cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clustering for glossy global illumination

We present a new clustering algorithm for global illumination in complex environments. The new algorithm extends provious work on clustering for radiosity to allow for nondiffuse (glossy) reflectors. We represent clusters as points with directional distributions of outgoing and incoming radiance and importance, and we derive an error bound for transfers between these clusters. The algorithm groups input surfaces into a hierarchy of clusters, and then permits clusters to interact only if the error bound is below an acceptable tolerance. We show that the algorithm is asymptotically more efficient than previous clustering algorithms even when restricted to ideally diffuse environments. Finally, we demonstrate the performance of our method on two complex glossy environments.
Nutrient control of yeast PKA activity involves opposing effects on phosphorylation of the Bcy1 regulatory subunit.

Kelch repeat proteins Gpb1 and Gpb2 control yeast PKA activity in response to nutrients by stimulating phosphorylation of the Bcy1 regulatory subunit. Gpb1 and Gpb2 function by blocking inhibition ...
Critical Role for CCAAT/Enhancer-Binding Protein β in Immune Complex-Induced Acute Lung Injury

C/EBPs, particularly C/EBPβ and C/EBPδ, are known to participate in the regulation of many genes associated with inflammation. However, very little is known regarding the activation and functions of C/EBPβ and C/EBPδ in acute lung inflammation and injury. In this study, we show that both C/EBPβ and C/EBPδ activation are triggered in lungs and in alveolar macrophages following intrapulmonary deposition of IgG immune complexes. We further show that mice carrying a targeted deletion of the C/EBPβ gene displayed significant attenuation of the permeability index (lung vascular leak of albumin), lung neutrophil accumulation (myeloperoxidase activity), total number of WBCs, and neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids compared with wild-type mice. Moreover, the mutant mice expressed considerably less TNF-α, IL-6, and CXC/CC chemokine and soluble ICAM-1 proteins in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids, and corresponding mRNAs in the IgG immune complex-injured lung, compared with wild-type mice. These phenotypes were associated with a significant reduction in morphological lung injury. In contrast, C/EBPδ deficiency had no effect on IgG immune complex-induced lung injury. IgG immune complex-stimulated C/EBPβ-deficient alveolar macrophages released significantly less TNF-α, IL-6, MIP-2, keratinocyte cell-derived chemokine, and MIP-1α compared with wild-type cells. Similar decreases in IgG immune complex-induced inflammatory mediator production were observed following small interfering RNA ablation of C/EBPβ in a murine alveolar macrophage cell line. These findings implicate C/EBPβ as a critical regulator of IgG immune complex-induced inflammatory responses and injury in the lung.
Sampling from large graphs

Given a huge real graph, how can we derive a representative sample? There are many known algorithms to compute interesting measures (shortest paths, centrality, betweenness, etc.), but several of them become impractical for large graphs. Thus graph sampling is essential.The natural questions to ask are (a) which sampling method to use, (b) how small can the sample size be, and (c) how to scale up the measurements of the sample (e.g., the diameter), to get estimates for the large graph. The deeper, underlying question is subtle: how do we measure success?.We answer the above questions, and test our answers by thorough experiments on several, diverse datasets, spanning thousands nodes and edges. We consider several sampling methods, propose novel methods to check the goodness of sampling, and develop a set of scaling laws that describe relations between the properties of the original and the sample.In addition to the theoretical contributions, the practical conclusions from our work are: Sampling strategies based on edge selection do not perform well; simple uniform random node selection performs surprisingly well. Overall, best performing methods are the ones based on random-walks and "forest fire"; they match very accurately both static as well as evolutionary graph patterns, with sample sizes down to about 15% of the original graph.
A Theoretical Increase in Infants’ Hepatic Vitamin A Is Realized Using a Supplemented Lactating Sow Model

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a public health problem affecting millions in developing nations. Supplementation for lactating women, whose needs are high, involves large oral doses of the preformed vitamin. The safety and efficacy of these doses has been inadequately studied. Lactating women typically receive 210 micro mol of retinyl ester during early lactation, but 420 micro mol has also been administered. If larger doses of vitamin A are not significantly more effective in preventing VAD in mothers and infants, then smaller doses would be recommended. We therefore examined the vitamin A concentration of milk from lactating sows (n = 15) that were provided two different doses of vitamin A (i.e., 1050 or 2100 micro mol, n = 6/group) or corn oil (n = 3), corresponding to doses given women on the basis of body weight. Compared with controls, an overall significant treatment effect was found (P = 0.0019), but there was no difference in milk concentration between treatment groups. Theoretically, applying the mean milk vitamin A concentrations of the groups through 12 h and values to 48 h from 4 sows, we estimate that an infant of a supplemented mother could realize an increase of +0.08 or 0.16 micro mol/g liver from the low or high dose, respectively.
Multidisciplinary intervention of early, lethal metastatic prostate cancer: Report from the 2015 Coffey-Holden Prostate Cancer Academy Meeting.

Author(s): Miyahira, Andrea K; Lang, Joshua M; Den, Robert B; Garraway, Isla P; Lotan, Tamara L; Ross, Ashley E; Stoyanova, Tanya; Cho, Steve Y; Simons, Jonathan W; Pienta, Kenneth J; Soule, Howard R | Abstract: BackgroundThe 2015 Coffey-Holden Prostate Cancer Academy Meeting, themed: "Multidisciplinary Intervention of Early, Lethal Metastatic Prostate Cancer," was held in La Jolla, California from June 25 to 28, 2015.MethodsThe Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) sponsors an annual, invitation-only, action-tank-structured meeting on a critical topic concerning lethal prostate cancer. The 2015 meeting was attended by 71 basic, translational, and clinical investigators who discussed the current state of the field, major unmet needs, and ideas for addressing earlier diagnosis and treatment of men with lethal prostate cancer for the purpose of extending lives and making progress toward a cure.ResultsThe questions addressed at the meeting included: cellular and molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis, evaluating, and targeting the microenvironment in the primary tumor, advancing biomarkers for clinical integration, new molecular imaging technologies, clinical trials, and clinical trial design in localized high-risk and oligometastatic settings, targeting the primary tumor in advanced disease, and instituting multi-modal care of high risk and oligometastatic patients.DiscussionThis article highlights the current status, greatest unmet needs, and anticipated field changes that were discussed at the meeting toward the goal of optimizing earlier interventions to potentiate cures in high-risk and oligometastatic prostate cancer patients.
Regulatory circuits in cell motility.

Regulatory Circuits in Cell Motility, a symposium celebration sponsored by the Physiological Society of Philadelphia and the Thomas Jefferson University Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics in honor of David Hartshorne and his many contributions to muscle research was held at Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia on October 11–12, 2013. Drs. Marion Siegman, Masumi Eto, Mike Walsh, Feri Erdodi, Tim Haystead and Avril Somlyo served on the Organizing Committee. Many colleagues and muscle researchers from Europe, Japan, Canada and the USA attended this meeting in recognition of Dr. Hartshorne’s seminal contributions to the biochemistry and physiology of muscle proteins over a stellar career. Dr. Hartshorne trained under the mentorship of the renowned Sam Perry at the University of Birmingham, England where he received his Ph.D. in Muscle Biochemistry in 1962. Following postdoctoral training at UCSF, SUNY Brooklyn and the University of Birmingham, he accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Carnegie-Mellon University rising through the ranks to Professor. Subsequently, he moved to Tucson at the University of Arizona where his laboratory attracted many young international muscle biochemists and physiologists. He has recently retired to enjoy the Tucson sunshine. Apart from his early work on troponin, tropomyosin and the subunit structure of myosin, Dave is recognized for his groundbreaking contributions to the understanding of the role of myosin regulatory light chain phosphorylation as the switch to activate smooth muscle myosin actomyosin ATPase as well as the importance of calmodulin as a regulatory component of myosin light chain kinase. He is also recognized for his major studies on myosin phosphatases and their regulation by phosphorylation in smooth muscle contractility, in mitosis and cell motility. His discovery of calyculin A as an inhibitor of type 1 and 2A protein serine/threonine phosphatases has provided an excellent tool for the field. The symposium covered the following areas: myosin light chain kinases and the roles of myosin light chain phosphorylation; regulation and function of myosin light chain phosphatase; calcium sensitization and desensitization; calmodulin, twitchin, phosphatase targeting and actin polymerization; unconventional myosins. Speaker and poster abstracts follow.
Utah State University's T2 ODV mobility analysis

In response to ultra-high maneuverability vehicle requirements, Utah State University (USU) has developed an autonomous vehicle with unique mobility and maneuverability capabilities. This paper describes a study of the mobility of the USU T2 Omni-Directional Vehicle (ODV). The T2 vehicle is a mid-scale (625 kg), second-generation ODV mobile robot with six independently driven and steered wheel assemblies. The six wheel, independent steering system is capable of unlimited steering rotation, presenting a unique solution to enhanced vehicle mobility requirements. This mobility study focuses on energy consumption in three basic experiments, comparing two modes of steering: Ackerman and ODV. The experiments are all performed on the same vehicle without any physical changes to the vehicle itself, providing a direct comparison these two steering methodologies. A computer simulation of the T2 mechanical and control system dynamics is described.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A test of quantitative models on the efficiency of American stock markets

This project examined how one should invest in American stock markets by challenging the semi-strong form of the efficient market hypothesis. Its semi-strong form states that the price of any given security accurately reflects any information that is publicly available. Thus, an investor in an efficient market can not exploit this information to earn above average earnings consistently. In this project some of the best known investment strategies of the past 60 years were compared to the strategy of index fund investment. These strategies have been developed into quantitative models that mirror the strategy as it was published. The use of quantitative strategies allowed the researchers to use real market data on American stock markets from 1971 through 2006. Strategies found Pareto optimal maximized returns and minimized risk over the long and short term.
Leveraging Natural Resource Science: Responding, Translating, and Participating

The biggest challenge that natural resource scientists face—especially those of us “still in training”—is not doing science but instead leveraging science in what ought to be a discourse between scientists and resource managers, policy makers, and stakeholders. Particularly in an era of rapid and widespread environmental change, we must not remain cloistered in a closed loop of peer review and research institutions. Instead, we need to (1) respond to management and policy relevant research needs, (2) translate findings (including those pesky uncertainties) into useable frameworks, and (3) actively participate in conversations surrounding decision making in natural resources. These checkboxes of leveraging science all entail knowledge about and engagement with the natural and human facets of the systems of interest. Hit the trails, and take a manager out to lunch, as a mentor always advises.
Clearance of SP-C and recombinant SP-C in vivo and in vitro.

Surfactant protein (SP) C metabolism was evaluated in vivo by measurements of the clearance of bovine native SP-C (nSP-C) and a recombinant SP-C (rSP-C) in rabbits and mice and in vitro by the upta...
Confederate Immigration to Brazil: A Cross-Cultural Approach to Reconstruction and Public History

Given the interconnectedness of the contemporary world, it is imperative that historians place their studies within a global context, connecting domestic and foreign events in order to offer a thorough picture of the past. As historians, we should aim at exploring transnational connections in our published research and incorporating the same methodologies in the classroom, as well as in the field of Public History. Cross-cultural collaboration and transnational studies are challenging, but exceptionally effective approaches to developing a comprehensive understanding of the past and connecting people to their history. Important recent scholarship has placed the American Civil War in a broad international and transnational context. This article argues for the importance of continuing this trend, pointing to a unique case study: the confederate migration to Brazil during and after the Civil War. This episode can help us understand the international impact of the War in the western hemisphere. These confederates attempted to preserve some aspects of their Southern society by migrating to Brazil, one of the remaining slaveholding societies in the hemisphere at the time. Moreover, the descendants that remained in Brazil have engaged in a unique process of remembering and commemorating their heritage over the years. Exploring this migration will enhance Civil War and Reconstruction historiography, as well as commemoration, heritage and memory studies.
A Case Series: The Identification of Buried Bumper Syndrome With Abdominal Computed Tomography Scan in Two Severely Brain Injured Rehabilitation Patients

Buried bumper syndrome is a potentially dangerous complication related to percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube placement. Early diagnosis of this condition is important to avoid further complications related to subcutaneous or intraperitoneal administration of tube feedings. However, diagnosis in persons with altered mental status due to brain injury is challenging because of the patient's lack of ability to communicate and report symptoms. We present 2 case studies that demonstrate both the importance of early diagnosis and management and the lack of adequate sensitivity of a Gastrografin-aided kidney, ureter, and bladder (KUB) study.
Influences on preschool children's oral health-related quality of life as reported by English and Spanish-speaking parents and caregivers.

Objective This study examined young, preschool children's oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among a community-based cohort of English and Spanish-speaking parent–child dyads in North Carolina, and sought to quantify the association of parent/caregiver characteristics, including spoken language, with OHRQoL impacts. Methods Data from structured interviews with 1,111 parents of children aged 6–23 months enrolled in the Zero-Out Early Childhood Caries study in 2010–2012 were used. OHRQoL was measured using the overall score (range: 0–52) of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS). We examined associations with parents' sociodemographic characteristics, spoken language, self-reported oral and general health, oral health knowledge, children's dental attendance, and dental care needs. Analyses included descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate methods based upon zero-inflated negative binomial regression. To determine differences between English and Spanish speakers, language-stratified model estimates were contrasted using homogeneity χ2 tests. Results The mean overall ECOHIS score was 3.9 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.6–4.2]; 4.7 among English-speakers and 1.5 among Spanish speakers. In multivariate analyses, caregivers' education showed a positive association with OHRQoL impacts among Spanish speakers [prevalence ratio (PR) = 1.12 (95% CI = 1.03–1.22), for every added year of schooling], whereas caregivers' fair/poor oral health showed a positive association among English speakers (PR = 1.20; 95% CI = 1.02–1.41). Conclusions The overall severity of ECOHIS impacts was low among this population-based sample of young, preschool children, and substantially lower among Spanish versus English speakers. Further studies are warranted to identify sources of these differences in – actual or reported – OHRQoL impacts.
Cryogenic Propellant Insulation System Design Tools for Mass Optimization of Space Vehicles

A suite of design tools for cryogenic fluid storage thermal insulation systems have been developed between Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Preliminary design tools for both passive and active cryogenic fluid storage systems were developed. The initial use for these tools is in designing cryogen storage systems for inspace vehicles for the Lunar campaign; however, they can also be applied to other flight and storage vessels. Due to the high specific impulses associated with cryogenic propellant systems, they are in high demand from space vehicle designers. However, without proper knowledge of how to design cryogenic propellant storage tanks, erroneously huge losses due to unoptimized sizing and insulation may be calculated. The goal of creating these tools was to establish a NASA in-house design tool that could be used to assist future vehicle designs. Both tools were successfully used in the Long Duration Earth Departure Stage Study as well as the initial planning stages for the cryogenic fluids options for Altair and in many studies supporting the Constellation Lunar Architecture Team as well as the Constellation Mars Architecture Team's Mars Design Reference Architecture Study. The use of these tools in the above studies helped to establish the feasibility of using cryogenic propellants for long term space flight without enduring the large mass penalties previously seen in cryogenic space flight.
Investigation on Forest Farming Taking Yellow Chicken Industry in Guangxi as the Case

Currently,the forest farming on Yellow Chicken industry has become an important part of Guangxi animal husbandry and important way to increase income of farmers.Forest farming model matures,dominant region appears gradually,and brand creation of corporate gets results,and government gives great importance.The main approaches are: strengthening the leadership,the introduction of policies,fostering large farmers,cross-rotation grazing,and strengthening service and good publicity.For environmental bearing pressure,the relatively poor infrastructure,breeding and processing industry has been lagging behind other issues.The paper proposes some countermeasures such as both to development and protection,strict management and good disease prevention and control,strengthening infrastructure construction,improving the service system and speed up the breeding and animal products processing steps.
New concepts in immunotherapy.

A careful medical history is the physician’s most valuable diagnostic tool to identify atopic patients. Skin tests and in vitro tests are valuable for diagnostic confirmation. Allergenic extract immunotherapy is dose dependent. Quantition by in vivo, skin endpoint titration, and in vitro, modified radioallergosorbent test (RAST), for specific IgE antibodies provides the clinician with a safe, initial dose potency. Various routes of immunotherapy using various standardized and unstandardized allergenic extracts have all produced blocking antibodies and symptomatic improvement. No single, empiric, predetermined maintenance of optimal dose of allergenic extract that is right for every patient can be predicted, nor can immunotherapy be administered to a patient without possible adverse reactions.
Conference Curriculum Content and Organization in United States Neurology Residencies: A Cross-Sectional Survey (P2.354)

Objective: To evaluate conference curricular content and organization in United States adult neurology residency programs. Background: ACGME neurology residency program requirements mandate regular scheduling of educational conferences covering the full clinical spectrum of neurological disorders and providing a scientific foundation for the specialty. Design/Methods: We performed a cross-sectional survey of US adult neurology programs. Each educational session for the academic year 2014-15 in four participating residencies was reviewed for duration, ideal expected resident attendance, educational format, theme and subspecialty content. Data were recorded in adjusted units of residency-program hours (RPH), where one unit represents all residents in each program attending one hour of conference. Results: There was an average of 246 +/- 33 RPH of conference per program per year. Eight pedagogical formats, 17 educational themes and 36 subdisciplines were identified. The dominant theme was adult clinical neurology with 131 +/- 39 RPH; pediatric clinical neurology accounted for 17 +/- 9 RPH. Basic science-themed content represented 17 +/- 10[percnt] of the curriculum. Interactive versus didactic pedagogic sessions represented 32 +/- 12[percnt]. Residents attended conference on average 62 minutes per weekday. Conferences with a neurosurgical theme accounted 2 RPH per year on average. One program has adopted an academic half day conference schedule, and another has a weekly schedule plus quarterly academic half days. Assigned reading and post-testing were scarce. Conclusions: In this sample, there is evidence of major institutional investment in resident conference education. About a third of conferences have an interactive pedagogical format and about a fifth have a basic science theme. Neurosurgical didactic content appears to be underrepresented. Academic half-day scheduling, which allows for consistency in the resident conference experience, is seen in some programs. Course-like features such as internal evaluation of learning and assigned reading are rare. Resident attendance and the effect of interruptions remain unknown. Disclosure: Dr. Jeyakumar has nothing to disclose. Dr. Khemani has received research support from Kyowa. Dr. Jozefowicz has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity from Continuum Audio. Dr. Shirvalkar has nothing to disclose. Dr. Miravalle has nothing to disclose. Dr. Farmakidis has nothing to disclose.
Cognitive and Functional Consequence of Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac arrest is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Better-quality bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation training, cardiocerebral resuscitation principles, and intensive post-resuscitation hospital care have improved survival. However, cognitive and functional impairment after cardiac arrest remain areas of concern. Research focus has shifted beyond prognostication in the immediate post-arrest period to identification of mechanisms for long-term brain injury and implementation of promising protocols to reduce neuronal injury. These include therapeutic temperature management (TTM), as well as pharmacologic and psychological interventions which also improve overall neurological function. Comprehensive assessment of cognitive function post-arrest is hampered by heterogeneous measures among studies. However, the domains of attention, long-term memory, spatial memory, and executive function appear to be affected. As more patients survive cardiac arrest for longer periods of time, there needs to be a greater focus on interventions that can enhance cognitive and psychosocial function post-arrest.
The Circadian Timing System and Endocrine Physiology

From the pineal gland to the endocrine pancreas, the circadian timing system drives rhythms of hormone synthesis and secretion. Observation of rhythmic hormone secretion stimulated discovery in the field of chronobiology for well over a century and continues to present new and exciting challenges. Much of what we know about the biological basis of timing in physiology is fruit born of an effort to characterize the basis of hormonal oscillations. The advent of applied molecular genetics in circadian biology ushered in a wave of discovery, leading to characterization of the molecular basis of circadian rhythms in mammals. With this discovery came the revelation that nearly every cell and tissue in mammals harbors a circadian clock: a self-regulating transcription based oscillator of genetic regulatory factors. This benchmark stimulated an explosion of interest in the role for the molecular clock in the timing and amplitude of cellular and organismal physiology. As a field, interest rapidly turned to the elegant and persistent rhythms of hormone secretion. With this renewed focus, the last 10–15 years have been a time of high-paced discovery. We now know a great deal about molecular clock function in each of the major endocrine organs, including the pituitary gland, adrenal gland, pineal gland, gonads, adipose tissue, and endocrine pancreas. The impact of altered clock function in these tissues on physiology suggests strong functional links between the timing and endocrine systems. Understanding the depth and breadth of this integration will allow us to appreciate the complex mechanisms of basic endocrine physiology and possibly provide new and exciting avenues for the treatment of devastating and complex endocrine disorders.
A Strengthening of Ties, May–September 1948

At midnight on 14 May 1948, the British Mandate over Palestine expired and the State of Israel was declared. The next morning the Arab armies invaded, marking the end of the civil war and the beginning of the inter-state Arab-Israeli war. The Israeli military position was not as perilous as traditional Israeli historiography would have it. Qawuqji’s Arab Liberation Army had been all but routed from the north, having suffered a series of humiliating defeats, and Jewish forces had captured key Arab centres of population there, including Haifa, Acre, Tiberias and Safad. In the two days before the termination of the Mandate, they had also taken the coastal strip in the western Galilee right up to the Lebanese border, causing the exodus of most of the civilian population from that area. The Lebanese and the Syrians were the two Arab armies that the Israelis faced in the north. To the south, on the central front, they faced the Iraqi army; in Jerusalem and the surrounding area they faced the Jordanian Arab Legion, the most formidable of the Arab armies and the one that was to inflict the heaviest losses on the Israeli forces. In the far south they faced the Egyptians.
Sniffing Through Millions of Blocks for Bad Smells

Code smells codify poor coding patterns known to degrade software quality. Block-based languages have proven to be a viable educational and end-user programming paradigm with increasing adoption across a broad spectrum of users and domains. This rising popularity of this programming paradigm calls for a serious look at the program quality written in block-based languages. While code smells in the context of text-based languages have been studied extensively, the research community lacks a comprehensive understanding of code smells in block-based software. To address this problem, we present the results of a large-scale study of code smells prevalent in programs written in the highly popular Scratch programming language. We analyzed programs submitted to the public Scratch repository in 2016, considering a million programs altogether. We discovered interesting relationships between the prevalence of certain smells and the levels of proficiency of the programmers commonly introducing them. Our findings not only can help block-based programmers improve the quality of their software, but also establish the requirements for refactoring support in this programming domain.
Admission Hyperglycemia Correlates with Hematoma Volume in Patients with Intracerebral Hemorrhage (P03.167)

OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of admission hyperglycemia on mortality, clinical and radiological parameters, and medical complications in ICH. BACKGROUND: Admission hyperglycemia is commonly observed in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). There is conflicting evidence whether hyperglycemia in ICH is a stress response or a direct cause of increased mortality and morbidity. DESIGN/METHODS: We reviewed our spontaneous ICH database between January 2009 and June 2012. Patients were divided into two groups based on admission blood sugar (normoglycemia: blood sugar RESULTS: Out of 200 patients, 86 had admission hyperglycemia. Patient with hyperglycemia were more likely to have hypertension (85% vs. 69%, p=0.012), coronary artery disease (27% vs. 12%, p=0.01), diabetes (36% vs. 12%, p CONCLUSIONS: In our cohort, admission hyperglycemia in intracerebral hemorrhage is likely a stress response correlating with the degree of brain injury depicted by hematoma volume and IVH. Larger studies are needed to confirm our findings. Disclosure: Dr. Achi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hinduja has nothing to disclose. Dr. Dibu has nothing to disclose. Dr. Patel has nothing to disclose. Dr. Samant has nothing to disclose. Dr. Yaghi has nothing to disclose.
Double dissociation of structure-function relationships in memory and fluid intelligence observed with magnetic resonance elastography

Abstract Brain tissue mechanical properties, measured in vivo with magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), have proven to be sensitive metrics of neural tissue integrity. Recently, our group has reported on the positive relationship between viscoelasticity of the hippocampus and performance on a relational memory task in healthy young adults, which highlighted the potential of sensitive MRE measures for studying brain health and its relation to cognitive function; however, structure-function relationships outside of the hippocampus have not yet been explored. In this study, we examined the relationships between viscoelasticity of both the hippocampus and the orbitofrontal cortex and performance on behavioral assessments of relational memory and fluid intelligence. In a sample of healthy, young adults (N = 53), there was a significant, positive relationship between orbitofrontal cortex viscoelasticity and fluid intelligence performance (r = 0.42; p = .002). This finding is consistent with the previously reported relationship between hippocampal viscoelasticity and relational memory performance (r = 0.41; p = .002). Further, a significant double dissociation between the orbitofrontal-fluid intelligence relationship and the hippocampal-relational memory relationship was observed. These data support the specificity of regional brain MRE measures in support of separable cognitive functions. This report of a structure-function relationship observed with MRE beyond the hippocampus suggests a future role for MRE as a sensitive neuroimaging technique for brain mapping.
Gender Differences in the Leadership Styles of MPA Directors

A growing body of literature has documented leadership styles by gender. This study examines if directors of Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs accredited by the Network of Schools of P...
Lithium and r-Process Abundances in the Population II Cepheid M5 V42

We report the results of an abundance analysis of the 25.7 day Population II Cepheid V42 in the globular cluster M5. V42 is probably a post–asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star, in its final crossing of the H-R diagram. We find [Fe/H] = -1.22, in excellent agreement with a similar analysis of this star by Gonzalez & Lambert, and of red giants in M5 by Sneden et al. The analysis is based on six spectra obtained during three different phases of the star's pulsational cycle. Oxygen is depleted, and sodium is enhanced, while the "α" elements Mg, Si, Ca, and Ti are enhanced by about 0.3 dex. Most interesting, lithium is detected, with log (Li) ≈ +1.8, suggesting the production of lithium and its rapid transport to the surface. Zinc and silicon abundances are normal with respect to iron and calcium, suggesting that depletion onto dust grains during the AGB stage has not affected the star's abundances. The neutron-capture elements show ratios consistent with a nearly pure r-process origin. This r-process dominance is probably unrelated to the production of lithium, since the cluster's red giant branch stars show a similar pattern. Nonetheless, it appears that some low-mass, metal-poor stars do not solely destroy lithium in the course of their normal evolution.
Accelerated Cell Membrane Degradation in Alzheimer’s Disease Brain: Relationship to Amyloid Formation?

Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disease first described by the German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer (Alzheimer, 1907). His initial report was based upon the histological examination of brain tissue from a 51 year old female patient who experienced a rapid progressive deterioration of memory and died four and a half years after the onset of the first symptoms with total loss of mental functions. The brain of this woman showed generalized atrophy without macroscopic lesions. Using a novel silver staining method developed by Bielschowsky, Alzheimer found that more than a quarter of the cortical neurons contained fibrillary tangles, and that this abnormality was accompanied by the extracellular deposition of “multiple miliary lesions”, containing a “unique substance” which was later recognized to be amyloid. In his initial report, Alzheimer also described severe loss of nerve cells, which was most prominent in the upper layers of the brain cortex. More recently, Terry and colleagues used computerized image processing to confirm the loss of cortical neurons, and showed that large cortical neurons are particularly affected (Terry et al., 1981). Neuronal atrophy and the presence of degenerating neurites in the immediate vicinity of amyloid plaques has generated two controversial hypotheses: First, that amyloid is toxic to neurons, and, second, that amyloid is a byproduct of neuronal atrophy formed by neurons during their degeneration.
Increasing Liver Transplantation Wait-List Dropout for Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Widening Geographical Disparities: Implications for Organ Allocation

Given the increasing incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and regional variation in liver transplantation (LT) rates for HCC, we investigated temporal and geographic disparities in LT and wait-list dropout. LT candidates receiving Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) exception from 2005 to 2014 were identified from the United Network for Organ Sharing database (n = 14,320). Temporal differences were compared across 2 eras (2005-2009 and 2010-2014). Regional groups were defined based on median wait time as long-wait region (LWR; regions 1, 5, and 9), mid-wait region (MWR; regions 2, 4, 6, 7, and 8), and short-wait region (SWR; regions 3, 10, and 11). Fine and Gray competing risk regression estimated risk of wait-list dropout as hazard ratios (HRs). The cumulative probability of LT within 3 years was 70% in the LWR versus 81% in the MWR and 91% in the SWR (P < 0.001). From 2005-2009 to 2010-2014, median time to LT increased by 6.0 months (5.6 to 11.6 months) in the LWR compared with 3.8 months (2.6 to 6.4 months) in the MWR and 1.3 months (1.0 to 2.3 months) in the SWR. The cumulative probability of dropout within 3 years was 24% in the LWR versus 16% in the MWR and 8% in the SWR (P < 0.001). From 2005-2009 to 2010-2014, the LWR also had the greatest increase in probability of dropout. Risk of dropout was increased in the LWR (HR, 3.5; P < 0.001) and the MWR (HR, 2.2; P < 0.001) compared with the SWR, and year of MELD exception 2010-2014 (HR, 1.9; P < 0.001) compared with 2005-2009. From 2005-2009 to 2010-2014, intention-to-treat 3-year survival decreased from 69% to 63% in the LWR (P < 0.001), 72% to 69% in the MWR (P = 0.008), and remained at 74% in the SWR (P = 0.48). In conclusion, we observed a significant increase in wait-list dropout in HCC patients in recent years that disproportionately impacted LWR patients. Widening geographical disparities call for changes in allocation policy as well as enhanced efforts at increasing organ donation and utilization.
Criminological Ethnography: Living and Knowing

Reflecting on 30 years of conducting criminological ethnography, I argue in this chapter that phenomenological attentiveness to the world on its own terms lays the foundation for useful ethnographic research. Such research also requires that the ethnographer learn how to know the world: by paying attention to subtlety and nuance, by humbly embracing elegant knowledge, by theorizing within ethnographic findings, and by seeking the emotional accuracy and situated vulnerability of verstehen. Criminological ethnographers face in addition issues of legality and illegality in field research, with such research inevitably shaped by decisions about breaking the law or obeying it. This necessary entanglement of the ethnographer in the research process is reflected in the more recent development of autoethnography, which also suggests new forms of narrative engagement. In summary and conclusion I argue that criminological ethnography is less a technical procedure than an unfolding process of informed improvisation—less a “method” in the traditional sense than a way of knowing and living in the world.
What Are the Complications of Gastric Banding? How Do I Diagnose and Treat Them in the Emergency Department?

Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) is a favorable weight loss option for many obese patients due to its quick recovery time and low risk profile compared to other invasive procedures, such as gastric sleeve or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. LAGB is effective in promoting weight loss and mitigating weight-related comorbidities, such as diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and heart failure. However, it does have unique complications that clinicians should be aware of when evaluating the patient with a LAGB. Most patients will present with nonspecific complaints like abdominal pain, distension, reflux, bloating, nausea, or vomiting. The complications from gastric banding can be worked up with upper gastrointestinal imaging series with contrast as well as consultation with a bariatric surgeon. It is important to diagnose these complications as early management can prevent future complications.
Opportunities for Natural Language Processing in Qualitative Engineering Education Research: Two Examples

This research full paper proposes opportunities to expand qualitative and textual data analysis using natural language processing (NLP), and demonstrates opportunities to use NLP in engineering education work in our presentation of two NLP-based projects as examples of how NLP can be used. The discipline of engineering education frequently employs qualitative data analysis techniques, but fundamentally, the analysis of large corpora of textual documents is limited by researcher’s time. In this paper, we present a brief review literature of how NLP has been used in other qualitative research fields. This portion of the paper is aimed to provide a clear description of NLP for those unfamiliar with machine learning and natural language processing methods. The second part of the paper will provide two brief examples of how NLP is being employed in our research group. Example 1 is a study of engineering resumes, with the intention of being able to calculate the “disciplinary discourse density” based off the engineering language presented in engineering resumes, a technique validated in prior qualitative studies by hand. Example 2 is a genre analysis of engineering literature reviews, seeking to understand the ways in which sentences linguistically build into arguments, such that the task of writing literature reviews might be demystified. This paper will have a methodological impact for researchers attempting to use NLP methods to analyze qualitative data, articulating the opportunities and barriers in using these methods for engineering education research.
Personalized Wellbeing Prediction using Behavioral, Physiological and Weather Data

We built and compared several machine learning models to predict future self-reported wellbeing labels (of mood, health, and stress) for next day and for up to 7 days in the future, using multi-modal data. The data are from surveys, wearables, mobile phones and weather information collected in a study from college students, each providing daily data for 30 or 90 days. We compared the performance of multiple models, including personalized multi-task models and deep learning models. The best personalized multi-task linear model showed mean absolute errors of 12.8, 11.9, and 13.7 on a continuous-100 pt scale for estimating next days mood, health, and stress value, while the best multi-task neural network model, applied to 3-way high/med/low classification of the wellbeing values showed F1 scores of 0.71, 0.74, and 0.66 on mood, health, and stress metrics, respectively. We found that features related to weather, and morning academic activities are strongly associated with wellbeing labels. We further found greater prediction accuracy among participants with the least fluctuations in their wellbeing labels.
A change-point detection and clustering method in the recurrent-event context

Change-point detection in the context of recurrent-event is a valuable analysis tool for the identification of the intensity rate changes. It has been an interesting topic in many fields, such as m...
Effects of Electrostatic Spray and Natural Antioxidants on Chemical Quality of Grass-Finished Beef Strips Steaks

ObjectivesThis study was aimed to determine how electrostatic spray of natural antioxidants impacts chemical quality of grass-finished beef strip steaks.Materials and MethodsTwenty certified grass-finished beef loins from ten animals were purchased from a certified grass-fed beef purveyor. Two loins of the same animals were cut into sixteen 2.5-cm thick steaks (eight steaks per loin) without the gluteus medius muscle. A factorial arrangement of 4 treatments, including a negative control (no spraying; NEG) and 1000-ppm of electrostatic spray of cherry extract rich in ascorbic acid (ES-ACE), electrostatic spray of rosemary and green tea extract rich in polyphenols (ES-RGT), and pressurized spray of ACE (PS-ACE), and 2 retail time points (0 and 5 d) was randomized within an animal, resulting in two steaks receiving a treatment × day combination within an animal. Five loins were randomly selected for chemical analyses (n = 10 per treatment × day combination). Meat antioxidants were extracted in methanol. The extracted antioxidants were reacted with ABTS+ radical cation (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline)-6-sulphonic acid diammonium salt) solution diluted to an absorbance of 0.85 to measure Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) at 734 nm. The extract was also reacted with Folin-Ciocalteu (FC) reagent to measure total phenolic compounds at 765 nm. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were extracted in 10% trichloroacetic acid and reacted with thiobarbituric acid and the resulted pigment was measured at 532 nm. Data were analyzed by the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS v9.4 and actual probability was reported.ResultsOn d 0, NEG steaks had less FC values than all treatment steaks (P < 0.001), of which the ES_ACE steaks had 14 and 100% more than PS_ACE and ES_RGT steaks, respectively (P ≤ 0.005). Only ES_ACE steaks had greater FC value than NEG steaks on d 5 (P < 0.001). As a result, TEAC value of ES_ACE steaks was 17 and 75% more than that of PS_ACE and ES_RGT steaks (P ≤ 0.005) and remained greater than that of NEG steaks on d 5 (P = 0.064). Greater antioxidant capacity in ES_ACE and PS_ACE steaks decreased lipid oxidation by 56% (0.9 µg MDA/kg less in ES_ACE and PS_ACE on d 5) as compared with NEG steaks in ES_ACE steaks in contrast to the other treatments (P < 0.001).ConclusionElectrostatic spray of cherry extract rich in ascorbic acid was the most effective antioxidant application to prevent lipid oxidation in grass-finished beef strips steaks.
Association of six-minute walk distance with subsequent lower extremity events in peripheral artery disease:

The prognostic significance of the six-minute walk distance for lower extremity events in people with peripheral artery disease (PAD) is unknown. This longitudinal study assessed whether a poorer six-minute walk distance at baseline was associated with higher rates of subsequent lower extremity atherosclerotic disease events in PAD. A total of 369 patients (mean age 69.4 ± 10.0 years; mean ankle-brachial index (ABI) 0.67 ± 0.17; 31% women; 30% black individuals) from Chicago-area medical centers with PAD were enrolled. Participants underwent baseline six-minute walk testing and returned for annual study visits. Lower extremity events consisted of one or more of the following: ABI decline greater than 15% or medical record adjudicated lower extremity revascularization, critical limb ischemia, or amputation. At a mean follow-up of 33.3 months, lower extremity events occurred in 66/123 (53.7%) people in the first (worst) tertile of six-minute walk performance, 55/124 (44.4%) in the second tertile, and 56/122 (45.9%) in the third (best) tertile. After adjusting for age, sex, race, ABI, comorbidities, and other confounders, participants in the first (worst) tertile of six-minute walk distance at baseline had higher rates of lower extremity events during follow-up, compared to those in the best tertile at baseline (HR = 1.74, 95% CI 1.17-2.60, p = 0.0067). Among people with PAD, a poorer six-minute walk distance was associated with higher rates of subsequent lower extremity PAD-related events after adjusting for confounders. Further study is needed to determine whether interventions that improve six-minute walk distance can reduce lower extremity adverse events in people with PAD.
Nostalgia, internal migration and the return of Cuban street-vendor songs

When evaluating contemporary pregones, or street-vendor songs, most Cubans tend to resort to comparisons between the sounds of the present and sonic imaginaries of bygone times, often describing th...