cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing the risk to green sturgeon from application of imidacloprid to control burrowing shrimp in Willapa Bay, Washington—Part II: Controlled exposure studies

The activities of 2 species of burrowing shrimp have a negative impact on the growth and survival of oysters reared on intertidal mudflats in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor, Washington (USA). To maintain viable harvests, oyster growers proposed the application of the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid onto harvested beds for the control of burrowing shrimp. In test applications, water column concentrations of imidacloprid were relatively low and dissipated rapidly. The foraging activities of the green sturgeon (listed in the US Endangered Species Act) could result in exposure to higher, more sustained imidacloprid concentrations within sediment porewater and from the consumption of contaminated shrimp. Controlled experiments were conducted using surrogate white sturgeon to determine acute and chronic effect concentrations, to examine overt effects at more environmentally realistic concentrations and durations of exposure, and to assess chemical depuration. The 96-h median lethal concentration was 124 mg L(-1) , and the predicted 35-d no-observed-adverse-effect concentration was 0.7 mg L(-1) . No overt effects were observed following environmentally relevant exposures. Imidacloprid half-life in plasma was greater than 32 h. Measured concentrations of imidacloprid in porewater were significantly lower than the derived acute and chronic effect concentrations for white sturgeon. Exposure risk quotients were calculated using the effect concentrations and estimated environmental exposure. The resulting values were considerably below the level of concern for direct effects from either acute or chronic exposure to an endangered species.
Deregulation of energy metabolism promotes antifibrotic effects in human hepatic stellate cells and prevents liver fibrosis in a mouse model.

Liver fibrosis and cirrhosis result from uncontrolled secretion and accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins by hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) that are activated by liver injury and inflammation. Despite the progress in understanding the biology liver fibrogenesis and the identification of potential targets for treating fibrosis, development of an effective therapy remains elusive. Since an uninterrupted supply of intracellular energy is critical for the activated-HSCs to maintain constant synthesis and secretion of ECM, we hypothesized that interfering with energy metabolism could affect ECM secretion. Here we report that a sublethal dose of the energy blocker, 3-bromopyruvate (3-BrPA) facilitates phenotypic alteration of activated LX-2 (a human hepatic stellate cell line), into a less-active form. This treatment-dependent reversal of activated-LX2 cells was evidenced by a reduction in α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and collagen secretion, and an increase in activity of matrix metalloproteases. Mechanistically, 3-BrPA-dependent antifibrotic effects involved down-regulation of the mitochondrial metabolic enzyme, ATP5E, and up-regulation of glycolysis, as evident by elevated levels of lactate dehydrogenase, lactate production and its transporter, MCT4. Finally, the antifibrotic effects of 3-BrPA were validated in vivo in a mouse model of carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis. Results from histopathology & histochemical staining for collagen and α-SMA substantiated that 3-BrPA promotes antifibrotic effects in vivo. Taken together, our data indicate that sublethal, metronomic treatment with 3-BrPA blocks the progression of liver fibrosis suggesting its potential as a novel therapeutic for treating liver fibrosis.
Lasing action from photonic bound states in continuum.

In 1929, only three years after the advent of quantum mechanics, von Neumann and Wigner showed that Schrodinger's equation can have bound states above the continuum threshold. These peculiar states, called bound states in the continuum (BICs), manifest themselves as resonances that do not decay. For several decades afterwards the idea lay dormant, regarded primarily as a mathematical curiosity. In 1977, Herrick and Stillinger revived interest in BICs when they suggested that BICs could be observed in semiconductor superlattices. BICs arise naturally from Feshbach's quantum mechanical theory of resonances, as explained by Friedrich and Wintgen, and are thus more physical than initially realized. Recently, it was realized that BICs are intrinsically a wave phenomenon and are thus not restricted to the realm of quantum mechanics. They have since been shown to occur in many different fields of wave physics including acoustics, microwaves and nanophotonics. However, experimental observations of BICs have been limited to passive systems and the realization of BIC lasers has remained elusive. Here we report, at room temperature, lasing action from an optically pumped BIC cavity. Our results show that the lasing wavelength of the fabricated BIC cavities, each made of an array of cylindrical nanoresonators suspended in air, scales with the radii of the nanoresonators according to the theoretical prediction for the BIC mode. Moreover, lasing action from the designed BIC cavity persists even after scaling down the array to as few as 8-by-8 nanoresonators. BIC lasers open up new avenues in the study of light-matter interaction because they are intrinsically connected to topological charges and represent natural vector beam sources (that is, there are several possible beam shapes), which are highly sought after in the fields of optical trapping, biological sensing and quantum information.
Constrained motion of Hamiltonian systems

This paper considers dynamical systems described by Hamilton’s equations. It deals with the development of the explicit equations of motion for such systems when constraints are imposed on them. Such explicit equations do not appear to have been obtained hereto. The holonomic and/or nonholonomic constraints imposed can be nonlinear functions of the canonical momenta, the coordinates, and time, and they can be functionally dependent. These explicit equations of motion for constrained systems are obtained through the development of the connection between the Lagrangian concept of virtual displacements and Hamiltonian dynamics. A simple three-step approach for obtaining the explicit equations of motion of constrained Hamiltonian systems is presented. Four examples are provided illustrating the ease and simplicity with which these equations can be obtained by using the proposed three-step approach.
On the Conception of the Causes of Crime in Socialist Society

The historical decisions of the Twenty-fifth Congress of the CPSU have opened boundless prospects for the further all-round progress of Soviet society. A guarantee of such progress is the fact that we "know better than all our critics … our shortcomings, see the difficulties..., see and know the paths that lead to the further development and improvement of our society." (1) Among the shortcomings and negative phenomena that have to be overcome on the road to communism is that abominable heritage of the past, crime. "The higher our society raises itself in its development, the more intolerable become the deviations from socialist norms of ethics we still find. Moneygrubbing, private-property tendencies, hooliganism, bureaucracy, and indifference to human beings conflict with the very essence of our system." (2)
Community banks, poverty alleviation & rural development in Nigeria : a re-orientation

The approach in this paper to examine the Nigerian financial system in order to revisit the role designed for community banks in Nigeria's economic development. Moreover, an effort is made to examine if the role of community banks had been met with the establishment of microfinance institutions. If not, what should be done to refocus community banks to play their role in rural economic development? More importantly, there seems to be a gap to be filled by community banks. There are several rural communities throughout Nigeria without microfinance banks (MFBs). The thesis of this paper is to advance arguments for a re-emergence of community financial institutions to be licensed and regulated by state and local governments to fill the gaps created by MFBs. The new institution to be created must adhere to some tenets such as not restricting loan use, providing access to financial services rather than subsidies, focussing more on women empowerment and supporting institutions instead of projects associated with microfinance.
In situ hybridization detection of cyclin Dl mRNA in centrocytic/mantle cell lymphoma

Summary Background Centrocytic/mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is characterized by a specific chromosomal translocation, t(ll;14)(ql3;q32), which leads to deregulated expression of the Gl cyclin, cyclin Dl (PRADl, CCNDl, BCLl). Cyclin Dl overexpression has been demonstrated in MCL at the mRNA level by Northern blotting and at the protein level by both Western blotting and immunoperoxidase staining. Patients and methods To assess the utility of in situ hybridization (ISH) to detect cyclin Dl mRNA expression in formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tissue, five MCL specimens from three patients and two cases of B-cell smalllymphocytic lymphoma (B-SLL) were studied. BCL1 major translocation cluster gene rearrangements had been previously documented in two MCL patients; the other MCL and the two B-SLL showed no detectable BCL1 or cyclin Dl rearrangement. Results ISH was performed using anti-sense 3H-labeled RNA probes for the cyclin Dl 3′ untranslated region (pPL7) and partial cyclin Dl cDNA (pPL8). ISH experiments usingan anti-sense actin RNA probe demonstrated adequate RNA preservation in all cases. Each of five specimens of MCL demonstrated increased cyclin Dl mRNA. In contrast, neither of the two cases of B-SLL demonstrated detectable levels. Conclusions Overexpression of cyclin Dl mRNA can be detected in MCL by ISH using formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue. The ISH technique may be useful in diagnosing and classifying low-grade B-cell lymphomas and should be applicable to the study of cyclin Dl mRNA expression in a broad spectrum of lymphoid proliferations and solid tumors.
Gamification of Joint Student/System Control over Problem Selection in a Linear Equation Tutor

Integrating gamification features in ITSs has become a popular theme in ITSs research. This work focuses on gamification of shared student/system control over problem selection in a linear equation tutor, where the system adaptively selects the problem type while the students select the individual problems. In a 2x2+1+1 classroom experiment with 267 middle school students, we studied the effect, on learning and enjoyment, of two ways of gamifying shared problem selection: performance-based rewards and the possibility to redo completed problems, both common design patterns in games. We also included two ecological control conditions: a standard ITS and a popular algebra game, DragonBox 12+. A novel finding was that of the students who had the freedom to re-practice problems, those who were not given rewards performed significantly better on the post-tests than their counterparts who received rewards. Also, we found that the students who used the tutors learned significantly more than students who used DragonBox 12+. In fact, the latter students did not improve significantly from pre- to post-tests on solving linear equations. Thus, in this study the ITS was more effective than a commercial educational game, even one with great popular acclaim. The results suggest that encouraging re-practice of previously solved problems through rewards is detrimental to student learning, compared to solving new problems. It also produces design recommendations for incorporating gamification features in ITSs.
Implied weighting and its utility in palaeontological datasets: a study using modelled phylogenetic matrices

Implied weighting, a method for phylogenetic inference that actively seeks to downweight supposed homoplasy, has in recent years begun to be widely utilized in palaeontological datasets. Given the method's purported ability at handling widespread homoplasy/convergence, we investigate the effects of implied weighting on modelled phylogenetic data. We generated 100 character matrices consisting of 55 characters each using a Markov Chain morphology model of evolution based on a known phylogenetic tree. Rates of character evolution in these datasets were variable and generated by pulling from a gamma distribution for each character in the matrix. These matrices were then analysed under equal weighting and four settings of implied weights (k = 1, 3, 5, and 10). Our results show that implied weighting is inconsistent in its ability to retrieve a known phylogenetic tree. Equally weighted analyses are found to generally be more conservative, retrieving higher frequency of polytomies but being less likely to generate erroneous topologies. Implied weighting is found to generally resolve polytomies while also propagating errors, resulting in an increase in both correctly and incorrectly resolved nodes with a tendency towards higher rates of error compared to equal weighting. Our results suggest that equal weights may be a preferable method for parsimony analysis.
Algorithms in the Diagnosis and Management of Exotic Diseases. VI. The Filariases

South America. Malayan filariasis occurs only in southern and Southeast Asia, and loiasis is restricted to western Africa. None of these infections is endemic in the United States at present, but imported cases may be encountered. The filariases are transmitted to man by the bite of infected insect vectors; mosquitoes transmit bancroftian and malayan filariasis, blackflies spread onchocerciasis, and tabanid flies are the vectors of loiasis. The injected larvae mature into adult worms that may be found (according to the species) in the lymphatic system, the connective tissues, the serous cavities, the chambers of the heart, or the pulmonary arteries. After mating, the adult worms release first-stage larvae (microfilariae) that may be found either in the tissues or in the blood. The pathogenicity of the adults and the microfilariae varies according to the species of infecting worm. In bancroftian and malayan filariasis, the presence of adult worms in the lymph nodes and vessels is associated with inflammation and obstruction of the lymphatic system resulting in lymphadenitis, lymphedema, and elephantiasis, while the microfilariae, which
Isolation of foamy virus types 1 and 2 from primary rhesus monkey brain cultures.

SummaryThe isolation and serologic identification by cross-neutralization tests showed the presence of both simian foamy virus types 1 and 2 in primary rhesus monkey brain cell cultures.
Choroid Plexus A-V Malformation Presenting with IVH

A term infant presenting on the second day with apnea and decerebrate posturing had an intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), the result of an arteriovenous malformation of the choroid plexus demonstrated angiographically on the 3rd day and reported from Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Evaluating Physical Outcomes in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Survivors: Validity, Responsiveness, and Minimal Important Difference of 4-Meter Gait Speed Test.

Objective:To examine the reliability, validity, responsiveness, and minimal important difference of the 4-m gait speed test in acute respiratory distress syndrome survivors.Design:Secondary analyses of data from two longitudinal follow-up studies of acute respiratory distress syndrome survivors. Tes
Operative treatment of congenital preauricular fistula accompanied with infection

Objective:To explore the operative opportunity and method of congenital preauricular fistula accompanied with infection and the comparison of the curative effect.Methods:184 cases of congenital preauricular fistula accompanied with infection from January 2003 to September 2005 treated in our department were collected,the distinct methods of management infection,operative opportunity and curative effect were analysed respectively.Results:All the 184 cases were cured,45 of them were performed with fistula excision after the control of inflammation.139 cases were performed in the inflammatory stage,none of them was recurrence.Conclusion:The operative treatment in the inflammatory stage is the most efficient and convenient method for the treatment of preauricular fistula.Thoroughgoing excision of the focus at an early date is the best therapeutic method for preauricular fistual.
Etiology of Acute Lower Respiratory Infection in Children

Objective To study the etiology of acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in children. Methods The multiple pathogens of 246 cases of ALRI were studied by the culture of bacteria and Mycoplasma pneumoniae of sputum and the methods of alkaline phosphatase anti alkaline phosphatase (APAAP) and ELISA. Results Of the 246 patients with ALRI, 50.4% were viral infection, 4.1% were due to bacterial infection and 27.2% were viral mixed with bacterial infection. The incidence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection was 5.7% and unknown pathogens were approximately 12.6% . There was no simple bacterial or Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in the bronchiolitis group, and no simple bacterial infection in the bronchitis group was found either. The rate of mixed infection in the under 1 year old patients was higher than that in the over 1 year old group (χ 2= 13.77 , P 0.05 ). The level of serum C reactive protein (CRP) in children with bacteria infection was higher than that in children with viral infection (χ 2= 34.44 ,P 0.05 ). Conclusions Viral and mixed infections are prominent pathogens of ALRI. Mixed infection is the most common in infants with ALRI. CRP estimation may be helpful in distinguishing bacterial infection from viral infection early.
Income Mobility in the United States

This study makes use of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) in order to examine the relationship between the standard of living one experiences as a youth and their income as an adult. Human capital theory, as well as previous empirical research in economics suggests that as standard of living as a youth increases, future income as an adult should increase as well. The 1979 cohort as well as the 1997 cohort of the NLSY were studied in order to provide insight into how the relationship in question has changed over time. I hypothesize that as standard of living as a youth increases, so too will income as an adult. Furthermore I hypothesize that the level of income mobility will be greater for the 1979 cohort than the 1997 cohort.
Genome-Wide Association Study of Anthracnose Resistance in Andean Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)

Anthracnose is a seed-borne disease of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) caused by the fungus Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, and the pathogen is cosmopolitan in distribution. The objectives of this study were to identify new sources of anthracnose resistance in a diverse panel of 230 Andean beans comprised of multiple seed types and market classes from the Americas, Africa, and Europe, and explore the genetic basis of this resistance using genome-wide association mapping analysis (GWAS). Twenty-eight of the 230 lines tested were resistant to six out of the eight races screened, but only one cultivar Uyole98 was resistant to all eight races (7, 39, 55, 65, 73, 109, 2047, and 3481) included in the study. Outputs from the GWAS indicated major quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance on chromosomes, Pv01, Pv02, and Pv04 and two minor QTL on Pv10 and Pv11. Candidate genes associated with the significant SNPs were detected on all five chromosomes. An independent QTL study was conducted to confirm the physical location of the Co-1 locus identified on Pv01 in an F4:6 recombinant inbred line (RIL) population. Resistance was determined to be conditioned by the single dominant gene Co-1 that mapped between 50.16 and 50.30 Mb on Pv01, and an InDel marker (NDSU_IND_1_50.2219) tightly linked to the gene was developed. The information reported will provide breeders with new and diverse sources of resistance and genomic regions to target in the development of anthracnose resistance in Andean beans.
Annealing behavior of ferroelectric Si-doped HfO2 thin films

Abstract Rapid thermal annealing of 10 nm thick Si-doped HfO 2 thin films was performed to study the influence of isochronal and isothermal anneals on the ferroelectric and electrical properties of thin film metal-ferroelectric-metal capacitors. The anneal temperature and time dependence of the ferroelectric Si-doped HfO 2 thin films was investigated by applying 700 °C–900 °C rapid thermal anneals for 5 s–60 s durations. An antiferroelectric-like to ferroelectric transition with increasing anneal temperature is observed in the Si-doped HfO 2 thin films. The electrical properties of Si-doped HfO 2 thin films exhibit a strong temperature dependence and a significant time dependence for the temporal range studied in this work. The breakdown field in the ferroelectric HfO 2 thin films ranges from 3.8–5.3 MV/cm depending on the anneal temperature and atomic layer deposition cycle ratio. The remanent polarization, breakdown field, and leakage current is discussed in the context of the Si-doping, anneal temperature, and anneal time. Dynamic hysteresis currents are used to illustrate specific cases of the cycling behavior for the Si-doped HfO 2 thin film capacitors.
Barriers to community development in distressed cities: A case study of Camden, New Jersey

Community development theory provides a strong and robust theoretical basis for effective community development practice. However these theoretical constructs have broad implications beyond effective community development practice, they might also inform the lack of community development progress in certain contexts. This article engages community development theory to describe what factors block the advancement of community development in distressed city contexts. By examining the effects of structure, shared meaning, solidarity, agency, and poverty on community development in the case of the city of Camden, New Jersey, the article demonstrates how these social phenomena can potentially inhibit community development progress. The article concludes with a discussion of how these barriers might be overcome to facilitate successful community development.
Racial-Ethnic Disparities in Opioid Prescriptions at Emergency Department Visits for Conditions Commonly Associated with Prescription Drug Abuse

Prescription drug abuse is a growing problem nationally. In an effort to curb this problem, emergency physicians might rely on subjective cues such as race-ethnicity, often unknowingly, when prescribing opioids for pain-related complaints, especially for conditions that are often associated with drug-seeking behavior. Previous studies that examined racial-ethnic disparities in opioid dispensing at emergency departments (EDs) did not differentiate between prescriptions at discharge and drug administration in the ED. We examined racial-ethnic disparities in opioid prescription at ED visits for pain-related complaints often associated with drug-seeking behavior and contrasted them with conditions objectively associated with pain. We hypothesized a priori that racial-ethnic disparities will be present among opioid prescriptions for conditions associated with non-medical use, but not for objective pain-related conditions. Using data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for 5 years (2007-2011), the odds of opioid prescription during ED visits made by non-elderly adults aged 18-65 for 'non-definitive' conditions (toothache, back pain and abdominal pain) or 'definitive' conditions (long-bone fracture and kidney stones) were modeled. Opioid prescription at discharge and opioid administration at the ED were the primary outcomes. We found significant racial-ethnic disparities, with non-Hispanic Blacks being less likely (adjusted odds ratio ranging from 0.56-0.67, p-value < 0.05) to receive opioid prescription at discharge during ED visits for back pain and abdominal pain, but not for toothache, fractures and kidney stones, compared to non-Hispanic whites after adjusting for other covariates. Differential prescription of opioids by race-ethnicity could lead to widening of existing disparities in health, and may have implications for disproportionate burden of opioid abuse among whites. The findings have important implications for medical provider education to include sensitization exercises towards their inherent biases, to enable them to consciously avoid these biases from defining their practice behavior.
Dnmt3a deletion cooperates with the Flt3/ITD mutation to drive leukemogenesis in a murine model

// Jennifer L. Poitras 1 , Diane Heiser 1 , Li Li 1 , Bao Nguyen 1 , Kozo Nagai 1 , Amy S. Duffield 2 , Christopher Gamper 1,3 and Donald Small 1,3 1 Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA 2 Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA 3 Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA Correspondence to: Donald Small, email: // Keywords : FLT3, internal tandem duplication, DNMT3a, acute myeloid leukemia, mouse model Received : May 20, 2016 Accepted : September 02, 2016 Published : September 12, 2016 Abstract Internal tandem duplications of the juxtamembrane domain of FLT3 (FLT3/ITD) are among the most common mutations in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Resulting in constitutive activation of the kinase, FLT3/ITD portends a particularly poor prognosis, with reduced overall survival and increased rates of relapse. We previously generated a knock-in mouse, harboring an internal tandem duplication at the endogenous Flt3 locus, which develops a fatal myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN), but fails to develop acute leukemia, suggesting additional mutations are necessary for transformation. To investigate the potential cooperativity of FLT3/ITD and mutant DNMT3A, we bred a conditional Dnmt3a knockout to a substrain of our Flt3/ITD knock-in mice, and found deletion of Dnmt3a significantly reduced median survival of Flt3 ITD/+ mice in a dose dependent manner. As expected, pIpC treated Flt3 ITD/+ mice solely developed MPN, while Flt3 ITD/+ ; Dnmt3a f/f and Flt3 ITD/+ ; Dnmt3a f/+ developed a spectrum of neoplasms, including MPN, T-ALL, and AML. Functionally, FLT3/ITD and DNMT3A deletion cooperate to expand LT-HSCs, which exhibit enhanced self-renewal in serial re-plating assays. These results illustrate that DNMT3A loss cooperates with FLT3/ITD to generate hematopoietic neoplasms, including AML. In combination with FLT3/ITD, homozygous Dnmt3a knock-out results in reduced time to disease onset, LT-HSC expansion, and a higher incidence of T-ALL compared with loss of just one allele. The co-occurrence of FLT3 and DNMT3A mutations in AML, as well as subsets of T-ALL, suggests the Flt3 ITD/+ ; Dnmt3a f/f model may serve as a valuable resource for delineating effective therapeutic strategies in two clinically relevant contexts.
Genetic markers of immunoglobulin G and immunity to cytomegalovirus in patients with breast cancer

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV), a ubiquitous herpesvirus, has been implicated in the etiology of breast cancer. It is clear that not all people exposed to CMV are equally likely to develop this malignancy, implying the presence of host genetic factors that might modulate the cancer-spurring properties of the virus. CMV has evolved sophisticated strategies for evading host immunosurveillance. One strategy involves encoding decoy Fcγ receptors (FcγR) that thwart the Fcγ-mediated effector functions, such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. In this investigation, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we aimed to determine whether the decoy FcγR encoded by the CMV gene RL13 binds differentially to anti-CMV antibodies expressing different immunoglobulin GM (γ marker) allotypes, genetic markers of immunoglobulin G (IgG). Results of our ELISA binding studies showed that the absorbance values for the binding of the viral FcγR to the GM 17-expressing IgG antibodies were significantly higher than for the GM 3-expressing antibodies (0.60 vs. 0.36; p=0.0019). These findings provide mechanistic insights into the modulating role played by the genetic variants of IgG in the generation of immunity to CMV in patients with breast cancer.
Vascular beds maintain pancreatic tumour explants for ex vivo drug screening.

Our understanding of cancer progression or response to therapies would benefit from benchtop, tissue-level assays that preserve the biology and anatomy of human tumors ex vivo. We present methodology for maintaining patient tumor samples ex vivo for the purpose of drug testing in the clinical setting. The harvested tumor biopsy, excised from mice or patients, is integrated into a support tissue that includes stroma and vasculature. This support tissue preserves tumor histo-architecture and relevant expression profiles, and tumor tissues cultured using this system display different sensitivities to chemotherapeutics compared to tumor explants with no supporting tissue. The methodology is more rapid than PDX models, easy to implement and amenable to high throughput assays, making it an attractive tool for in vitro drug screening or for the guidance of patient-specific chemotherapies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Designing for Parasocial Relationships and Learning: Linear Video, Interactive Media, and Artificial Intelligence

Children today are surrounded by media characters who populate their experiences with video, audio, games, books, clothing, toys, robots, and interactive platforms -- all with growing potential for personalization, adaptivity, and intelligence. In this paper, we describe our experience designing for "parasocial" relations between children and characters using video, interactive media, and artificial intelligence (AI), with reference to related empirical research, and a theoretical model and framework within which to understand these phenomena. The goal of this paper is to spark discussion about the future of character design in the IDC community, with a view to guiding research, development, theory, and policy recommendations; and, facilitating collaboration across disciplines and industries in order to benefit children's learning and healthy development.
Tales of diversity: Genomic and morphological characteristics of forty-six Arthrobacter phages

The vast bacteriophage population harbors an immense reservoir of genetic information. Almost 2000 phage genomes have been sequenced from phages infecting hosts in the phylum Actinobacteria, and analysis of these genomes reveals substantial diversity, pervasive mosaicism, and novel mechanisms for phage replication and lysogeny. Here, we describe the isolation and genomic characterization of 46 phages from environmental samples at various geographic locations in the U.S. infecting a single Arthrobacter sp. strain. These phages include representatives of all three virion morphologies, and Jasmine is the first sequenced podovirus of an actinobacterial host. The phages also span considerable sequence diversity, and can be grouped into 10 clusters according to their nucleotide diversity, and two singletons each with no close relatives. However, the clusters/singletons appear to be genomically well separated from each other, and relatively few genes are shared between clusters. Genome size varies from among the smallest of siphoviral phages (15,319 bp) to over 70 kbp, and G+C contents range from 45-68%, compared to 63.4% for the host genome. Although temperate phages are common among other actinobacterial hosts, these Arthrobacter phages are primarily lytic, and only the singleton Galaxy is likely temperate.
Energy-efficient protocols and systems for wireless sensor networks and smart environments

In a wireless sensor network, small computing devices, called sensors, sense the surrounding environment and relay the sensed data to a base station over a multi-hop wireless network, eventually processing them en-route. Wireless sensor networks and other devices, such as smartphones, smart meters, and smart appliances, cooperate in smart environments to obtain information about the environment, and then use this information to improve the experience of the users. Since most of these systems rely on battery power, there is a need for energy-efficient solutions for their operation. The objective of this dissertation is to design algorithms and protocols to improve the energy efficiency of such systems, and validate them using mathematical analysis, software simulations, and testbed experiments. In the first part of the dissertation, we look at two fundamental problems in wireless sensor networks: localization and duty cycling. In the area of localization, we describe a novel protocol for duty cycling wireless actor and sensor networks, and present a mathematical analysis based on the coupon collector's problem and the theory of coverage processes, as well as simulation results. Our analysis and results show that the proposed protocol achieves the user-requested localization accuracy while maximizing the sleep time of sensor nodes. As far as duty cycling is concerned, we present novel Markov chain-based randomized schemes, and discuss the probabilistic analysis, as well as the experiments we conducted on Sun SPOT sensors. These results show that our proposed schemes reduce the sleep latency, while not affecting other performance metrics such as the energy efficiency, or vice versa. In the second part of the dissertation, we shift our focus to smart environments, and present our research work on data fusion and visualization aimed to provide lay users with actionable information. We introduce a framework, called FuseViz, to leverage already existing data sources such as smartphones, online databases and services, and wireless sensor networks, while addressing the challenges posed by large, live, heterogeneous, and autonomous data streams. We demonstrate the concepts behind our framework with a case study in building energy efficiency, and introduce E2Home, a Web-based application for this problem developed on top of the framework. Preliminary experiment results for the proposed E2Home system not only show that the actionable information can be easily computed, but also demonstrate energy savings of about 10%. Finally, we conclude our dissertation with an overview of a system-level energy model, built using data from the above-mentioned sources, that can be tailored for each home, its location, and residents, and can help further minimize energy consumption.
Ladybird beetle trails reduce host acceptance by Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae)

Abstract We investigated the behavioral responses of the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, to the trail of the convergent ladybird beetle, Hippodamia convergens. We tested the hypothesis that H. convergens trails reduce D. citri host acceptance using choice tests. Citrus plants previously exposed to ladybird beetle larvae and adult trails were avoided by D. citri compared to untreated controls. Female D. citri settling on H. convergens-exposed plants decreased as the density of ladybird beetle larvae or adults used to expose treatment plants was increased. Larval and adult trails were equally repellent to D. citri. In laboratory olfactometer assays that measured orientation to volatile chemical cues, D. citri females avoided citrus plants that were pre-exposed to caged H. convergens larvae for 1, 5 or 10 days as compared with non-exposed controls. Diaphorina citri did not avoid the odor of citrus plants pre-exposed to caged adult H. convergens for 1 or 5 days as compared with the control. However, more female D. citri chose untreated control arms as compared with plants exposed to H. convergens adults for 10 days. We collected larval trails deposited by H. convergens and mechanically re-applied them to citrus plants as a spray solution. D. citri significantly avoided plants treated with previously collected H. convergens trail solutions in choice tests as compared with untreated controls; treatments caused 15 days of residual behavioral activity on D. citri. Our results indicate that chemical cues mediate avoidance of ladybird beetle trails by D. citri. Implications for biological and non-insecticidal control of D. citri are discussed.
CaPSURE update: Examining primary treatment and survival among men with prostate cancer and bony metastatic disease.

275Background: New data is emerging to guide primary treatment of patients with metastatic (M+) disease. Among the CHAARTED and LATITUDE cohorts, 27.2% and 5% of patients with M+ disease had prior local therapy, respectively. This study utilizes the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor (CaPSURE) registry to examine survival among patients with M+ disease. Methods: CaPSURE is a registry of men diagnosed with prostate cancer. We examined sociodemographics, disease biology, primary therapy, and survival among patients who were diagnosed with cM+ disease or developed metastasis. We performed a multivariate Cox model to evaluate the association between timing of metastasis and prostate cancer specific mortality (PCSM), adjusted for age, primary treatment, and follow-up therapy. Results: Of the 14,753 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer from 1990-2016, 717(4.9%) had M+ disease. 328(2.2%) had cM+ disease and 389(2.6%) progressed to bony metastasis. For all patients with M+ disease, 490...
Practice Makes Perfect: Teaching Policy Analysis through Integrated Client-Based Projects

The role of the client in policy analysis has been shifting in the professional field and in academia. In this paper, I reflect on the client orientation of graduate studies in policy analysis. I p...
Cycles in Zero-Sum Differential Games and Biological Diversity

Negative frequency-dependent selection (i.e., declining fitness with increased frequency in the population) is thought to be one of the factors that maintains biological diversity. In this paper, we give a concrete mathematical argument supporting this. Our model is as follows: A collection of species derive their fitnesses via a rock-paper-scissors-type game whose precise payoffs are a function of the environment. The new aspect of our model lies in adding a feedback loop: the environment changes according to the relative fitnesses of the species (hence, payoffs change as a function of fitness, which in turn changes as a function of payoffs). The changes in the payoffs are in keeping with the principle of negative frequency-dependent selection, which is widespread in nature. In order to model our game as a continuous time dynamical system, we cast it in the setting of a differential game. We show that for certain parameters, this dynamics cycles, i.e., no species goes extinct and diversity is maintained. We believe that our techniques can be applied to optimization and machine learning to show that first order methods (e.g., gradient descent/ascent) do cycle even in online settings in which the loss function changes with time.
Dewdrop: an energy-aware runtime for computational RFID

Computational RFID (CRFID) tags embed sensing and computation into the physical world. The operation of the tags is limited by the RF energy that can be harvested from a nearby power source. We present a CRFID run-time, Dewdrop, that makes effective use of the harvested energy. Dewdrop treats iterative tasks as a scheduling problem to balance task demands with available energy, both of which vary over time. It adapts the start time of the next task iteration to consistently run well over a range of distances between tags and a power source, for different numbers of tags in the vicinity, and for light and heavy tasks. We have implemented Dewdrop on top of the WISP CRFID tag. Our experiments show that, compared to normal WISP operation, Dewdrop doubles the operating range for heavy tasks and significantly increases the task rate for tags receiving the least energy, all without decreasing the rate in other situations. Using offline testing, we find that Dewdrop runs tasks at better than 90% of the best rate possible.
The Responsibility to Build Contexts That Enhance Human Functioning and Promote Valued Outcomes for People With Intellectual Disability: Strengthening System Responsiveness

Abstract This article describes a model that systems can use to build contexts that enhance human functioning and promote valued outcomes for individuals with intellectual disability (ID). Our premise is that that systems have a responsibility to build contexts that enhance human functioning and promote valued outcomes for people with ID, and that this obligation can be met through the use of contextual analysis to deliberately design and implement support strategies that are responsive to identified contextual factors. The model employs a 2-step process to identify context-based independent and intervening variables and align support strategies with identified context-based influencing factors, disability policy goals, and associated outcome domains. We propose a number of indicators that can be used to assess the quality of a system's responsiveness based on their implementation of the model. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
An Optimum Design of Hybrid Energy Storage for PV Power Fluctuation Smoothing Based on Frequency Analysis

Proper design of an energy storage system can effectively and economically smooth out the PV power fluctuation and improve the power quality. A frequency analysis based hybrid energy storage devices (ESDs) selection method as well as typical PV data selection method are proposed to determine an optimum energy storage combination to meet the requirement of a power grid. A Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) method is applied to analyze PV output power fluctuations. FFT is also applied to determine the most representative PV output data for the design cycle. The proposed algorithm divided the entire PV output power frequency spectrum into low and high ranges. The divisions are based on the characteristics of individual ESD’s as well as their cycle life and capacity loss. Through the proposed method, the lowest-cost ESD solution can be determined to meet the requirements to smooth out PV output fluctuation under the most representative weather pattern.
Walled-Off Pancreatic Fluid Collections

Walled-off pancreatic fluid collections are made up of pseudocysts (PC) and walled-off pancreatic necrosis (WOPN). Pseudocysts contain only liquid, whereas WOPN consists of liquid and solid components that have undergone necrosis. Patients will usually present with abdominal pain, fever, gastric outlet obstruction, pseudoaneurysm, fistulas, pancreatic ascites, or pleural effusions. Diagnosis can be made by previous history of pancreatitis or pancreatic trauma symptoms supplemented with a computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showing PC and WOPN. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)- or CT-guided sampling of fluid can be used if imaging is unclear. Results of fluid analysis will show elevated amylase and low carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels. If infection is suspected, gram staining may be useful. Treatment can include endoscopic cystgastrostomy or cystduodenostomy, percutaneous approach with CT-guided placement of drains done by interventional radiology, formation of a cystgastrostomy or cystenterostomy, or embolization depending on the symptoms and complications of the disease.
Evaluation of the continuous dilatometer method of silicon carbide thermometry for passive irradiation temperature determination

Abstract Silicon carbide (SiC) is a primary candidate for passive irradiation temperature monitoring, and continuous dilatometry (CD) has been proposed as the key method for extracting irradiation temperatures from SiC thermometry samples. The CD method was evaluated to determine the sensitivity of the technique to the analysis procedure, as well as its accuracy and precision. Analysis found that the CD method had a ±20 °C sensitivity to the algorithm used to determine the irradiation temperatures. Comparison of the CD method with the continuous length change method for SiC thermometry showed CD is a more viable method of extracting irradiation temperatures. A comparison of irradiation temperatures determined by CD with those from active thermocouple measurements further validated the CD method for accurately and precisely determining irradiation temperatures in materials test reactor irradiations.
Metabolic gatekeepers to safeguard against autoimmunity and oncogenic B cell transformation.

B cells face multiple restrictions on glucose and energy metabolism. Their lineage-determining transcription factors repress glucose uptake and pentose phosphate pathway activity, while their low numbers of mitochondria and small cytoplasmic volume set narrow limits for mitochondrial ATP production and autophagy as alternative energy sources. During activation, B cells can balance temporary increases of energy expenditure. However, permanent hyperactivation of kinases, for instance, downstream of an autoreactive B cell receptor (BCR) or a transforming oncogene, can cause energy stress and cell death. Here, I propose that B cell-intrinsic restriction of ATP represents a safeguard to eliminate autoreactive or pre-malignant B cells. If the metabolic gatekeepers are compromised, influx of additional glucose may fuel permanent increases in metabolic demands and pathological B cell proliferation, driven by an autoreactive BCR or a transforming oncogene. B cells have many unique metabolic features. Markus Muschen highlights these in this Opinion article and proposes the concept of three key metabolic gatekeepers that protect against B cell-associated autoimmunity and lymphomas.
Seismic response control of multi-story base-isolated buildings using a smart electromagnetic friction damper with smooth hysteretic behavior

Abstract This paper studies the use of a smart/semi-active electromagnetic friction damper (SEMFD) for the control of seismic response of multi-story base-isolated buildings. The SEMFD consists of a ferromagnetic plate and two similar arrays of thick rectangular ferromagnetic-core coils (FCs) connected in series. The FCs are attached to the two sides of the ferromagnetic plate through two non-magnetic friction pads. The force in the damper is developed because of the friction between the friction pads and the ferromagnetic plate when the FCs moves relative to ferromagnetic plate. The normal force between the friction pad and the ferromagnetic plate is caused by the attractive magnetic interactions between the FCs arrays and the ferromagnetic plate. The magnitude of this force is controlled by a proposed semi-active controller that is capable of varying the current flowing through the FCs in such a way that it is able to avoid stick-slip motion by smoothing the nonlinear hysteretic behavior of the SEMFD. The capability of the SEMFD and the proposed semi-active controller to control the seismic response of base-isolated buildings is demonstrated by implementing them into the dynamic model of a six-story base-isolated building supported on lead-rubber bearings (LRBs). The numerical results show that the SEMFD and its semi-active controller are capable of limiting the displacement of the base floor without noticeably increasing the inter-story drifts and absolute accelerations of the floors. It is demonstrated that the parallel actions of the LRBs and the SEMFD in the base floor create a smart base isolation system that is capable of fully protecting a multi-story building from ground motions with intensities at a level as that of the ASCE 7–10 Maximum Considered Earthquake (MCE).
Utilization of subspecialty care by Hispanic pediatric oncology patients, California 1983-2010.

e17504 Background: Previous analysis has shown that Hispanic pediatric oncology patients in California have decreased utilization of pediatric cancer specialty centers (PCSC). The purpose of this s...