cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Outcomes of persistent lymph node involvement after neoadjuvant therapy for stage III rectal cancer.

Abstract Introduction Lymph node involvement is a well-known predictor of recurrent rectal cancer in patient who did not undergo neoadjuvant therapy patients. The role of persistent lymph node disease after neoadjuvant treatment, however, is debatable. This study compares outcomes of patients with clinical, stage III rectal cancer who had nodal disease on surgical pathology after neoadjuvant treatment to patients with negative nodes. Methods We reviewed retrospectively a consecutive cohort of all clinical, American Joint Committee on Cancer stage III rectal cancer patients who received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and had an R0 resection at the Massachusetts General Hospital between 2004 and 2015. Results A total of 166 patients met the inclusion criteria, of whom 53 had persistent nodal disease on pathologic examination. This group had a greater rate of local and distant disease recurrence and a shorter median recurrent disease-free survival than patients with a complete nodal response. In multivariable analyses for disease recurrence, disease free survival was greater for patients without positive results in lymph nodes on pathologic examination. Conclusion Persistent nodal involvement after neoadjuvant therapy is associated with an increased risk of distant metastases and a shorter disease-free survival. Identifying patients with treatment-resistant lymph nodes preoperatively and adjusting neoadjuvant treatment might result in better outcomes.
Elaine W. Raines (1948–2017)

The scientific community of atherosclerosis and related inflammatory diseases research has lost a lifelong member with the passing of Elaine W. Raines on July 16, 2017. Elaine died at her home in Burien Washington after losing her battle to metastasized breast cancer. Those of us who are familiar with Elaine’s passion for science, her perseverance in everyday research and her ultimate optimistic perspective for life are greatly saddened. We feel fortunate to have experienced Elaine’s mentorship, friendship, love of science, and love of Northwest living; we mourn deeply the loss of a very unique and inspirational personality. Elaine was born in Seattle and grew up in Renton Washington. After graduating from Whitman College where she double majored in Chemistry and Economics, she spent 5 years in California where she completed her Master of Science at the University of California at San Francisco and did research at the Salk Institute. On her return to Seattle, Elaine landed the job …
Assessing the Benefits of Preoperative Thoracic Epidural Placement for Lung Transplantation.

Objective The authors investigated the effect of preoperative thoracic epidural (PreTE) catheter placement versus not placing a preoperative thoracic epidural catheter (NoPreTE) on the duration of postoperative ventilation time, time to become coherent (measured as time to become Confusion Assessment Method-intensive care unit [ICU] negative), opioid consumption, ICU length of stay (LOS), and hospital LOS. Design Retrospective cohort design. Setting Single institution, university hospital. Participants Patients undergoing lung transplantation. Comparison groups PreTE group was defined as patients who received a thoracic epidural preoperatively. NoPreTE group was defined as patients who either received a thoracic epidural postoperatively or who did not receive a thoracic epidural postoperatively. Measurements and Main Results Fifty-six patients for the PreTE and 99 for NoPreTE groups were included in the study. After a excluding patients with postoperative ventilation times greater than 96 hours, preoperative thoracic epidural was associated with shorter time on the ventilator (19.1 hours v 30.6 hours; p Conclusion For those lung transplant patients ventilated for less than 96 hours postoperatively, preoperative thoracic epidural placement is associated with shorter postoperative ventilator time and reduced opioid consumption. Time to become coherent postoperatively, ICU LOS, and hospital LOS also improved in this cohort, though the significance decreased after adjusting for possible confounders. A larger prospective study is necessary to confirm if timing of thoracic epidural placement alters time to become coherent postoperatively and ICU LOS.
Odor is linked to adrenocortical function and male ornament size in a colonial seabird

This study reports on a relationship between a chemical signal, physiological condition, and a putative signal of dominance in the crested auklet, a colonial seabird of Alaska and Siberia. This species emits a citrus-like odorant during the breeding season. Crest size was correlated with odorant emissions in males. Stress responses were correlated with odorant emissions in females. Our data suggest that odorants could serve as an assessment signal, offering novel evidence for the significance of odorants in birds.
Mouse Testing Methods in Psychoneuroimmunology 2.0: Measuring Behavioral Responses

The field of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) aims to uncover the processes and consequences of nervous, immune, and endocrine system relationships. Behavior is a consequence of such interactions and manifests from a complex interweave of factors including immune-to-neural and neural-to-immune communication. Often the signaling molecules involved during a particular episode of neuroimmune activation are not known but behavioral response provides evidence that bioactives such as neurotransmitters and cytokines are perturbed. Immunobehavioral phenotyping is a first-line approach when examining the neuroimmune system and its reaction to immune stimulation or suppression. Behavioral response is significantly more sensitive than direct measurement of a single specific bioactive and can quickly and efficiently rule in or out relevance of a particular immune challenge or therapeutic to neuroimmunity. Classically, immunobehavioral research was focused on sickness symptoms related to bacterial infection but neuroimmune activation is now a recognized complication of diseases and disorders ranging from cancer to diabesity to Alzheimer's. Immunobehaviors include lethargy, loss of appetite, and disinterest in social activity/surrounding environment. In addition, neuroimmune activation can diminish physical activity, precipitate feelings of depression and anxiety, and impair cognitive and executive function. Provided is a detailed overview of behavioral tests frequently used to examine neuroimmune activation in mice with a special emphasis on pre-experimental conditions that can confound or prevent successful immunobehavioral experimentation.
Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: current perspectives.

Purpose/objectives To provide an overview of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), including epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic classification, prognostic factors, current treatment, long-term sequelae, and nursing management. Data sources Journal articles, books, and clinical experience. Data synthesis Childhood ALL is a heterogeneous disorder, and current treatment is tailored to risk factors (e.g., initial white blood count, cytogenetic properties of the leukemic blasts). Risk-directed therapy ensures that children with a higher risk of relapse receive more intensive treatment, whereas those with lower risk disease receive less toxic therapy with decreased potential for treatment-related morbidity. Quality of life in long-term survivors is a significant issue. Late sequelae of treatment can include neurocognitive difficulties, endocrine dysfunction, secondary malignancies, and cardiomyopathy. Conclusions With risk-directed therapy, cure rates for childhood ALL continue to improve. At least 80% of children diagnosed with ALL today are expected to survive their disease. Implications for nursing practice Nurses caring for children with ALL can have a significant impact on the children's overall health, from diagnosis through long-term follow-up. Nursing interventions encompass the domains of physical and psychosocial care, as well as patient and family education. Assisting the child and family to maintain normalcy in the face of chronic illness, as well as fostering the family's hope for the future and their belief in the child's potential for survival, are key nursing strategies that promote the child's growth, development, and psychological health.
Appropriate Housing for the Elderly of the United States

Quality of life for the elderly rests upon the triad of adequate income, good health, and appropriate housing. For the elderly “the good life” means the avoidance of poverty, maintenance of health and adequate health care, and appropriate, affordable housing. The absence of any one of these fundamental factors can seriously erode the quality of life of an older person. And the three are interdependent. Like a house of cards, disruption in any one of them, income, health, or housing, can initiate the collapse of the other two. Thus, older persons with low incomes often cannot afford decent housing or must choose between adequate housing and paying for their health care. Similarly, those elderly with poor health spend more on medical expenses and have less disposable income that often results in poorer quality housing.
Relationship Between Eye Movement, Learning, and Picture Complexity

Is the number of eye fixations a reliable external indicator of internal cognitive processes when subjects are unaware that their eye movements are being monitored electronically? In this study involving college students, there was a relationship between posttest scores and the number of eye fixations, and intelligence level of the subject was correlated with eye fixations.
Use of Modern NMR Spectroscopy in Plant Cell Wall Research

Three areas of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy are discussed that are having a significant impact in plant cell wall research. These are: (1) high field/high resolution solution methods, especially 2D methods, on isolated components; (2) solid-state techniques, especially using cross-polarization/ magic-angle spinning (CPMAS) and (3) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), both macro and micro. Examples are taken from recent literature and from our own laboratory. Some additional data interpretations are made. A few comparisons are made with other methods to explain features or relate results.
Paecilomyces niveus: Pathogenicity in the Orchard and Sensitivity to Three Fungicides.

Paecilomyces rot of apples is a postharvest disease caused by the thermotolerant fungus Paecilomyces niveus (Byssochlamys nivea). The etiology of disease and the activity of fungicides against P. n...
Chapter 34 Human resources: Empirical modeling of household and family decisions

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews recent advances in the empirical literature on the role that households and families play in investing in human resources. It describes the estimation of reduced form demands for human capital, particularly education and health. Special attention is paid to the measurement and interpretation of the impact of household resources, particularly parental education, income, and impact of community resources, namely—prices and infrastructure. The process underlying the production of human capital is discussed. The chapter also discusses the difficulties in measuring inputs and input quality, and associated issues of estimation and interpretation. The chapter focuses on evidence regarding the influence of family background, school quality, ability, and self-selection. Models of household behavior in a dynamic setting are reviewed. The chapter discusses extensions to the model that is concerned with the flow and allocation of resources across and within households as well as to extensions that treat household boundaries as fluid.
Constructive Kripke Semantics and Realizability

What is the truth-value structure of realizability? How can realizability style models be integrated with forcing techniques from Kripke and Beth semantics, and conversely? These questions have received answers in Hyland’s [33], Lauchli’s [43] and in other, related or more syntactic developments cited below. Here we re-open the investigation with the aim of providing more constructive answers to both questions. A special, constructive class of so-called fallible Beth models has been shown intuitionistically to be complete for intuitionistic logic by Friedman, Veldman and others. Here we build such intuitionistic Beth models elementarily equivalent to a natural and broad class of readabilities, thus showing that realizability interpretations correspond to the particularly effective kind of models yielded by the Veldman — Friedman — de Swart completeness theorem. In the other direction, an abstract realizability is shown constructively to be complete for intuitionistic logic. This extends earlier results along these lines due to Lauchli and others.
Mental Health Disorders Associated with Sinonasal and Skull Base Malignancies: A Large Cohort Study.

Objective The main purpose of this article is to examine the prevalence, incidence, sociodemographic, and clinical characteristics of mental health disorders (MHDs) among patients with skull base malignancies. Design Retrospective cohort study. Settings/Participants Six-thousand seven-hundred sixty sinonasal/skull base cancer patients in the MarketScan database between 2005 and 2014. Main Outcome Measures Frequency of MHDs pre- and post-diagnosis in patients harboring sinonasal/skull base malignancies. Results A significant increase in MHDs was noted from pre- to post-cancer diagnosis (22 vs 31%, p Conclusion The prevalence of MHDs increases following a diagnosis of a sinonasal/skull base malignancy. Patients with MHDs were more likely to be women and smokers.
Khaki Capital. The Political Economy of the Military in Southeast Asia

The editors of this book deserve considerable credit for resurrecting the study of the military in Southeast Asia. Khaki Capital is a most welcome addition to a remarkably slim literature on this t...
Semi-automated system updates deployment solution assuring zero business disruption

Business continuity and availability are top priority for IT. Providing sustainable availability, confidentiality and integrity of all services and resources within associates and counterparts is a key concept to be in the “Leaders” quadrant. Conventionally system updates are being underestimated, delayed or forcefully applied lacking any prior research, analysis nor testing. This paper would glance over an approach providing a flexible and consistent update deployment infrastructure and up-to-date clients, while assuring close to 0 business disruption and having latest critical and security updates in place protecting the organization from current exploits.
CD34+ Selected Hematopoietic Transplant, an Option When Compliance Is a Concern in Pediatric Patients

Background The incidence of non-compliance is as high as 60% in pediatrics, making it a serious concern after hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), increasing treatment related mortality (TRM), graft versus host disease (GVHD) and decreases overall survival (OS). Risk of GVHD is 30-60%, therefore mitigating this risk when compliance is a concern is crucial. CD34+ selected grafts, have a very low incidence GVHD and can abolish the need for post HSCT immune suppression. Historically T-depleted grafts have been used to reduce incidence of GVHD for patients at risk (e.g. mismatched donor and fanconi anemia (FA) however it has not been studied in the context of compliance. Objectives Assess our institutional experience with pediatric T-depleted HSCT in the setting of risk of non-compliance. We hypothesized that T-depleted grafts result in adequate engraftment without increasing incidence of infections, graft failure and eliminate the risk for GVHD. Methods Retrospective chart review. Patients with FA or a highly mismatched donor were excluded. Results Five pediatric patients' underwent a CD34+ selected HSCT at our institution between 2016 and 2018, using reduced intensity conditioning (alemuzumab, fludarabine, melphalan). Stem cells were collected using the Miltenyi Biotec CliniMACS system. The median age and cell dose at HSCT were 3.4 years and 21.5 × 106 TNC/kg respectively. Demographics are summarized in table 1. All 5 patients had aplastic anemia and severe bone marrow failure. Median day of neutrophil and platelet recovery was day +11 and +12 respectively. No post HSCT calcineurin inhibitors were used and there was no GVHD. Morbidity post HSCT was most commonly transient viral reactivation and stool infections. The OS was 100% with sustained engraftment above 95% in 4, and the median follow up of 747 days. One patient had primary graft failure after 3 stem cell infusions and auto recovered at day +46 after last stem cell infusion and demonstrated adequate immune reconstitution after conditioning and HSCT. Conclusion These data support our hypothesis that T-depleted grafts can be an option for patients' with marrow failure syndromes and who are at risk for non-compliance with acceptable morbidity.
Does Income Risk Explain the Degree of Under-Diversification in Equity Portfolios?

This paper demonstrates the degree of under-diversification in equity portfolios can be explained by income risk (or other forms of risks faced by the household; e.g., unemployment risk). We present a model of investor diversification behavior in order to provide a framework by which to evaluate our empirical evidence on the benefit of diversification on: (1) eliminating the unsystematic risk in a portfolio, and (2) smoothing fluctuated labor income. When the benefit of diversification on both is at the same rate, households own well diversified portfolios; when the benefit on the latter exceeds the former, households possess under-diversified portfolios. In addition, the under-diversification pattern varies geographically, which relates to the income and unemployment risks. Our results have implications on the narrow framing literature, where we find most households have a broad framing when they try to optimize. Collectively, we show that people take an overall view of the risks they face when they make financial decisions.
Cricoarytenoid joint abscess associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

Abstract Cricoarytenoid joint arthritis is an uncommon manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis. We encountered a 68-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis who presented with odynophagia, dysphagia, and progressive shortness of breath. Examination findings showed diminished mobility of the left vocal cord and right arytenoid swelling associated with an immobile right vocal cord. Computed tomography (CT) imaging identified a ring-enhancing lesion of the right lateral cricoarytenoid joint. Microdirect laryngoscopy with drainage of the cricoarytenoid abscess and tracheotomy were performed. Development of a laterally based cricoarytenoid joint abscess is identified as a complication of chronic rheumatoid arthritis with successful management described.
Analysis of Impact Melt and Vapor Production in CTH for Planetary Applications

Abstract This paper explores impact melt and vapor generation for a variety of impact speeds and materials using the shock physics code CTH. The study first compares the results of two common methods of impact melt and vapor generation to demonstrate that both the peak pressure method and final temperature method are appropriate for high-speed impact models (speeds greater than 10 km/s). However, for low-speed impact models (speeds less than 10 km/s), only the final temperature method is consistent with laboratory analyses to yield melting and vaporization. Finally, a constitutive model for material strength is important for low-speed impacts because strength can cause an increase in melting and vaporization.
Adult Attachment and Mindfulness on Mental Health: A Systematic Research Synthesis

Interest in the relationship between adult attachment and mindfulness has mushroomed over the past decade. Yet the associations between adult attachment and mindfulness related to mental health is less understood. This article provides a systematic research synthesis to elucidate the relationship between adult attachment, mindfulness, and mental health. Findings from 10 empirical articles identified that anxious and avoidant attachment and mindfulness together related to depression, anxiety, psychological functioning, and cortisol response. The effects of adult attachment and mindfulness on mental health is an exciting area for research and practice that can be advanced by the inclusion of key romantic relationship processes and partners within longitudinal or experimental study designs.
Conservation benefits of whale watching in Juneau, Alaska.

An increasing number of visitors to Juneau, AK, alongside a predictable population of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), has supported the substantial growth of its whale-watching indus- try. The industry provides benefits to the community through economic gains, while the experi- ence can foster environmental awareness and support for protection of whales and the environment. However, the sustainability of the industry could be jeopardized if increasing whale-watching vessel pressure affects the health of its resource, the whales.
Prebiotic condensation through wet-dry cycling regulated by deliquescence.

Wet–dry cycling is widely regarded as a means of driving condensation reactions under prebiotic conditions to generate mixtures of prospective biopolymers. A criticism of this model is its reliance on unpredictable rehydration events, like rainstorms. Here, we report the ability of deliquescent minerals to mediate the oligomerization of glycine during iterative wet–dry cycles. The reaction mixtures evaporate to dryness at high temperatures and spontaneously reacquire water vapor to form aqueous solutions at low temperatures. Deliquescent mixtures can foster yields of oligomerization over ten-fold higher than non-deliquescent controls. The deliquescent mixtures tightly regulate their moisture content, which is crucial, as too little water precludes dissolution of the reactants while too much water favors hydrolysis over condensation. The model also suggests a potential reason why life evolved to favor the enrichment of potassium: so living systems could acquire and retain sufficient water to serve as a solvent for biochemical reactions. Wet–dry cycling is regarded as a possible driving force of condensation reactions under prebiotic conditions. Here, the authors propose that water uptake by deliquescent minerals could have facilitated the wet phase and simulate this scenario using the oligomerization of glycine as a model reaction.
Aged garlic extract reduces left ventricular myocardial mass in patients with diabetes: A prospective randomized controlled double‑blind study

Increased left ventricular myocardial mass (LVM) is a well known prognostic marker of poor cardiac outcomes. Decreases in LVM have been shown to decrease the cardiovascular risk. Aged garlic extract (AGE) has been shown to have an overall favorable effect on cardiac health; however, to the best of our knowledge, no study to date has specifically examined its effects on left ventricular mass. This study investigated whether AGE can affect LVM measured by cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). This is a double-blind, placebo controlled randomized trial. In total, 65 participants with DM with a mean age of 58 years were prospectively assigned to consume 2,400 mg AGE/day or the placebo orally. Both groups underwent CCTA at baseline and follow-up at 1 year apart. LVM was measured using automated software. The baseline characteristics did not differ between the AGE and placebo groups. There was a trend towards a significant reduction in LVM at follow-up as compared to baseline in the AGE group (119.30±34.77 vs. 121.0±34.70, P=0.059). No change was observed in LVM in the placebo group at 1-year follow-up as compared to baseline (124.6±37.33 vs. 124.6±35.13, P=0.9). On the whole, this study indicated that AGE may decrease or stabilize LVM. Further studies however, with a larger sample size and longer follow-up times are required to evaluate the effects of AGE on hypertension and LVM.
Progress in stenotrophomonas maltophilia

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia(SMA) is a emerging opportunistic pathogen that can cause difficult-to-treat infections and exhibits significant degrees of poorly understood multidrug resistance,especially in irnmunocompromised patients.SMA is not an inherent virulent pathogen,but it can colonize in respiratorytract epithelial cells and surfaces of medical devices make it an important colonizer in hospitalized patients.Management of SMA infection is hampered because of its high-level intrinsic resistance to many antibiotics and the increasing occurrence of acquired resistance to the first-line drug such as co-trimoxazole.The prevention and treatment of SMA infection attract more and more attention in recent years. Key words: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia; Infection; Drug-resistance
Rhizosphere Population Dynamics and Internal Colonization of Cucumber by Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria which Induce Systemic Resistance to Colletotrichum Orbiculare

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are root-colonizing bacteria which exert a beneficial effect on plant development. The reported beneficial effects of PGPR include plant growth promotion (Kloepper et al., 1991) and reductions in the incidence of soilborne diseases (Kloepper, 1991; Weller, 1988). Due to their effects on crops, PGPR hold promise for use in integrated strategies for implementing low-input sustainable agriculture. Implementation of large-scale field use of these bacterial inoculants will require decreasing the variability of field performance which appears to be innate with most inoculants consisting of single bacterial strains. One approach to reducing variability is to use mixed inoculants consisting of two or more bacterial strains with different mechanisms. This approach depends upon having identifiable differences in mechanisms. Most of the PGPR and bacterial biological control agents which have been reported to date were first selected by antibiosis in vitro toward fungal pathogens (Weller, 1988) and then tested for biological control activity in disease assays with the host plant. Hence, it is not surprising that most suggested mechanisms for growth promotion and biological control by rhizobacteria involve antibidtics, siderophores, HCN, or other compounds which can be broadly called antifungal compounds (Kloepper, 1991; Weller, 1988). Competition for infection sites or nutrients (other than iron) and parasitism are other mechanisms which have been reported to relate to biological control with a few rhizobacterial strains (Kloepper, 1991).
Cancer Nanomedicines in an Evolving Oncology Landscape

Nanomedicine represents an important class of cancer therapy. Clinical translation of cancer nanomedicine has significantly reduced the toxicity and adverse consequences of standard-of-care chemotherapy. Recent advances in new cancer treatment modalities (e.g., gene and immune therapies) are profoundly changing the oncology landscape, bringing with them new requirements and challenges for next-generation cancer nanomedicines. We present an overview of cancer nanomedicines in four emerging oncology-associated fields: (i) gene therapy, (ii) immunotherapy, (iii) extracellular vesicle (EV) therapy, and (iv) machine learning-assisted therapy. We discuss the incorporation of nanomedicine into these emerging disciplines, present prominent examples, and evaluate their advantages and challenges. Finally, we discuss future opportunities for next-generation cancer nanomedicines.
Electrochemically Triggered Chain Reactions for the Conversion of Furan Derivatives.

We report an electrochemical method for coupling biomass-derived C5/C6 compounds to value-added fuel precursors. Using only 2 % of equivalent charges, 2-methylfuran (2-MF) was oxidized to yield a cation radical, which readily reacted with 3-hexene-2,5-dione, a derivate of 2,5-dimethylfuran, to produce 3-(5-methylfuran-2-yl)hexane-2,5-dione. The product was converted to 4-ethylnonane (a component of biodiesel/jet fuel) in a single step in excellent yield. Importantly, the reaction was not sensitive to oxygen, and a trace amount of water was found to promote the reaction. Detailed mechanistic studies confirmed the proposed reaction pathways. Key to the mechanism is the radical generation that is enabled by electrochemistry. The radical is regenerated at the end of a reaction cycle to ensure chain propagation for an average of ca. 47 times, resulting in an apparent Faradaic efficiency of 4700 %.
Robotic Abdominal Wall Reconstruction: Approaches for Primary Ventral, Incisional, and Recurrent Hernias

In this chapter, we explore robotic techniques for reconstruction of the abdominal wall in the repair of ventral, incisional, and recurrent hernias. We discuss patient evaluation, operative preparation, key surgical steps for the most common technical approaches and highlight our recommendations in the setting of complex anatomy.
Emerging wearable technology applications in gastroenterology: A review of the literature

The field of gastroenterology has recently seen a surge in wearable technology to monitor physical activity, sleep quality, pain, and even gut activity. The past decade has seen the emergence of wearable devices including Fitbit, Apple Watch, AbStats, and ingestible sensors. In this review, we discuss current and future devices designed to measure sweat biomarkers, steps taken, sleep efficiency, gastric electrical activity, stomach pH, and intestinal contents. We also summarize several clinical studies to better understand wearable devices so that we may assess their potential benefit in improving healthcare while also weighing the challenges that must be addressed.
Integrated production and maintenance planning under uncertain demand with concurrent learning of yield rate

Strong interactions between decisions in the maintenance and production scheduling domains, and their impacts on the equipment yield rates necessitate maintenance and production decisions being optimized concurrently, with considerations of yield dependencies on the equipment conditions and production rates. This paper proposes an integrated decision-making policy for production and maintenance operations on a single machine under uncertain demand, with concurrent considerations and learning of yield dependencies on the equipment conditions and production rates. This policy is obtained through a two-stage stochastic programming model, which considers the variable demand, machine degradation, and maintenance times. This model incorporates outsourcing decisions and operational decisions regarding reworking, scraping of imperfect products to ensure the demand is adequately met. A closed-form reinforcement learning method is utilized to learn yield dependencies. Simulations confirm the necessity of yield learning and show the proposed method outperforms the traditional, fragmented approaches where the effects of production rates and machine conditions on the resulting yield rates are not considered. The two-stage stochastic setting is demonstrated by comparing with the traditional one-stage deterministic approach, where decisions are made based on the expected demand and production performance, with scrapping, reworking, and outsourcing decisions established before the demand and production performance are observed.
Multifactorial Pathogenic Processes of Retinal Ganglion Cell Degeneration in Glaucoma towards Multi-Target Strategies for Broader Treatment Effects

Glaucoma is a chronic neurodegenerative disease characterized by apoptosis of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) somas, degeneration of axons, and loss of synapses at dendrites and axon terminals. Glaucomatous neurodegeneration encompasses multiple triggers, multiple cell types, and multiple molecular pathways through the etiological paths with biomechanical, vascular, metabolic, oxidative, and inflammatory components. As much as intrinsic responses of RGCs themselves, divergent responses and intricate interactions of the surrounding glia also play decisive roles for the cell fate. Seen from a broad perspective, multitarget treatment strategies have a compelling pathophysiological basis to more efficiently manipulate multiple pathogenic processes at multiple injury sites in such a multifactorial neurodegenerative disease. Despite distinct molecular programs for somatic and axonal degeneration, mitochondrial dysfunction and glia-driven neuroinflammation present interdependent processes with widespread impacts in the glaucomatous retina and optic nerve. Since dysfunctional mitochondria stimulate inflammatory responses and proinflammatory mediators impair mitochondria, mitochondrial restoration may be immunomodulatory, while anti-inflammatory treatments protect mitochondria. Manipulation of these converging routes may thus allow a unified treatment strategy to protect RGC axons, somas, and synapses. This review presents an overview of recent research advancements with emphasis on potential treatment targets to achieve the best treatment efficacy to preserve visual function in glaucoma.
Experimental determination of single-crystal halite thermal conductivity, diffusivity and specific heat from -75°C to 300°C

The thermal properties of halite have broad practical importance, from design and long-term modeling of nuclear waste repositories to analysis and performance assessment of underground natural gas, petroleum and air storage facilities. Using a computer-controlled transient plane source method, single-crystal halite thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific heat were measured from -75°C to 300°C. These measurements reproduce historical high-temperature experiments and extend the lower temperature extreme into cryogenic conditions. Measurements were taken in 25-degree increments from -75°C to 300°C. Over this temperature range, thermal conductivity decreases by a factor of 3.7, from 9.975 to 2.699 W/mK , and thermal diffusivity decreases by a factor of 3.6, from 5.032 to 1.396 mm²/s. Specific heat does not appear to be temperature dependent, remaining near 2.0 MJ/m³K at all temperatures. This work is intended to develop and expand the existing dataset of halite thermal properties, which are of particular value in defining the parameters of salt storage thermophysical models. The work was motivated by a need for thermal conductivity values in a mixture theory model used to determine bulk thermal conductivity of reconsolidating crushed salt.
Possible therapeutic implications of the effects of some peptides on the brain.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the possible therapeutic implications of the effects of some peptides on the brain. The chapter focuses on the peptides that include vasopressin (VP), melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH), and migration inhibitory factor (MIF)-1 (Pro–Leu–Gly–NH 2 ). These peptides may be involved in brain functions. Several effects of MIF-1 on the brain have been found. MIF-1 and Tyr–MIF-1 are active in animal models of depression and in some clinical trials in depressed people. Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) is the hypothalamic decapeptide that controls the reproductive system through stimulation of gonadotropin release from the pituitary gland. There are a large number of peptides in the brain and a large number of mental and neurological disorders. There are possible therapeutic implications for VP, MSH, β -endorphin, MIF-1/Tyr–MIF-1, LHRH, cholecystokinin (CCK), or delta sleep-inducing peptides (DSIP) in memory disorders, mental retardation, pain, mental depression, impotence, obesity, fever, or insomnia.
Indicator Technique for Antimetabolic Toxin Production by Phytopathogenic Species of Pseudomonas

A simple bacteriological technique involving inhibition zone production on a lawn of Escherichia coli was developed to detect antimetabolite toxin production by phytopathogenic species of Pseudomonas. It was established that the mechanism of E. coli inhibition paralleled that of phytotoxin-induced chlorosis of plant tissue. Derivatives of Pseudomonas tabaci and Pseudomonas phaseolicola which did not produce antimetabolite were readily identified by use of this technique. The presence of plasmid DNA in P. tabaci strains was demonstrated, but no physical evidence for plasmid involvement in tabtoxin production was found. The role of antimetabolite production in the pathogenicity of P. phaseolicola was also investigated. The method was extended to show that strains of P. maculicola, P. syringae, and P. coronofaciens also produce antimetabolites.
On the Emulation of Finite-Buffered Output Queued Switches Using Combined Input-Output Queuing

We study the emulation of Output Queuing (OQ) using Combined Input-Output Queuing (CIOQ) switches in the setting where the emulated OQ switch and the CIOQ switch have buffer capacity Bi¾? 1 packets at every output. We analyze the resource requirements of CIOQ policies in terms of the required fabric speedup and the additional buffer capacity needed at the CIOQ inputs. For the family of work-conserving scheduling algorithms, we find that whereas every greedy CIOQ policy is valid for OQ emulation at speedup B, no CIOQ policy is valid at speedup $s when preemption is allowed. We also find that CCF in particular is not valid at any speedup s< B. We then introduce a CIOQ policy, CEH, that is valid at speedup $s \geq \sqrt{2(B-1)}$. Under CEH, the buffer occupancy at any input never exceeds $1+\lfloor\frac{B-1}{s-1}\rfloor$. For non-preemptive scheduling algorithms, we characterize a trade-off between the CIOQ speedup and the input buffer occupancy. Specifically, we show that for any greedypolicy that is valid at speedup s> 2, the input buffer occupancy cannot exceed $1+\lceil{\frac{B-1}{s-2}}\rceil$. We also show that at speedup 2, a greedy variant of the CCF policy requires input buffer capacity of only Bpackets for the emulation of non-preemptive OQ algorithms with PIFO service disciplines.
The occurrence and context of tremble dancing in free-foraging honey bees ( Apis mellifera )

Nectar foraging in honey bees is regulated by several communication signals that are performed mainly by foragers. One of these signals is the tremble dance, which is consistently performed by foragers from a rich food source which, upon return to the hive, experience a long delay before unloading their nectar to a nectar receiver. Although tremble dancing has been studied extensively using artificial nectar sources, its occurrence and context in a more natural setting remain unknown. Therefore, this study tests the sufficiency of the current explanations for tremble dancing by free-foraging honey bees. The main finding is that only about half of the observations of tremble dancing, referred to as delay-type tremble dancing, are a result of difficulty in finding a nectar receiver. In the remaining observations, tremble dancing was initiated immediately upon entering the hive, referred to as non-delay-type tremble dancing. Non-delay tremble dancing was associated with first foraging successes, both in a forager's career and in a single day. More than 75% of tremble dancing was associated with good foraging conditions, as indicated by the dancer continuing to forage after dancing. However, at least some of the other cases were associated with deteriorated foraging conditions, such as the end of the day, after which foraging was discontinued. No common context could be identified that explains all cases of tremble dancing or the subset of non-delay-type tremble dancing. This study shows that the current explanations for the cause of the tremble dance are insufficient to explain all tremble dancing in honey bees that forage at natural food sources.
Yin Yang 1, Oct1, and NFAT-4 Form Repeating, Cyclosporin-Sensitive Regulatory Modules Within the Murine CD21 Intronic Control Region

The murine complement receptor type 2 gene (Cr2/CD21) is expressed by murine B and follicular dendritic cells, but not murine T cells. We have previously shown that appropriate transcriptional control of the CD21 gene requires the CD21 promoter as well as intronic sequences. We have also demonstrated that altering chromatin structure by inhibiting histone deacetylases induces CD21 expression in murine T cells by increasing the accessibility of promoter and intronic regulatory elements. In this report, we identify seven distinct regulatory areas within the first intron of the murine CD21 gene that are conserved between mouse and human CD21 intronic sequences. EMSA competition and supershift analyses reveal the formation of multiple DNA-protein complexes at these sites that include Yin Yang 1, Oct1, and NFAT-4. NFAT-containing complexes were altered in B cells treated with the NFAT inhibitor cyclosporin A and correlated with a repression of CD21 gene transcription implicating NFAT transcriptional control. Functional data revealed that no single region conferred cell-specific reporter gene expression, but rather the entire CD21 regulatory element was required to confer cell-specific gene expression. Taken together, these data demonstrate the formation of repeating, overlapping regulatory modules, all of which are required to coordinately control the cell-specific expression of the murine CD21 gene. We propose a model in which Yin Yang 1 and Oct1 may recruit histone deacetylase to multiple sites in the CD21 intronic regulatory element in nonexpressing cells and NFAT either displaces this histone deacetylase or recruits a histone acetylase to allow the formation of a functional transcriptional complex in expressing cells.
Simulation of Multivariate Spatial-Temporal Outbreak Data for Detection Algorithm Evaluation

We developed a template-driven spatial-temporal multivariate outbreak simulator that can generate multiple data streams of outbreak data for evaluating detection algorithms used in disease surveillance systems. The simulator is controlled via intuitive parameters that describe features of the outbreak and surveillance system such as the elevated risk of disease, surveillance data coverage, case behavior probabilities, and the distribution of behavior times. We provide examples of temporal and spatial-temporal outbreak simulations. Our simulator is a useful tool for evaluating of outbreak detection algorithms.
Control of TCR-Mediated Activation of β1 Integrins by the ZAP-70 Tyrosine Kinase Interdomain B Region and the Linker for Activation of T Cells Adapter Protein

One of the earliest functional responses of T lymphocytes to extracellular signals that activate the Ag-specific CD3/TCR complex is a rapid, but reversible, increase in the functional activity of integrin adhesion receptors. Previous studies have implicated the tyrosine kinase ζ-associated protein of 70 kDa (ZAP-70) and the lipid kinase phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, in the activation of β 1 integrins by the CD3/TCR complex. In this report, we use human ZAP-70-deficient Jurkat T cells to demonstrate that the kinase activity of ZAP-70 is required for CD3/TCR-mediated increases in β 1 integrin-mediated adhesion and activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. A tyrosine to phenylalanine substitution at position 315 in the interdomain B of ZAP-70 inhibits these responses, whereas a similar substitution at position 292 enhances these downstream signals. These mutations in the ZAP-70 interdomain B region also specifically affect CD3/TCR-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of residues 171 and 191 in the cytoplasmic domain of the linker for activation of T cells (LAT) adapter protein. CD3/TCR signaling to β 1 integrins is defective in LAT-deficient Jurkat T cells, and can be restored with expression of wild-type LAT. Mutant LAT constructs with tyrosine to phenylalanine substitutions at position 171 and/or position 191 do not restore CD3/TCR-mediated activation of β 1 integrins in LAT-deficient T cells. Thus, these studies demonstrate that the interdomain B region of ZAP-70 regulates β 1 integrin activation by the CD3/TCR via control of tyrosine phosphorylation of tyrosine residues 171 and 191 in the LAT cytoplasmic domain.
Product Development and Manufacturing Center at Oakland University

Perhaps more than any other field, a successful engineering education mandates that engineering students be capable of application of knowledge in a business environment. The ability to apply engineering knowledge in a "real-world" engineering environment is difficult to teach in a traditional classroom setting. In recognition of this dynamic, Oakland University in conjunction with Deloitte Consulting has established the Product Development and Manufacturing (PDM) Center at Oakland University. This paper describes the ways that the PDM Center is being used to support an engineering curriculum that provides a student with both engineering theory and application knowledge. The paper highlights the "virtual company" that the PDM Center employs in all training and educational offerings. Finally the paper describes a unique partnership arrangement the PDM Center has with a number of automotive enterprises which facilitate the development of a superior engineering educational experience.
Temperature dependent linear and non-linear optical spectroscopy for condensed phase systems

Understanding the similarities and differences between optical coherence loss of electronic transitions of chromophores in glasses and in the glass forming solvent requires, in part, linear response (2-point correlation) functions, J(t;T). An approximate excited state vibrational Hamiltonian (Hg) which accounts for both linear and quadratic electron-phonon coupling is derived that is acceptable for mode frequency changes smaller than 30%. The associated linear response function for the case of no damping is obtained. A response function that includes damping is proposed for systems whose modes are either linearly or quadratically coupled. It is the product of three response functions, two of which are phononic and associated with linear and quadratic modes. The third response function is electronic with a dephasing frequency Yd that is the width of the zero-phonon line. The total response function yields single-site absorption spectra in which folding of the widths of multi-phonon and sequence transitions occurs. Applications of the new response flmctions are made to the temperature dependence of single site absorption and hole-burned spectra of the special pair band of the bacterial reaction center and the temperature dependence of the single site absorption spectrum of Al-phthalocyanine tetrasulphonate in glassy ethanol.