion is presented of types of data and concepts being evaluated and the methods of evaluation being used. Illustrations and tables of pertinent data are also included. The paper closes with a discussion of the VIDEC system and concept as they relate to other possible shipboard automation systems and programs. Finally, conclusions and recommendations are presented.
Cellulose produced by Gluconacetobacter xylinus strains ATCC 53524 and ATCC 23768: Pellicle formation, post-synthesis aggregation and fiber density

The pellicle formation, crystallinity, and bundling of cellulose microfibrils produced by bacterium Gluconacetobacter xylinus were studied. Cellulose pellicles were produced by two strains (ATCC 53524 and ATCC 23769) for 1 and 7 days; pellicles were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrational sum-frequency-generation (SFG) spectroscopy, and attenuated total reflectance infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy. The bacterial cell population was higher at the surface exposed to air, indicating that the newly synthesized cellulose is deposited at the top of the pellicle. XRD, ATR-IR, and SFG analyses found no significant changes in the cellulose crystallinity, crystal size or polymorphic distribution with the culture time. However, SEM and SFG analyses revealed cellulose macrofibrils produced for 7 days had a higher packing density at the top of the pellicle, compared to the bottom. These findings suggest that the physical properties of cellulose microfibrils are different locally within the bacterial pellicles.
Applying New Diabetes Teaching Tools in Health-Related Extension Programming.

In response to the emerging global diabetes epidemic, health educators are searching for new and better education tools to help people make positive behavior changes to successfully prevent or manage diabetes. Conversation Maps® are new learner-driven education tools that have been developed to empower individuals to improve their health outcomes. While the tools were originally developed for clinical settings, this article describes a model Extension health outreach program that uses Conversation Map techniques to teach diabetes awareness and healthy eating in community group settings. These techniques can be used as a model for teaching other health topics to adult learners.
Cellular Analysis of a Molluscan Retinal Biological Clock

The eye of the opisthobranch mollusc Bulla gouldiana expresses a circadian rhythm in optic nerve impulse frequency. The circadian rhythm is generated among approximately 100 neurons at the base of the retina referred to as basal retinal neurons. These cells are electrically coupled to one another and fire spontaneous action potentials in synchrony. Basal retinal neurons recorded intracellularly exhibit a circadian rhythm in membrane potential that appears to be driven by a circadian modulation of membrane conductance. Membrane conductance is relatively high during the subjective night and decreases after subjective dawn. Recent experiments in our laboratory indicate that individual basal retinal neurons in culture can express circadian rhythms in membrane conductance. When completely isolated, these cells continue to show circadian conductance changes. These studies provide the first direct demonstration that individual neurons can act as circadian pacemakers. Although the precise details of the mechanism generating the circadian periodicity remain obscure, our research indicates that several transmembrane ionic fluxes are not involved in rhythm generation, but that a transmembrane Ca2+ flux is critical for entrainment. Both transcription and translation appear to play critical roles in generating the circadian cycle.
Time Versus Standards: A Tale of Temporal Databases

Because of the importance of time in Information Systems, there is a wide consensus on the need for having temporal data types and temporal queries supported as part of database standards. Actually, in the mid 90s, a forward-looking group of database researchers proposed an ambitious temporal extension of SQL-2 named TSQL2. Unfortunately, this proposal was ahead of its time and was not well-received by standard committees and DBMS vendors represented in those committees. Since then, standardization groups have not spent much effort on temporal issues, and, hence, it is natural to assume that no progress was made, and the gap between database standards and temporal applications remains as wide as it was in the mid-90s. This would represent very bad news for temporal application developers who suffer from inadequacies of database standards and do not see any relief in the near future. Fortunately, time conquers all and has also transformed standards, making them more supportive of time-oriented applications, in ways that are not fully recognized even by those who, motivated by different goals, pushed for the introduction of the new features. The first significant rapprochement between standards and temporal applications occurred with the introduction of XML and XQuery, which, respectively, support a temporally grouped representation, and provide a powerful and extensible query language. These enable users to effectively model temporal information and pose complex historical queries without requiring changes in the standards. For all the merits of XML, its limited performance and scalability, combined with unwavering loyalty of users to relational data models and query languages, suggests that SQL will remain the crucial testbed for a successful rendezvous of standards and time. In this context, the SQL:2003 standards mark a significant step forward because of their OLAP Functions, which entail efficient expressions of temporal aggregates, and other important temporal functions, including coalescing. An even more exciting development is represented by the recently proposed new SQL standards for finding patterns in sequences of rows. By employing these Kleene-closure based constructs on suitable representations, users can then express very interesting temporal queries in SQL. Moreover, the power and flexibility of these extensions overcome the rigid division between event-based temporal data models and state-based models--a very desirable unification since, in the real world, a salary-increase event and the state of being at the new salary level are viewed as two facets of the same history.
A MUTANT OF A SCOTOCHROMOGENIC MYCOBACTERIUM DETECTED BY COLONY MORPHOLOGY AND LIPID STUDIES

Fregnan, G. B. (University of Wisconsin, Madison), D. W. Smith, and H. M. Randall. A mutant of a scotochromogenic Mycobacterium detected by colony morphology and lipid studies. J. Bacteriol. 83: 828–836. 1962.—A variant of a scotochromogenic strain of Mycobacterium is described. This mutant was recognized by studies of colony morphology and lipid content. Mycoside D was shown to be present in the smooth-Sy variety but absent in the rough-Ry variety. The rough-Ry variety appeared spontaneously from smooth-Sy, or by induction after prolonged incubation in a synthetic liquid medium or exposure to ultraviolet irradiation. This mutation is not reversible. Images