cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Talking helps: evolving communicating agents for the predator-prey pursuit problem

We analyze a general model of multi-agent communication in which all agents communicate simultaneously to a message board. A genetic algorithm is used to evolve multi-agent languages for the predator agents in a version of the predator-prey pursuit problem. We show that the resulting behavior of the communicating multi-agent system is equivalent to that of a Mealy finite state machine whose states are determined by the agents' usage of the evolved language. Simulations show that the evolution of a communication language improves the performance of the predators. Increasing the language size (and thus increasing the number of possible states in the Mealy machine) improves the performance even further. Furthermore, the evolved communicating predators perform significantly better than all previous work on similar prey. We introduce a method for incrementally increasing the language size, which results in an effective coarse-to-fine search that significantly reduces the evolution time required to find a solution. We present some observations on the effects of language size, experimental setup, and prey difficulty on the evolved Mealy machines. In particular, we observe that the start state is often revisited, and incrementally increasing the language size results in smaller Mealy machines. Finally, a simple rule is derived that provides a pessimistic estimate on the minimum language size that should be used for any multi-agent problem.
Mildly Handicapped Learners in Vocational Education A Statewide Study

This study gathered data regarding general instructional practices within secondary vocational education programs and practices specifically related to handicapped learners in these programs. Surveys were mailed to a stratified random sample of 615 Indiana secondary vocational educators, with 388 analyzable surveys returned (63%). The following results were obtained: (a) a high level of independence was required of all vocational education students, especially in the vocational laboratory; (b) vocational educators often used hands-on experience and demonstrations in the laboratory setting, but they relied heavily on reading and writing skills in the classroom; (c) the primary modifications made for handicapped learners entailed the provision of extra assistance or additional time, with curricular or instructional modification occurring much less frequently; (d) although the educators in the sample were veteran teachers and highly educated, 38% had not received any type of training in working with handicap...
Human gene therapy: scientific and ethical considerations.

The term "gene therapy" encompasses at least four types of application of genetic engineering for the insertion of genes into humans. The scientific requirements and the ethical issues associated with each type are discussed. Somatic cell gene therapy is technically the simplest and ethically the least controversial. The first clinical trials will probably be undertaken within the next year. Germ line gene therapy will require major advances in our present knowledge and it raises ethical issues that are now being debated. In order to provide guidelines for determining when germ line gene therapy would be ethical, the author presents three criteria which should be satisfied prior to the time that a clinical protocol is attempted in humans. Enhancement genetic engineering presents significant, and troubling, ethical concerns. Except where this type of therapy can be justified on the grounds of preventive medicine, enhancement engineering should not be performed. The fourth type, eugenic genetic engineering, is impossible at present and will probably remain so for the foreseeable future, despite the widespread media attention it has received. There are four potential levels of the application of genetic engineering for the insertion of gene into a human being. Somatic cell therapy: this would result in correcting a genetic defect in the somatic (i.e.,body) cells of a patient. Germ line gene therapy: this would require the insertion of the gene into the reproductive tissue of the patient in such a way that the disorder in his or her offspring would also be corrected. Enhancement genetic engineering: this would involve the insertion of a gene to try to "enhance" a known characteristic; for example, the placing of an additional growth hormone gene into a normal child. Eugenic genetic engineering: this is defined as the attempt to alter or "improve" complex human traits each of which is coded by a large number of genes; for example, personality, intelligence, character, formation of body organs, and so on.
Continuous Free Oscillations: Atmosphere-Solid Earth Coupling

■ Abstract In 1997, after almost forty years since the initial attempt by Benioff et al (1959), continuous free oscillations of the Earth were discovered. Spheroidal fundamental modes between 2 and 7 millihertz are excited continuously with acceleration amplitudes of about 0.3‐0.5 nanogals. The signal is now commonly found in virtually all data recorded by STS-1 type broadband seismometers at quiet sites. Seasonal variation in amplitude and the existence of two coupled modes between the atmosphere and the solid Earth support that these oscillations are excited by the atmosphere. Stochastic excitation due to atmospheric turbulence is a favored mechanism, providing a good match between theory and data. The atmosphere has ample energy to support this theory because excitation of these modes require only 500‐10000 W whereas the atmosphere contains about 10 17 W of kinetic energy. An application of this phenomenon includes planetary seismology, because other planets may be oscillating owing to atmospheric excitation. The interior structure of planets could be learned by determining the eigenfrequencies in the continuous free oscillations. It is especially attractive to pursue this idea for tectonically quiet planets, since quakes may be too infrequent to be recorded by seismic instruments.
Differential expression of estrogen-regulated CD4 and Ia positive cells in the immature rat uterus.

Estradiol treatment of sexually immature Sprague-Dawley, Cr:NIH-nu/+ and Cr:NIH-nu/ nu rats for 2 days results in a significant increase in the number of uterine eosinophils and OX-42 positive macrophages. However, only Sprague-Dawley rats exhibit an estrogen regulated increase in the number of cells expressing immunoreactive CD4 and Ia, suggesting that the differential responsiveness to the effects of estradiol between the two strains of rats may be genetically controlled. Nevertheless, Cr:NIH-nu/nu rats, which are deficient in T-cells, possess virtually identical numbers of CD4 positive staining uterine cells as compared to their nu/ + littermate controls, indicating that the expression of immunoreactive CD4 is associated with a resident non-T-cell population. In addition, a message for rat CD4 was observed in Northern blots of uterine mRNA, suggesting that the immunoreactive CD4 expressed by uterine cells is probably a fully functional cell surface antigen/receptor rather than a truncated form which only expresses the antigenic determinant recognized by the W3/25 monoclonal antibody.
Supporting dynamic QoS in Linux

This work is an application of the variable-rate execution (VRE) model in Linux to support dynamic quality of service (QoS). Based on conventional time-sharing scheduling algorithms, Linux does not adequately support QoS requirements. The VRE scheduler can assign a specified execution rate to any application, and dynamically adjust the execution rate during runtime. Rate controller components are introduced to adjust a task's execution rate based on predefined rules and runtime feedbacks, such as the suspension time, the queue length, and so on. A significant feature of this work is its ability to support legacy applications at the binary level. On conventional operating systems, millions of applications have been built under time-sharing schedulers, which we call legacy applications. Under the VRE model, a legacy application can obtain a guaranteed variable execution rate. We also designed a simple default rate controller for legacy multimedia applications. The Linux kernel was slightly modified in our implementation to achieve reconfigurability. Both the VRE scheduler and the default rate controller are implemented as Linux loadable modules, which can be dynamically loaded into the kernel to replace the Linux scheduler or change the behavior of the scheduler. We provide a set of interfaces for users to design and use their own schedulers and rate controllers.
INTERACTION FORCES BBTWBEN BIOLOGICAL AND OTHER POLAR ENTITIES IN WATER: HOW MANY DIFFERENT PRIMARY FORCES ARE THERE?

Abstract Whilst mention of at least 17 different varieties of non-covalent interactions in polar media can be encountered in the recent literature, it can be shown that most of these are not themselves separate primary physical-chemical forces, but secondary manifestations of one or several such primary forces. The underlying primary forces that play a role in aspecific or specific non-covalent interactions between colloidal entities in aqueous media are limited to: Lifshits-vaa der Waals forces, electrostatic forces, hydrogen-bonding interaotions (or more generally, polar, or Lewis aoid-base interactions) and Brownian motion-induced interactions. In some instanoss one must, in addition, dsal with repulsive forces between free or attached macromolecules that become enhanoed by chain elastioity phenomena, which are, however, not easily quantifiable.
Effects of Calcium Hydroxide and Tumor Growth Factor-β on Collagen Synthesis in Subcultures I and V of Osteoblasts

Collagen protein synthesis by osteoblasts is influenced by transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β1) and is essential to bone formation. The effectiveness of TGF-β1 depends on efficient delivery of the growth factor to target cells, adequate binding to cell surface receptors, and an optimum environment for promotion of collagen synthesis. The effects of calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH) 2 ), TGF-β1, and Ca(OH) 2 /TGF-β1 co-administration on total protein, collagen protein, and noncollagen protein synthesis by early (subculture I) and late (subculture V) osteoblast cultures were tested. TGF-β1 significantly increased all protein synthesis in subculture I osteoblasts (p = 0.001; p 2 /TGF-β1 co-administration significantly increased total protein and collagen protein levels in subculture I osteoblasts as well (p = 0.048; p = 0.012). TGF-β1 increased total protein and collagen protein synthesis significantly in subculture V cells (p = 0.025; p = 0.01). These data indicate that co-administration of Ca(OH) 2 and TGF-β1 enhances collagen synthesis by osteoblasts and may have implications for the clinical setting.
Circuit modeling of carbon nanotube interconnects and their performance estimation in VLSI design

The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) emphasizes on the need for reliable, high speed interconnects for the future technology generations. Innovative materials are being extensively studied and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have emerged as a promising material for future generation ICs. Recent experiments have shown that CNTs can handle extremely high current densities (/spl sim/10/sup 10/ A/cm/sup 2/) for hours without significant degradation of performance. In this paper we have developed a comprehensive RLC transmission line model for metallic CNTs (Burke, 2002), and evaluated their performance in high speed VLSI design.
“I Am Also in the Position to Use My Whiteness to Help Them Out”: The Communication of Whiteness in Service Learning

In this essay, we examine the relationship between Whiteness theory and service learning, specifically through an examination of an intercultural communication course we taught. In our analysis of student-written assignments, we reveal how service learning provides a context for students to rehearse and affirm White privilege, despite the fact that they have been exposed to critical theories of Whiteness before engaging in service learning projects. Specifically, we identify and examine two rhetorical strategies that perpetuate White privilege in the context of service learning: (1) the conflation of being White with Whiteness, and (2) using White privilege for charity. Our analysis contributes a significant critique of the use of service learning in communication courses.
Inhibition of Glycan Shedding and Leukocyte‐Endothelial Adhesion in Postcapillary Venules by Suppression of Matrixmetalloprotease Activity with Doxycycline

ABSTRACTObjective: The aims of this study were to examine the role of matrixmetalloproteinases (MMPs) in causing shedding of glycan components of the endothelial glycocalyx and delineate the efficacy of doxycycline as an inhibitor of white blood cell–endothelial cell (WBC-EC) adhesion and glycan shedding in postcapillary venules.Methods: WBC-EC adhesion in postcapillary venules of mesentery (rat) was examined in response to superfusion with the chemoattractant, f-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP). Glycan shedding was delineated by using fluorescently labeled microspheres (FLMs; 0.1 μm in diameter) coated with lectins and infused into the systemic circulation. The shedding of FLMs in response to fMLP was examined during superfusion with graded concentrations of doxycycline and the zinc chelator, ilomastat.Results: Superfusion of mesentery with 10−7 M of fMLP caused a reduction in FLM adhesion due to shedding of the glycocalyx and a rise in WBC-EC adhesion. WBC-EC adhesion and FLM shedding were reduced with subantimicrobi...
The cardiopulmonary effects of dobutamine and norepinephrine in isoflurane-anesthetized foals.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the cardiovascular effects of norepinephrine (NE) and dobutamine (DB) in isoflurane-anesthetized foals. Study design Prospective laboratory study. Methods Norepinephrine (0.05, 0.10, 0.20, and 0.40 μ g kg −1 minute −1 ) and dobutamine (2.5, 5.0, and 10 μ g kg −1 minute −1 ) were alternately administered to seven healthy, 1- to 2-week-old isoflurane-anesthetized foals. Arterial and pulmonary arterial blood pressure, right atrial pressure, pulmonary artery occlusion pressure, heart rate, body temperature, cardiac output, arterial and mixed venous blood pH, partial pressure of carbon dioxide, partial pressure of oxygen [arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO 2 ) and mixed venous partial pressure of oxygen (P v ¯ O 2 )], and packed cell volume were measured. Standard base excess, bicarbonate concentration, systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance, cardiac index (CI), stroke volume, left and right stroke work indices, oxygen delivery ( D ˙ O 2 ), consumption, and extraction were calculated. Results Norepinephrine infusion resulted in significant increases in arterial and pulmonary arterial pressure, systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance indices, and PaO 2 ; heart rate was decreased. Dobutamine infusion resulted in significant increases in heart rate, stroke volume index, CI, and arterial and pulmonary arterial blood pressure. Systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance indices were decreased while the ventricular stroke work indices increased. The PaO 2 decreased while D ˙ O 2 and oxygen consumption increased. Oxygen extraction decreased and P v ¯ O 2 increased. Conclusions and Clinical relevance Norepinephrine primarily augments arterial blood pressure while decreasing CI. Dobutamine primarily augments CI with only modest increases in arterial blood pressure. Both NE and DB could be useful in the hemodynamic management of anesthetized foals.
Fast-scan imaging

Rapid imaging methods expand the potential applications of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Cardiovascular diagnosis is one important emerging application where breath-held and even real-time data acquisition is needed. MRI data collection occurs in k-space (Fourier transform space), and most techniques collect one line of k-space following each radiofrequency pulse. Fast-scan imaging refers to collecting more than just one line. Collecting a series of interleaved spirals in k-space has a number of desirable properties, particularly for cardiovascular imaging, but it also presents a number of technical difficulties. These difficulties include designing a pulse sequence to acquire the data and accurate and rapid image reconstruction methods that can correct for various nonidealities. Spiral fast-scan MRI enables real-time imaging of ventricular function, real-time coronary angiography, and high-resolution breath-held coronary artery and wall imaging.
Essays of new information systems design and pricing for supporting information economy

In recent years, the rapid development of Internet has significantly changed people's life style and the way business is conducted, even though accompanied by fear and sceptism. Research on developing new business models regarding to innovative use of the Internet has become very important to justify the value of Internet. In addition, designing new pricing mechanisms tailored for the new Internet access infrastructures also has great values in supporting and expanding the Internet usage. This dissertation contains three essays exploring those issues. In the first essay, an emerging Internet Business the "Prediction Market" is described and examined. The market is specifically designed for collecting dispersed information from a wide variety of agents. In order to achieve efficient information elicitation and aggregation, the agents are characterized according to their information precision and the cost to induce their information. The optimal selection rules are characterized and a betting mechanism which can implement this selection rule is proposed and analyzed. The second essay proposes a new pricing mechanism for price discrimination under demand uncertainty, which can be applied to allocating Internet access. An option framework is used so that users with higher valuation for Internet usage can purchase options beforehand, which gives them the right to exercise the option and get guaranteed demand execution. Such an option framework has three advantages compared with previous congestion pricing mechanism. First, it helps reveal the customers valuation information ex ante and hence allows the service provider to conduct price discrimination. Second, it improves allocation efficiency when capacity is tight. Lastly, it provides customers' demand information ex ante to facilitate the service provider's capacity investment decision. The third essay examines the pricing issue for an emerging network infrastructure---the Wireless Mesh Network. In such a network, every user can become a router themselves and hence they have the right to decide whether and how much traffic they pass to their neighbors. The overall network quality is highly sensitive to where the users are located and whether they have incentive to share their device capacity with their neighbors. The profitability of a decentralized linear pricing scheme is analyzed under such a network infrastructure. The efficiency loss due to the individual users' pricing power is estimated and comparison is conducted with traditional Wi-Max infrastructure.
An electrophysiological investigation of the relationship between conceptual fluency and familiarity.

Abstract Brain potentials associated with the manipulation of conceptual fluency in a recognition memory paradigm were recorded. Enhanced fluency was associated with attenuation of the N400 and an increased rate of subjects’ endorsing both studied and non-studied items as having been studied (“old” responses) in the recognition test. Differences were also found in latencies previously associated with post-retrieval processing, such that in the setting of enhanced fluency (1) non-studied items were associated with a positive wave from 800 to 1600 ms and (2) items endorsed as “new” were more positive than those endorsed as “old” from 1200 to 1600 ms. The effects on the N400 may be related to the impact of fluency on familiarity, whereas later processing may be involved in the attribution of fluency to prior experience.
Phase I Trial of Concurrent Twice-Weekly Recombinant Human Interleukin-12 Plus Low-Dose IL-2 in Patients With Melanoma or Renal Cell Carcinoma

Purpose: To maintain interferon gamma (IFNγ) induction by recombinant human interleukin-12 (rhIL-12) and enhance its activity against melanoma and renal cell cancer, a regimen of twice-weekly intravenous (IV) rhIL-12 was modified to include concurrent low-dose subcutaneous (SC) IL-2 in a phase I dose escalation study. Patients and Methods: Patients received 6-week cycles of twice-weekly IV rhIL-12 at doses of 300 to 500 ng/kg. Midway through cycle 1, low-dose SC IL-2 was added. The IL-2 was escalated from 0.5 to 6.0 MU/m2. Grade 3 elevations of hepatic ALT, AST, or alkaline phosphatase were not considered dose-limiting unless values were more than 10 times normal. During cycle 1, patients underwent immune monitoring to assess the effect of IL-2 on lymphocyte activation and cytokine production induced by rhIL-12. Results: Twenty-eight patients were enrolled onto the study. The maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) was 500 ng/kg rhIL-12 plus 3 MU/m2 IL-2. Toxicities related to the addition of IL-2 at the MTD include...
Conceptions of Tornado Wind Speed and Land Surface Interactions Among Undergraduate Students in Nebraska

ABSTRACT To ascertain novice conceptions of tornado wind speed and the influence of surface characteristics on tornado occurrence, 613 undergraduate students enrolled in introductory science courses at a large state university in Nebraska were surveyed. Our findings show that students lack understanding of the fundamental concepts that (1) tornadoes are primarily atmospheric phenomena, and (2) they are only weakly influenced by the underlying land surface. A common alternate conception was that land surface features offer protection from tornadoes. For example, many students thought that (1) tornadoes generally cannot occur over snow cover or in mountainous terrain, (2) locally lower areas and hills provide protection from tornadoes, and (3) cities are not as susceptible to tornadoes as surrounding areas. Students also lacked an accurate conception of the wind speed in strong tornadoes.
Life cycle sustainability aspects of microalgal biofuels

Holistic systems analysis of biofuel production that considers the environmental impacts over the entire fuel life cycle, from raw material extraction to cultivation, conversion, and final use, has emerged as the leading methodological paradigm for quantifying the environmental sustainability of biomass-to-fuel systems. This chapter reviews the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) for environmental evaluation of emerging microalgal biofuels. Several prominent environmental performance indicators including carbon footprint, energy return on investment, and water footprint are reviewed in the context of microalgal systems and other leading biofuels/biofeedstocks. A case study of microalgal biodiesel production is provided in the text. The results are compared with previous microalgae LCAs and discussed in a broader environmental sustainability context.
Examining the Relationships Between Diversity and Work Behaviors in U.S. Federal Agencies: Does Inclusive Management Make a Difference?:

Workforce diversity has been depicted as a double-edged sword that leads to both positive and negative work-related outcomes. As a result, the critical issue in diversity research is concerned with...
Inflammation-Associated Co-morbidity Between Depression and Cardiovascular Disease

Morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is exceedingly high worldwide. Depressive illness is a serious psychiatric illness that afflicts a significant portion of the world population. Epidemiological studies have confirmed the high co-morbidity between these two disease entities. The co-morbidity is bidirectional and the mechanisms responsible for it are complex and multifaceted. In addition to genetic, biological systems, psychosocial, and behavioral factors that are involved include the central and autonomic nervous systems, the neuroendocrine, immune, and the vascular and hematologic systems. Specific pathophysiologic factors across these systems include homeostatic imbalance between the sympathetic and the parasympathetic systems with loss of heart rate variability (HRV) in depression, sympathoadrenal activation, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activation, immune system dysregulation resulting in a pro-inflammatory status, platelet activation, and endothelial dysfunction. These abnormalities have been demonstrated in most individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (BPD), and probably in other psychiatric disorders. A likely common instigator underlying the co-morbidity between cardiovascular pathology and depression is mental stress. Chronic stress shifts the homeostatic balance in the autonomic nervous system with sustained sympathetic overdrive and diminished vagal tone. Diminished vagal tone contributes to a pro-inflammatory status with associated sequelae. Stress hormones and certain pro-inflammatory substances released by macrophages and microglia upregulate the rate-limiting enzymes in the metabolic pathway of tryptophan (TRP). This enzymatic upregulation stimulates the kynurenine (KYN) pathway resulting in the formation of neurotoxic metabolites. Inflammation occurs in cardiac, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular pathology independent of the presence or absence of depression. Inflammation is closely associated with endothelial dysfunction, a preamble to atherosclerosis and atherothrombosis. Endothelial dysfunction has been detected in depression and may prove to be a trait marker for this illness. Thus understanding vascular biology in conjunction with psychiatric co-morbidity will be of critical importance. Antidepressant drug therapy is of definite benefit to patients with medical and psychiatric co-morbidity and may reverse the pro-inflammatory status associated with depression. There is, however, an urgent need to develop novel pharmacotherapeutic approaches to benefit a much larger proportion of patients suffering from these disease entities.
Teaching NeuroImages: Meningoencephalocele and CSF leak in chronic idiopathic intracranial hypertension

A 63-year-old woman with epilepsy and chronic headaches was admitted for status epilepticus. A lumbar puncture revealed increased opening pressure of 320 mm H2O and bacterial meningitis. MRI brain demonstrated a partial empty sella, tortuous optic nerve sheaths, flattening of the optic papillae, and numerous prominent arachnoid granulations, consistent with chronic idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), as well as bright CSF signal and brain parenchyma within a left meningoencephalocele (figure, A). A CT cisternogram confirmed communication of the subarachnoid space of the meningoencephalocele with the left sphenoid sinus through a small osseous defect (figure, B). While most CSF leaks are related to trauma, IIH is increasingly recognized as a cause of spontaneous leaks.1,2 While the increased opening pressure may have been due to her acute meningitis, her headache symptoms and MRI findings are suggestive of longstanding intracranial hypertension. Monitoring and medical treatment of IIH must accompany surgical repair to avoid recurrence.2
Nonlinear analysis of beams with rotation gradient dependent potential energy for constrained micro-rotation

Abstract In this study, the weak-form finite element model for bending of beams considering constrained micro-rotation and rotation gradient-dependent potential energy is developed for the moderate rotationcase. The governing equations for a general higher-order beam theory with the von Karman geometric nonlinearity are derived from the principle of virtual displacements. The formulated finite element model is valid for homogeneous, orthotropic, and functionally graded classical and microstructure-dependent beams. Further, the specialization of the theory to various existing beam theories is also presented. The analytical solution for the simply supported beam for the linear case is also derived. In the numerical examples presented, the stiffening effect due to the consideration of microstructure in the micro-beam is illustrated. The parametric effect of the material length scale on the bending moment and stress is also investigated.
Can you spell dyslexia without SLI? Comparing the cognitive profiles of dyslexia and specific language impairment and their roles in learning

The aim of the present study is to explore whether those with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and dyslexia display distinct or overlapping cognitive profiles with respect to learning outcomes. In particular, we were interested in two key cognitive skills associated with academic performance - working memory and IQ. We recruited three groups of children - those with SLI, those with dyslexia, and a control group. All children were given standardized tests of working memory, IQ (vocabulary and matrix), spelling, and math. The pattern of results suggests that both children with dyslexia and SLI are characterized with poorer verbal working memory and IQ compared to controls, but preserved nonverbal cognitive skills. It appears that that these two disorder groups cannot be distinguished by the severity of their cognitive deficits. However, there was a differential pattern with respect to learning outcomes, where the children with dyslexia rely more on visual skills in spelling, while those with SLI use their relative strengths in vocabulary. These findings can have important implications for how intervention is tailored in the classroom, as disorder-specific support could yield important gains in learning.
Complications of Myocardial Infarction

This is a case of a 61 year old woman with chest discomfort and evidence of an inferior, ST-elevation myocardial infarction, who develops persistent cardiogenic shock and respiratory failure after primary percutaneous coronary intervention. We discuss the differential diagnosis for cardiogenic shock after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) including left ventricular failure, right ventricular failure, iatrogenic causes such as over-medication or bleeding complications, and mechanical complications of AMI including ventricular septal rupture (VSR), papillary muscle rupture, and free-wall rupture with cardiac tamponade. We focus on modalities for making the diagnosis including physical exam findings, trans-thoracic echocardiography, left ventriculogram, and right-heart catheterization. Medical as well as surgical management is discussed. Finally, we explore the controversial aspects regarding the evidence for intra-aortic balloon pump use in patients with cardiogenic shock after AMI, the optimal timing of surgical repair for VSR, and percutaneous options for VSR closure.
STATISTICS IN ARCHAEOLOGY

The basic statistical tools described above provide for fundamental quantitative description and comparison, for establishing the confidence with which the samples available permit characterizations of the populations from which they come, and for assessing the strength and significance of the relationships between pairs of variables. More complicated statistical tools for multivariate analysis, which cannot be summarized here, are also often used in archaeology: cluster analysis, factor analysis (or principal components analysis), discriminant analysis, multidimensional scaling, multiple regression, and others. As in many fields where statistical analysis is applied, examples of valid and insightful use of statistical tools can be found in archaeology, along with serious misunderstanding of statistical results. It is clear that archaeologists have not always fully grasped the meaning of statistical significance (and its mirror image, confidence) or entirely understood how this notion differs from strength. In concluding summary, then, strength starts with what can be observed in samples: Is there much relationship between two variables in the samples that we have? How much difference is there between two categories in the samples that we have? Confidence and significance concern the inferences we make about the populations our samples come from. They tell us how confident we should be that our samples are large enough to sustain the conclusions we would like to make (based on the strength of what we observe in them) about the populations from which they come.
Management of Patients With Histologic Transformation

The incidence of histological transformation is up to 30% over a period of 10 years. This risk persists even beyond the initial decade of diagnosis of an indent lymphoma. In this era of emerging novel therapies, one could hope for an improved survival. There are currently no randomized trials guiding therapy for transformed lymphoma. Treatment recommendations are based on observational studies or non-randomized single arm clinical trials. To that extent, although routinely recommended and performed at transplant centers, voluminous evidence to suggest the timing or type (autologous or allogeneic) of transplant is lacking. In this article, we discuss the clinical features, treatment approach and role of stem cell transplant in transformed lymphoma.
When DNA Topology Turns Deadly – RNA Polymerases Dig in Their R-Loops to Stand Their Ground: New Positive and Negative (Super)Twists in the Replication–Transcription Conflict

Head-on replication-transcription conflict is especially bitter in bacterial chromosomes, explaining why actively transcribed genes are always co-oriented with replication. The mechanism of this conflict remains unclear, besides the anticipated accumulation of positive supercoils between head-on-conflicting polymerases. Unexpectedly, experiments in bacterial and human cells reveal that head-on replication-transcription conflict induces R-loops, indicating hypernegative supercoiling [(-)sc] in the region - precisely the opposite of that assumed. Further, as a result of these R-loops, both replication and transcription in the affected region permanently stall, so the failure of R-loop removal in RNase H-deficient bacteria becomes lethal. How hyper(-)sc emerges in the middle of a positively supercoiled chromosomal domain is a mystery that requires rethinking of topoisomerase action around polymerases.
Whose and what futures? Navigating the contested coproduction of Thailand’s energy sociotechnical imaginaries

Abstract The futures of energy in developing countries need to be catalyzed, created, and nurtured in a process hinged towards achieving the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement. This paper looks at how Thailand produces this normative energy future. Using the STS concept of sociotechnical imaginaries and empirical evidence gathered through interviews and document analysis, this paper critically engages, describes, and compares the dominant and resistant imaginaries in the ongoing production of Thailand’s energy future. I highlight three core imaginaries and describe how they intertwine with political economy, are determined by value sets and value systems, and present either visions of continuity or transformation. The dominance and/or marginalization of an imaginary, it appears, are contingent upon issues of power and resources. This entails that the production of energy futures in Thailand and beyond would be an ongoing process intertwining with heterogeneous actors and institutions, their value systems, interests and politics. Understanding these tensions and allowing alternative imaginaries to permeate policy-setting processes would be key in delivering a coherent and effective public policy.
Cut me if you can

In this issue of Blood, Sinha et al describe the generation of 2 mouse lines with distinct point mutations in protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1) that prevent the cleavage of the receptor by either thrombin or activated protein C (APC).1
Effects of exposure to erotica on disgust: A preliminary test among contamination-fearful individuals

Abstract Disgust has been implicated in the fear of contamination that is commonly observed in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, basic and treatment-oriented research has shown that disgust is resistant to extinction among those with a fear of contamination. Consequently, there is growing interest in discovering novel approaches to targeting heightened disgust responding among those with OCD. Recent experimental research suggests that sexual arousal may inhibit disgust responding. Accordingly, the present study examines the effects of exposure to erotica on verbal reports of disgust and behavioral avoidance in a contamination-fearful sample of adults. Participants viewed sexually arousing, positively arousing, or neutral films and participated in a series of sexually relevant and non-sexually relevant behavioral approach tasks. Participants also gave ratings of disgust before and after completing each behavioral task. Although no group differences were observed for the number of steps completed on the behavioral approach tasks, those who viewed sexually arousing films reported significantly less change in disgust throughout the behavioral approach task compared to those who viewed positively arousing and neutral films. The potential clinical implications of the effects of sexual arousal on disgust responding in contamination-based OCD are discussed.
The Effect of Labor-Management Complementarities on Production and Efficiency When Management Is Paid but Labor Is Not Paid

I measure the effect of differences in labor-management complementarities (LMCs) on differences in production and efficiency when management is paid but labor is not paid. I find that differences in LMCs are positively associated with differences in production and efficiency. This result implies that relatively stronger LMCs are associated with relatively greater production and efficiency even in the absence of compensation for one factor of production.
Asymmetric Cell Division and Fate Specification in the Drosophila Central Nervous System

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews recent work on neuroblast polarity and asymmetric cell division in the Drosophila central nervous system (CNS). The Drosophila CNS arises from asymmetric cell divisions of neural precursors, called neuroblasts. The sibling cells produced at each neuroblast division are the regenerated neuroblast and its daughter cell, called a ganglion mother cell (GMC). This chapter provides a brief introduction of neuroblast formation and specification and describes morphological and molecular features of neuroblast polarity and cell division. It presents what is known about the functions of asymmetrically localized proteins and RNAs in neuroblasts and discusses cell cycle and cytoskeletal regulatory mechanisms which are required for asymmetric protein and RNA localization in neuroblasts. It also explains asymmetric divisions of GMCs.
A Pilot Project Using Pediatricians as Initial Diagnosticians in Multidisciplinary Autism Evaluations for Young Children.

Objectives Wait times for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) evaluations are long, thereby delaying access to ASD-specific services. We asked how our traditional care model (requiring all patients to see psychologists for ASD diagnostic decisions) compared to an alternative model that better utilizes the available clinicians, including initial evaluation by speech, audiology, and pediatrics (trained in Level 2 autism screening tools). Pediatricians could diagnose immediately if certain about diagnosis but could refer uncertain cases to psychology. Accuracy and time to diagnosis, charges, and parent satisfaction were our main outcome measures. Methods Data were gathered through record extraction (n = 244) and parent questionnaire (n = 57). We compared time to diagnosis, charges, and parent satisfaction between traditional and alternative models. Agreement between pediatrician and psychologist diagnoses was examined for a subset (n = 18). Results The alternative model's time to diagnosis was 44% faster (85 vs 152 d) and 33% less costly overall. Diagnostic agreement was 93% for children with ASD diagnoses and 100% for children without ASD diagnoses. Pediatricians expressed higher diagnostic certainty about children with higher levels of ASD symptoms. Parents reported no differences in high satisfaction with experiences, family-centered care, and shared decision making. Conclusion Efficient use of available clinicians with additional training in Level 2 autism screening resulted in improvements in time to diagnosis and reduced charges for families. Coordination of multidisciplinary teams makes this possible, with strategic sequencing of patients through workflow. Flexibility was key to not only allowing pediatricians to refer uncertain cases to psychology for diagnosis but also allowing for diagnosis by a pediatrician when symptomatic presentation clearly met diagnostic criteria.
Invariant theory and orientational phase transitions

The Landau theory of phase transitions has been productively applied to phase transitions that involve rotational symmetry breaking, such as the transition from an isotropic fluid to a nematic liquid crystal. It even can be applied to the orientational symmetry breaking of simple atomic or molecular clusters that are not true phase transitions. In this paper, we address fundamental problems that arise with the Landau theory when it is applied to rotational symmetry breaking transitions of more complex particle clusters that involve order parameters characterized by larger values of the l index of the dominant spherical harmonic that describes the broken symmetry state. The problems are twofold. First, one may encounter a thermodynamic instability of the expected ground state with respect to states with lower symmetry. A second problem concerns the proliferation of quartic invariants that may or may not be physical. We show that the combination of a geometrical method based on the analysis of the space of invariants, developed by Kim to study symmetry breaking of the Higgs potential, with modern visualization tools provides a resolution to these problems. The approach is applied to the outcome of numerical simulations of particle ordering on a spherical surface and to the ordering of protein shells.
Nonconforming Schwarz-Spectral Element Methods For Incompressible Flow

Abstract We present scalable implementations of spectral-element-based Schwarz overlapping (overset) methods for the incompressible Navier-Stokes (NS) equations. Our SEM-based overset grid method is implemented at the level of the NS equations, which are advanced independently within separate subdomains using interdomain velocity and pressure boundary-data exchanges at each timestep or sub-timestep. Central to this implementation is a general, robust, and scalable interpolation routine, that rapidly determines the computational coordinates (processor p , element number e , and local coordinates ( r , s , t ) ∈ Ω ^ : = [ − 1 , 1 ] 3 ) for any arbitrary point x * = ( x * , y * , z * ) ∈ Ω ⊂ l R 3 . The communication kernels in gslib execute with at most log P complexity for P MPI ranks, have scaled to P > 10 6 , and obviate the need for development of any additional MPI-based code for the Schwarz implementation. The communication overhead due to the boundary data interpolation and exchange is only about 1% of the total time-to-solution for most cases. The original interpolation routine has been extended to account for multiple overlapping domains. The new implementation discriminates the possessing subdomain by distance to the domain boundary, such that the interface boundary data is taken from the inner-most interior points. We demonstrate exponential convergence of the Schwarz-SEM formulation, and present application of this method to several heat transfer and fluid dynamic problems. We also discuss the computation/communication complexity and accuracy of the approach, and present performance measurements for P > 12, 000.
Why Humans Have Sex: Development and Psychometric Assessment of a Short-Form Version of the YSEX? Instrument.

Research has documented 237 distinct reasons for engaging in sex, which have been clustered into the 141-item, 13 subscale YSEX? instrument. Although the YSEX? has impressive psychometric propertie...
Workup and Management of Immune‐Mediated Colitis in Patients Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

As the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors for several different malignancies becomes more mainstream, their side-effect profile raises new challenges. In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first checkpoint inhibitor for the treatment of advanced melanoma, and since then, checkpoint inhibitors have demonstrated efficacy in many other tumor types. Given the frequent use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in a wide range of cancers today, the diagnosis and management of their immune-mediated toxicities need special attention. One of the most common is immune-mediated colitis. Workup and management of immune-mediated colitis can be challenging and is the purpose of this review. KEY POINTS: Rate of immune mediated colitis differ from different kind of immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment. To work up immune-mediated colitis, tests to rule out infectious etiologies of diarrhea, colonoscopy and abdominal image will help to differentiate immune mediated colitis from colitis from other etiology. Patients with mild colitis can be managed with supportive therapies alone, but more severe cases may require immunomodulators such as steroid. Refractory cases may require tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, such as infliximab in addition to steroid treatment.