cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wonders with the Sea: Rachel Carson's Ecological Aesthetic and the Mid-Century Reader

Recent scholarship on the work of the great nature writer, Rachel Carson, posits that her landmark book, Silent Spring (1962)—often credited with igniting the modern environmental movement—is best understood in the context of her earlier, extraordinarily popular publications on the natural history of the oceans, which helped establish her as a talented and trustworthy translator of scientific concepts into literary prose. This essay builds upon that idea, showing how Carson's The Sea Around Us (1951) and The Edge of the Sea (1955) not only shaped public understandings of ocean ecology, but also spurred a public passion for all things oceanographic, best embodied in a wave of "Carsonalia"—consumer items and experiences ranging from hats, to Book of the Month Club editions, to liner notes for the NBC Symphony's recording of Debussy's La Mer. While these items inspired and expressed the "sense of wonder" that was critical to Carson's ecological aesthetic, I argue, they also subsumed the new "frontier" of the world's oceans into the technological imperialism of the post-World War II United States. As new technologies allowed military and scientific researchers to see deeper into the oceanic depths than ever before, images of the open ocean were domesticated through consumer markets into viewable, readable, and even wearable forms. This commodification of the ocean, and of Carson's ecocentric message, both enabled and frustrated her attempts to promote ecological literacy. Yet they also reveal much about our contemporary relationship to the world's oceans, which remain sites of both enduring wonder and extraordinary exploitation. Silent Spring, Rachel Carson's ground-breaking literary expose about the dangers of synthetic pesticides, turns 51 this year. It is a work celebrated for many things: its deft blending of science and poetry, its trenchant analysis of the corporate-sponsored research that encouraged Americans to spray first and ask questions later, and the critical role it played in catalyzing the environmental movement in the United States. Its author, who was hailed in her time as everything from a modern-day Harriet Beecher Stowe to a dangerous communist threat, has been the subject of numerous biographies which have described her variously as a "witness for nature" (Linda Lear, 1997), a "gentle subversive" (Mark Lytle, 2007), and, most recently, an unlikely literary crusader caught up in a political earthquake of postwar politics (William Souder, 2012). 1 Lear's epithet seems particularly apt since, as she points out, Carson's entire
Curative laser thermoablation of epilepsy secondary to bottom-of-sulcus dysplasia near eloquent cortex

In recent years, bottom-of-the-sulcus dysplasia (BOSD) has been identified as a form of focal cortical dysplasia associated with drug-resistant epilepsy [1]. With advances in neuroimaging, BOSD is now more readily detected. Seizure-free rates after surgery approach 90%, thus making patients with drug-resistant epilepsy from BOSD excellent candidates for epilepsy surgery. However, resection of BOSD near eloquent cortex can result in motor dysfunction in patients undergoing craniotomy-based neurosurgery [2]. Other treatment alternatives are needed for this population of patients.
An Identity-Based Security Scheme for a Big Data Driven Cloud Computing Framework in Smart Grid

In this paper, a big data driven, cloud based information and communication technology (ICT) framework for smart grid is proposed. The proposed ICT framework is to provide price forecast to customers and energy forecast to utility company. Cloud computing and big data analytics are introduced to assist local control centers dealing with large amount of data. However, public cloud and transmission over internet may be vulnerable in security, especially privacy preserving and authentication. To secure the proposed framework, we propose an identity-based signcryption (IBSC) security scheme. The proposed IBSC scheme provides confidentiality and non-repudiation since it performs simultaneously the functions of encryption and digital signature. Moreover, data integrity is also provided in the IBSC scheme. Identity-based signature and key distribution are presented as extended applications from the IBSC scheme. The security and performance of the proposed IBSC scheme are analyzed. Efficiency of the proposed IBSC scheme is demonstrated with an implementation using modified Weil pairing over an elliptic curve.
Commentary by Paul J. Werbos

The preface to this book raises several questions which are important to our understanding of the brain, in specific terms, and to the larger question of the strategy we use to try to develop a more complete understanding in the future: 1. How can we explain Freeman’s empirical observation that the cerebral cortex regularly undergoes abrupt shifts, following some mix of the alpha and beta rhythms, above and beyond the higher frequency components which he like many others has also observed?
SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN STAMINATE AND PISTILLATE PLANTS OF DIOECIOUS TROPICAL FOREST TREES.

Alternate floral morphs in the form of dioecious, gynodioecious, distylous and tristylous plants within the same species are of widespread occurrence among flowering plants. The spatial distribution of different floral morphs, and therefore floral resources, within a population is likely to influence the foraging behavior of pollinators and concomitantly, the level of pollination. This distribution might also indicate the extent to which plants with different floral morphs exploit different microhabitats, particularly in dioecious species in which sexual dimorphism is most pronounced. Recently, Levin (1974) and Ornduff and Weller (1975) have analyzed the spatial distribution of pins and thrums among distylous Hedyotis nigricans (Rubiaceae) and Jepsonia heterandra (Saxifragaceae), respectively. However, to the best of our knowledge, no such analysis exists for a dioecious species despite the fact that dioecy is much more common than heterostyly, especially in species-rich tropical forests (see Ashton, 1969; Bawa, 1974; Bawa and Opler, 1975). Herein, we report the dispersion patterns of staminate and pistillate plants of several dioecious tree species that occur in tropical lowland forests of Costa Rica. The objective of the study was to investigate: a) if staminate and pistillate plants of the same species display spatial segregation, b) if the dispersion pattern indicates asexual reproduction by one or both sexes, and c) if the distribution of one sex might be more correlated with a particular environmental factor than the other. The study is part of a wider investigation dealing with ecological aspects of dioecism in tropical forests (Bawa and Opler, 1975, 1977; Opler and Bawa, 1977).
A National Perspective of the Risk, Presentation, and Outcomes of Pediatric Thyroid Cancer.

Importance Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignant neoplasm in children and adolescents. Despite a more advanced presentation of thyroid cancer, younger patients tend to have a more favorable prognosis and a lower mortality rate than adults with thyroid cancer. Objective To examine the presentation and outcomes of thyroid cancer in pediatric patients. Design, Setting, and Participants A cross-sectional weighted analysis was performed using data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2010. Patient data were derived from a sample of 20% of community hospitals in the United States. Six hundred forty-four children and adolescents (age, Exposures Thyroid cancer and thyroidectomy. Main Outcomes and Measures Presentation and management characteristics of thyroid cancer and thyroidectomy outcomes in relation to surgeon volume and specialty. Results A total of 644 cases of pediatric thyroid cancer were included (female, 77.3%; mean [SEM] age, 13.8 [0.2] years), corresponding to a weighted sample of 32 563. Compared with adults with thyroid cancer, children were more likely to present with cervical lymph node involvement (31.5% vs 14.7%; odds ratio [OR], 2.29; 95% CI, 1.76-2.97;P $10 067.08/case) compared with adults (P = .04). Conclusions and Relevance Compared with thyroid cancer in adults, pediatric thyroid cancer is more likely to present as advanced disease and to be managed by low-volume or pediatric surgeons. In addition, within the United States, surgeon volume appears to be more crucial in determining thyroidectomy outcomes than the surgeon’s field of specialization.
Cost Effective Approaches to Training Reconnaissance Tasks on Unmanned Systems

This study investigated the cost effectiveness of part task training for teaching operators to control an unmanned vehicle. It was assumed that initial training would be done via simulation and that learning would then be transferred to a live environment with a physical robot. Different combinations of part and whole task training in the simulation and live environment were tested. Findings supported the efficiency and transfer effectiveness of conducting part task training in the live environment prior to attempting the whole task in the live environment. Trainees spent time using relatively low-cost part task trainers. This translated to less time being used to achieve proficiency on the physical robot resulting in potential cost savings.
A Depreciation Model for Calculus Classes

Classroom Capsules serves to convey new insights on familiar topics and to enhance pedagogy through shared teaching experiences. Its format consists primarily of readily understood mathematics capsules which make their impact quickly and effectively. Such tidbits should be nurtured, cultivated, and presented for the benefit of your colleagues elsewhere. Queries, when available, will round out the column and serve to open further dialog on specific items of reader concern. Readers are invited to submit material for consideration to:
Effects of Forging Pass on the Structure of 5182 Aluminum Alloy During Multi-direction Forging Process

Macro- and micro-structure evolution of 5182 aluminum alloy was studied in multidirectional forging( MDF) with the final forging temperatures of 340 ℃. The results showed that the fine grain zone in the center of sample expands gradually with the increment of the forging passes from 3 to 12. But increasing the forging pass to 12 can not eliminate the structure difference between the center and peripheral area. The structure of area near the forging harmers is constantly destroyed( but no distinct recrystallization occurs in the structure) with the forging pass increases from 3 to 12. When the forging pass is 3,partial recrystallization occurs on the center area of the sample. When the forging pass reaches 6,a fully recrystallization occurs in the center area of the sample,and the finest recrystallization grains are observed. With the forging pass further increases to 9 and 12,the recrystallization grains are a little coarser than that forged by 6 passes. However,the grains in the center area of the samples forged by 9 and 12 passes showthe almost same size.So there is a grain refinement limitation in the center of sample with the increment of the forging passes.
Acoustic scattering from a sandy seabed at the target and reverberation experiment 2013 (TREX13)

Mid-frequency normal incidence reflection coefficient measurements at the Target and Reverberation Experiment of 2013 off the coast of the Florida panhandle revealed a weak variation in sediment type along the path where reverberation and propagation loss measurements were taken. However, analysis of the coda revealed strong variation in scattering, which was highly correlated with bathymetry. This suggested the presence of scatterers along the bathymetric contours.
Inhibition of CD26 enzyme activity with pro-boropro stimulates rat granulocyte/macrophage colony formation and thymocyte proliferation in vitro

CD26 dipeptidyl peptidase (DPPIV) is involved in the regulation of proliferation of some hematopoietic and T-lineage cells. Here, we show that Pro-boropro a potent inhibitor of DPP activity has a costimulating effect in hematopoietic colony assays for macrophage and, to a lesser extent, for granulocyte colonies and has a stimulating effect in organ cultures of immature thymocytes. Based on these and other evidences, we propose that the mechanism by which CD26 regulates proliferation is associated with its DPP activity.
Muscle- and Skin-Derived Cues Jointly Orchestrate Patterning of Somatosensory Dendrites.

Summary Sensory dendrite arbors are patterned through cell-autonomously and non-cell-autonomously functioning factors [1–3]. Yet, only a few non-cell-autonomously acting proteins have been identified, including semaphorins [4, 5], brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNFs) [6], UNC-6/Netrin [7], and the conserved MNR-1/Menorin–SAX-7/L1CAM cell adhesion complex [8, 9]. This complex acts from the skin to pattern the stereotypic dendritic arbors of PVD and FLP somatosensory neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans through the leucine-rich transmembrane receptor DMA-1/LRR-TM expressed on PVD neurons [8, 9]. Here we describe a role for the diffusible C. elegans protein LECT-2, which is homologous to vertebrate leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2)/Chondromodulin II. LECT2/Chondromodulin II has been implicated in a variety of pathological conditions [10–13], but the developmental functions of LECT2 have remained elusive. We find that LECT-2/Chondromodulin II is required for development of PVD and FLP dendritic arbors and can act as a diffusible cue from a distance to shape dendritic arbors. Expressed in body-wall muscles, LECT-2 decorates neuronal processes and hypodermal cells in a pattern similar to the cell adhesion molecule SAX-7/L1CAM. LECT-2 functions genetically downstream of the MNR-1/Menorin–SAX-7/L1CAM adhesion complex and upstream of the DMA-1 receptor. LECT-2 localization is dependent on SAX-7/L1CAM, but not on MNR-1/Menorin or DMA-1/LRR-TM, suggesting that LECT-2 functions as part of the skin-derived MNR-1/Menorin-SAX-7/L1CAM adhesion complex. Collectively, our findings suggest that LECT-2/Chondromodulin II acts as a muscle-derived, diffusible cofactor together with a skin-derived cell adhesion complex to orchestrate the molecular interactions of three tissues during patterning of somatosensory dendrites.
Using Cyclic Prefix to Mitigate Carrier Frequency and Timing Asynchronism in Cooperative OFDM Transmissions

While OFDM is a good modulation scheme for cooperative transmissions, the difficulty of synchronizing carrier frequencies of distributed transmitters presents one of the primary challenges. In this paper we show that cyclic prefix (CP) can be used not only to resolve the timing asynchronism, which is well-known, but also to mitigate the carrier frequency offsets (CFO) among the transmitters. Depending on the CP length, CFO can be mitigated or removed completely, which indicates an interesting trade-off between bandwidth efficiency and cooperation overhead.
Robust block-based watermarking scheme in curvelet domain

In this paper, a robust block-based watermarking scheme operating in curvelet domain is proposed. Curvelet transform directly take the edge as the basic representation element; it provides optimally sparse representations of objects along a general curve with bounded curvature. The image is partitioned into small blocks; an edge map is computed to determine the edge strength for each block. Fast discrete curvelet transforms is employed to decompose the selected block into curvelet domain. We embedded the watermark into the selected blocks, scale and curvelet coefficients taking into account both the transparency and the robustness. As usual, the watermarks are blindly detected using a correlation detector. We take the Radon transform of the edge map of the cover image to synchronize the location of embedded watermark before applying the detector. Experimental results show that the scheme is robust to severe image degradation as well as geometrical attacks.
Unmasking the U2AF homology motif family: a bona fide protein–protein interaction motif in disguise

U2AF homology motifs (UHM) that recognize U2AF ligand motifs (ULM) are an emerging family of protein-protein interaction modules. UHM-ULM interactions recur in pre-mRNA splicing factors including U2AF1 and SF3b1, which are frequently mutated in myelodysplastic syndromes. The core topology of the UHM resembles an RNA recognition motif and is often mistakenly classified within this large family. Here, we unmask the charade and review recent discoveries of UHM-ULM modules for protein-protein interactions. Diverse polypeptide extensions and selective phosphorylation of UHM and ULM family members offer new molecular mechanisms for the assembly of specific partners in the early-stage spliceosome.
Uncapping Executive Pay

This article sets out the case for repealing the $1 million tax cap on executive pay. The cap is easily avoided and, when not avoided, widely ignored. Since enactment in 1993, the cap has had little effect in reducing executive pay or in linking pay to performance. Even worse, the cap increases corporate tax liabilities – liabilities that, by clear economic consensus, burden workers and investors. In effect, the cap punishes rank-and-file employees and shareholders for pay deals made by directors and executives. The article demonstrates why prominent reform proposals would be ineffective and counterproductive. It then devises a novel reform approach – a confiscatory tax on excessive executive pay – that would limit executive pay without burdening workers or investors. But the article rejects the confiscatory tax because of the serious distortions that it would cause for business-organization and labor-supply decisions. Ultimately, the superior policy position is to repeal the cap. Concerns about income inequality are better addressed through robust progressive tax rates, and concerns about corporate governance are better addressed through non-tax mechanisms, such as reform of the business-judgment rule and expansion of director liability.
Succinylated Chitosan Derivative Has Local Protective Effects on Intestinal Inflammation

We have previously reported on the anti-inflammatory effects of a water-soluble chitosan derivative, zwitterionic chitosan (ZWC). In the present study, we hypothesized that orally administered ZWC would provide local anti-inflammatory effects in the intestinal lumen. ZWC indeed showed anti-inflammatory effects in various in vitro models including peritoneal macrophages, engineered THP1 monocytes, and Caco-2 cells. In Caco-2 cells, ZWC applied before the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge was more effective than when it was applied after it in preventing LPS-induced cell damage. When administered to mice via drinking water as a prophylactic measure, ZWC protected the animals from 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis, helping them to recover the body weight, restore the gross and histological appearance of the colon, and generate FoxP3+ T cells. In contrast, orally administered ZWC did not protect the animals from LPS-induced systemic inflammation. These results indicate that orally adm...
Initial Oral Vancomycin vs. Oral Vancomycin After Metronidazole for Severe Clostridium difficile Infection

AbstractBackgroundTreatment of severe Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) with oral vancomycin (oVAN) is known to be superior to treatment with metronidazole. However, previous studies have not evaluated the impact on patients when oVAN therapy is delayed after diagnosis or suspicion of severe CDI.MethodsThis was a single-center, retrospective study of adult patients who were diagnosed with severe CDI as defined by a white blood cell (WBC) count greater than 15,000 cells/mm3. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality between patients treated initially with oVAN vs. delayed oVAN after metronidazole. Secondary outcomes included clinical cure by day 10, post-infection length of hospitalization, the time to resolution of leukocytosis and renal function at the end of treatment. Leukocytosis was defined as a WBC greater than 12,000 cells/mm3. Patients were excluded if they received oVAN for a previous episode of CDI, were receiving treatment for a concurrent infection, were receiving high-dose steroids, or received metronidazole or oVAN within 5 days preceding CDI diagnosis.ResultsA total of 121 patients were included. Overall, 49% of patients were female and the median age was 67 years old. 101 patients comprised the initial oVAN group, while 20 patients comprised the delayed oVAN group. Baseline demographics did not differ significantly between groups other than the time to initiation of oVAN (0.33 vs. 3.18 days, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality for patients in the initial oVAN treatment group compared with those who had delayed oVAN therapy (5% vs. 15%, P = 0.13). Patients who received oVAN initially experienced a higher rate of clinical cure by day 10 (49.5% vs. 20%, P = 0.02), a shorter median post-infection length of hospitalization (7 days vs. 13 days, P < 0.001), a shorter median time to resolution of leukocytosis (3.9 days vs. 10.4 days, P = 0.01), and were less likely to have an end of treatment serum creatinine greater than 1.5 times their baseline (8.7% vs. 29.4%, P = 0.03).ConclusionPatients who receive oVAN as their initial treatment for severe CDI have improved clinical outcomes compared with those initially treated with metronidazole.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.
Overview of Central Receiver Systems for Concentrating Solar Power: Optical Advancements and Needs

This presentation provides an overview of concentrating solar power (CSP) and associated optical research and needs. CSP uses large arrays of mirrors to focus sunlight onto a receiver to heat water/steam,molten salt, air, or other media for electricity production and thermal energy storage.
Minimally Invasive Percutaneous Endoscopic Discectomy: Transdiscal Approach

Since Kambin performed the first endoscopic discectomy in 1983 [1], various minimally invasive surgical techniques have been developed to mitigate the deleterious effects of disc herniation and nerve root compression. The current minimally invasive discectomy approaches are interlaminar, transforaminal, and transdiscal. Regardless of the approach, the goal is the resection of a herniated disc under direct endoscopic visualization. Compared with open discectomy, minimally invasive methods have been shown to eliminate cutting of muscles, reduce the rate of infection, shorten operating time, minimize blood loss, and decrease the incidence of cerebral spinal fluid leak and other major complications [2–5]. Although the routine use of endoscopic discectomy for the lumbar and cervical spine remains controversial [6–13], future high-quality research will help to delineate optimal treatment algorithms. This chapter presents the current concepts of the most commonly performed endoscopic spinal surgery [14–17]—the transdiscal approach. Relevant spinal anatomy, patient selection, clinical considerations, and the detailed surgical techniques are discussed.
Opinion: Medical misinformation in the era of Google: Computational approaches to a pervasive problem

On December 28, 1917, a fascinating article appeared in the pages of the New York Evening Mail. The article, titled “A Neglected History,” written by H.L. Mencken, laments the fact that the 75th anniversary of the introduction of the bathtub to the United States had passed without the slightest public notice. “Not a plumber fired a salute or hung out a flag. Not a governor proclaimed a day of prayer. Not a newspaper called attention to the day” (1). Mencken goes on to detail the history of the bathtub, describing the introduction of the English bathtub by Lord John Russell in 1828, “then, as now … a puny and inconvenient contrivance—little more, in fact, than a glorified dishpan.” Mencken wrote that installation of the bathtub in Millard Fillmore's White House in 1851 led to more widespread acceptance in the United States. Quoting from the purported April 23, 1843, issue of Western Medical Repository , he goes on to record the opposition of physicians to the bathtub as dangerous to health, inviting “phthisic, rheumatic fevers, inflammation of the lungs, and the whole category of zygomatic diseases.” And he states that by 1859 the majority of the medical community had finally accepted the bathtub as harmless to health—evidenced by a poll taken at the 1859 meeting of American Medical Association in Boston, in which nearly 55% of physicians regarded the bathtub as harmless and more than 20% advocated its use as beneficial to health (1). The spread of misinformation in science and medicine is a real problem, not only in spite of technology but often because of it. To sort through the cavalcade of journal articles, legitimate and otherwise, the scientific community should devote more resources to technological approaches that identify false and retracted findings. Image courtesy of Dave Cutler (artist). … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: dpapke{at}partners.org. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
S hao Yong’s Numerological-Cosmological System

Shao Yong 邵雍 (1011–1077) was born into a family of humble scholars that had resided in Fanyang 范陽 (less than 65 kilometers southwest of modern Beijing) for many generations. By the time of his adolescence, however, the northern upheaval caused by the incursions of the Qidan 契丹 Liao dynasty (947–1125) uprooted Shao Yong and his kinsmen, forcing them into several southerly peregrinations until his father Shao Gu 邵古 (986–1064) eventually settled with his family in relative safety at Gongcheng 共城 in Weizhou 衛州 (in modern Hui 輝 county, Henan 河南). As a youth, Shao Yong followed in the footsteps of his father Gu and his grandfather Shao Dexin 邵德新 (d. 996), both of whom led learned but reclusive lives. Thus, like his contemporary Zhou Dunyi 周敦頤 (1017–1073)—with whom he is often linked intellectually—Shao Yong never sat for the imperial civil service examinations. Unlike Zhou—who availed himself of the hereditary “shadow” (yin 蔭) privilege of entering government service to pursue a successful bureaucratic career—Shao refused to serve in office, despite receiving imperial summonses in 1061 and in 1069 appointing him to do so.
Reduction in Drug Abuse During Methadone Maintenance Treatment

The extent to which addict patients’ drug abuse is reduced or eliminated during methadone maintenance treatment is a crucial issue inasmuch as this modality was established to interdict patients’ dependence on illicit opiate use. From this perspective, then, methadone maintenance is effective to the extent that it minimizes or eliminates drug abuse. Three corollary questions, however, also need to be addressed.
A Row-Column (RC) Addressed 2D Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (CMUT) Array on a Glass Substrate: Preliminary Results

In this work, we present preliminary characterization results from a 32 x 32 row-column (RC) addressed 2D capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) array. The device was fabricated using anodic bonding on a borosilicate glass substrate, which eliminates the substrate - bottom electrode coupling previously observed in traditional CMUT RC arrays fabricated on silicon substrates. The characterization results were compared for the top and bottom electrodes and include impedance measurements, pulseecho impulse responses, and 2D scans of the pressure field using a calibrated hydrophone. The results showed that the array elements behave similarly when ground and hot electrodes were switched between the top and bottom electrodes for all of the measured parameters including device capacitance, center frequency, and pulse-echo response amplitude. The pressure scans verified the highly customizable nature of RC arrays by showing multiple active element configurations. A sample cross-sectional image of a metal target was also demonstrated.
Myeloid Cell Hypoxia-Inducible Factors Promote Resolution of Inflammation in Experimental Colitis

Colonic tissues in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients exhibit oxygen deprivation and activation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α and 2α (HIF-1α and HIF-2α), which mediate cellular adaptation to hypoxic stress. Notably, macrophages and neutrophils accumulate preferentially in hypoxic regions of the inflamed colon, suggesting that myeloid cell functions in colitis are HIF-dependent. By depleting ARNT (the obligate heterodimeric binding partner for both HIFα subunits) in a murine model, we demonstrate here that myeloid HIF signaling promotes the resolution of acute colitis. Specifically, myeloid pan-HIF deficiency exacerbates infiltration of pro-inflammatory neutrophils and Ly6C+ monocytic cells into diseased tissue. Myeloid HIF ablation also hinders macrophage functional conversion to a protective, pro-resolving phenotype, and elevates gut serum amyloid A levels during the resolution phase of colitis. Therefore, myeloid cell HIF signaling is required for efficient resolution of inflammatory damage in colitis, implicating serum amyloid A in this process.
Small Numbers of CD4+ T Cells Can Induce Development of Lymphedema.

BACKGROUND CD4 T cells have been implicated in the pathology of lymphedema. Interestingly, however, there have been case reports of lymphedema development in patients with low levels of CD4 T cells because of immunosuppression. In this study, the authors sought to delineate the effect of relative CD4 T-cell deficiency on the development of lymphedema in a mouse model. METHODS A mouse model of relative CD4 T-cell deficiency was created through lethal total body irradiation of wild-type mice that then underwent bone marrow transplantation with progenitors harvested from CD4 knockout mice (wild-type/CD4 knockout). Irradiated CD4 knockout mice reconstituted with wild-type mouse-derived progenitors (CD4 knockout/wild-type), and unirradiated CD4 knockout and wild-type mice were used as controls. All mice underwent tail skin and lymphatic excision to induce lymphedema, and analysis was performed 6 weeks later. RESULTS Wild-type/CD4 knockout chimeras were not protected from developing lymphedema. Despite a global deficit in CD4 T cells, these mice had swelling, fibrosis, inflammation, and impaired lymphatic transport function indistinguishable from that in wild-type and CD4 knockout/wild-type mice. In contrast, unirradiated CD4 knockout mice had no features of lymphedema after lymphatic injury. CONCLUSIONS Relatively small numbers of bone marrow and peripheral CD4 T cells are sufficient to induce the development of lymphedema. These findings suggest that lymphatic injury results in expansion of CD4 T-cell populations in lymphedematous tissues.
From Regime Fall To...Something Else? Identifying Transitional Groups and Their Role in Electoral Rule-Making

This paper begins to describe an often under-specified transitional period between political regimes: the time between the fall of an authoritarian regime until a new government takes power. It does so by examining the existence of "transitional groups" that form in the uncertain time period following the beginning of a regime transition away from authoritarianism. These groups are unelected bodies that are in charge of governing a country prior to a national election. The paper presents original descriptive data on transitional groups in 75 regime transitions since 1989 and categorizes transitional groups into four types: coalition governments, national debates, interim governments, and "course-correcting" coup governments.
Damage Tolerant Composite Joint Design

Damage initiation and progressive fracture of adhesively bonded graphite/epoxy composite joints are investigated under various loading conditions. Load induced damage in both the adhesive bond and the adjoining laminate is considered. An integrated computer code is utilized for the simulation of composite structural degradation. The damage progression sequence and structural fracture resistance during different degradation stages are evaluated in detail. Results indicate that adhesive properties have a significant effect on structural durability even when damage initiation/progression is not in the adhesive bond. Design implications with regard to damage tolerance of adhesively bonded joints are examined. Influence of the type of loading and the choice of adhesive on damage initiation and progression for adhesively bonded composite joints are investigated.
Prediction of total protein and intact casein in cheddar cheese using a low-cost handheld short-wave near-infrared spectrometer

Abstract This study aims to develop and validate rapid quantification technique for intact casein (IC) and total protein in cheddar cheese using SCiO™, a low-cost short-wave near-infrared spectrometer. SCiO™ was used to collect the spectral scans (from 740 nm to 1070 nm) of cheddar cheese (N = 49). Reference values of IC and total protein were quantified by the Kjeldahl method. The spectra acquired from the SCiO™ were preprocessed using standard normal variate and second derivation, and subsequently partial least squares regression (PLSR) based models were developed (ncal = 35). In addition, wavelength selection methods (backward elimination, multiple linear regression-forward selection, and inteval PLSR) were applied to further improve the model performances. Based on external validation (nval = 14), IC prediction resulted in a range of root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) between 0.91 and 1.58 g/100 g cheese, and residual prediction deviation (RPD) between 1.2 and 2.1. For total protein prediction, the RMSEP ranged from 0.62 to 0.88 g/100 g cheese, while the RPD was found between 1.4 and 2.0. The prediction results indicated that SCiO™ can provide useful quantification tool for a rapid prediction of IC and total protein in cheddar cheese.
Millimeter wave imaging using sparse arrays

Abstract In this paper, we develop a theoretical framework for short-range millimeter (mm) wave radar imaging using a sparse array of monostatic elements, and validate it via experiments. The framework is a significant departure from classical radar, which largely focuses on long-range settings in which targets are well modeled as point scatterers. For sparse arrays, the point scatterer target model leads to grating lobes, and our central contribution is to demonstrate that a patch-based target model, suitably optimized for the sensor and scene geometry, suppresses such grating lobes. Key results include the following: (a) Characterizing the number of degrees of freedom (DoF) as a function of geometry, and showing that spatial undersampling (number of elements smaller than DoF) leads to grating lobes with the point target model; (b) showing that spatial aggregation via a patch-based dictionary suppresses grating lobes, and that patch size can be optimized based on estimation-theoretic criteria; (c) providing examples of the application, and adaptation, of patch-based dictionaries for sparse reconstruction.
Jefferson Lab Report

Jefferson Laboratory is finishing a major upgrade and has already started operations with the 12 GeV continuous electron beam. The main research direction is the study of the structure of hadrons, including a search for gluon excitations in the spectra of light mesons and baryons, and studies of multidimensional images of the nucleon. Studied of certain properties of atomic nuclei are also ongoing. There is also an active program of searching for effects beyond the Standard Model in parity-violating electron scattering, as well as a search for new particles.
A Preliminary Study of Anatomical Changes Following the Use of a Pedicled Buccal Fat Pad Flap During Primary Palatoplasty.

Objective:The purpose of this study was to examine the surgical impact of the pedicled buccal fat pad (BFP) flap on the levator veli palatini (LVP) muscle and surrounding velopharyngeal (VP) anatom...
Is positive histologic surgical margin associated with overall survival in patients with resectable gallbladder cancer

Background Achieving microscopically negative (R0) surgical margins in gallbladder cancer often requires a partial hepatectomy with associated risk of morbidity and potential to delay adjuvant therapy. Prior studies on the importance of margin status in resectable gall bladder cancer include small numbers of patients with positive (R1) resection margins and are underpowered. Methods We queried the National Cancer Database to identify patients undergoing resection of gallbladder adenocarcinoma between 2004 and 2015. Patients presenting with metastatic disease, those who received neoadjuvant therapy, and those with fewer than 3 lymph nodes assessed were excluded. 1:1 propensity score matching was used to develop cohorts undergoing either R0 or R1 resection, matched for demographic, pathologic, and facility characteristics. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess the association between margin status and overall survival. Results A total of 1,439 patients met inclusion criteria; 1,285 underwent R0 and 154 underwent R1 resection. On Kaplan-Meier analysis of propensity-matched cohorts, patients undergoing R0 resection had a median overall survival that was 18 months longer than those undergoing R1 resection (34.6 ± 2.0 months vs 16.3 ± 1.7 months, P Conclusion In patients presenting with resectable gallbladder adenocarcinoma, margin-negative resection is associated with significant improvement in overall survival.
E-cadherin promoter region methylation and its correlation with transcript level for the NCI-60 cancer cell lines

4984 We are mapping the methylation patterns of cancer interesting genes in the NCI-60 cell lines using-high throughput “bisulfite-sequencing”. The NCI-60 cell lines represent nine tissues of origin, including both epithelial and non-epithelial types. Candidate genes were selected on the basis of documented importance in cancer and the occurrence of functionally significant promoter region methylation. The first of these genes for which the studies have been completed is E-cadherin. E-cadherin is a transmembrane glycoprotein whose decreased expression in many tumors of epithelial origin is associated with tumor invasion and metastasis. Here, we report detailed CpG island methylation patterns for the promoter region of E-cadherin. Included in the region amplified by nested PCR for sequencing was a 337-base stretch that included 29 CpG cytosines. When analyzed by tissue of origin, the mean methylation levels across all 29 CpG sites were 42% for breast, 18% for colon, 28% for non-small cell lung, 26% for ovarian, 18% for prostate, 58% for renal, 61% for central nervous system, 84% for leukemia, and 47% for melanoma. The methylation patterns were visualized and analyzed using MethMiner software (S. Kim, manuscript in preparation). To examine in detail the relationship between CpG island methylation and gene expression, we compared the methylation profile of the NCI60 with transcript expression data from four different experimental platforms: pin-spotted cDNA microarrays (Incyte, Palo Alto, CA), and HU6800, U95, and U133 Affymetrix oligonucleotide chips (U95 and U133 done by GeneLogic, Gaithersburg, MD). The Pearson’s correlation coefficients for these microarrays, with Bootstrap resampling to establish confidence intervals, were statistically significant at the P=0.05 level, with values of –0.55, -0.53, -0.57, and –0.62, respectively. The negative correlation indicates that an increase in methylation is associated with a decrease in transcript level that is a relative silencing of the gene.
Mechanisms of microbial movement in subsurface materials

The biological factors important in the penetration of Escherichia coli through anaerobic, nutrient-saturated, Ottawa sand-packed cores were studied under static conditions. In cores saturated with galactose-peptone medium, motile strains of E. coli penetrated four times faster than mutants defective only in flagellar synthesis. Motile, nonchemotactic mutants penetrated the cores faster than did the chemotactic parental strain. This, plus the fact that a chemotactic galactose mutant penetrated cores saturated with peptone medium at the same rate with or without a galactose gradient, indicates that chemotaxis may not be required for bacterial penetration through unconsolidated porous media. The effect of gas production on bacterial penetration was studied by using motile and nonmotile E. coli strains together with their respective isogenic non-gas-producing mutants. No differences were observed between the penetration rates of the two motile strains through cores saturated with peptone medium with or without galactose. However, penetration of both nonmotile strains was detected only with galactose. The nonmotile, gas-producing strain penetrated cores saturated with galactose-peptone medium five to six times faster than did the nonmotile, non-gas-producing mutant, which indicates that gas production is an important mechanism for the movement of nonmotile bacteria through unconsolidated porous media. For motile strains, the penetration rate decreased with increasing galactose concentrations in the core and with decreasing inoculum sizes. Also, motile strains with the faster growth rates had faster penetration rates. These results imply that, for motile bacteria, the penetration rate is regulated by the in situ bacterial growth rate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
United States v. Windsor and the Future of Civil Unions and Other Marriage Alternatives

The Supreme Court's recent decision in United States v. Windsor striking down a crucial section of the Defense of Marriage Act means that validly married same-sex couples are now entitled to the federal benefits associated with marriage. Subsequent decisions by various administrative agencies have construed entitlement to such benefits broadly, so that even couples whose marriage is not recognized in their state of residence can claim several important benefits, including the right to sponsor their spouses into the country for immigration purposes, and the right to file joint income tax returns.These rights, though, have not been extended to couples who are in civil unions. Even though civil unions were created as a way for same-sex couples to approximate marriage at the state level, it now appears that those in civil unions will not be able to gain the federal benefits of marriage. Thus, it is likely that states that currently recognize civil unions will soon switch to full marriage equality, and it is likely that no states will be added to the civil union roster.But the civil union has been transformed into something different in three states (Illinois, Colorado, and Hawaii), because the right to enter into these unions has been extended to opposite-sex couples, as well. Since those in opposite-sex relationships chose civil unions over marriage, it is likely that these states will continue to allow the civil union option for both opposite- and same-sex couples. This Essay explores what the continuing presence of civil unions in a few states is likely to mean in the ongoing national discussion about the structure and legal support for various types of families.
From Silicon to Science: The Long Road to Production Reconfigurable Supercomputing

Over the last several years, multiple vendors have introduced systems that integrate FPGAs, as well as other types of accelerators, into machines intended for general purpose supercomputing. However, these machines have not broadly penetrated production scientific computing at any of the world's top supercomputing centers. With the excitement around accelerators and the numerous examples of their potential, why haven't they achieved widespread adoption in production supercomputing? This talk will discuss several barriers to adoption based on input from people who buy supercomputers and from people who use them. The short answer is that FPGA enhanced supercomputers look very little like traditional supercomputers and the performance advantage for scientific applications is often not as compelling as advertised. This talk will attempt to map barriers to adoption to specific research challenges that must be addressed to see widespread usage of FPGAs for scientific computing. These challenges include everything from the lowest level of circuit design to the programming of applications, and point to a lot of work between the current state of the art and widespread adoption of reconfigurable computing.
Selection of antibiotics for meticillin‐resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius: time to revisit some old drugs?

The aim of this review is to consider systemic therapy options for meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP). Infections caused by MRSP in small animals--particularly dogs--have been frustrating veterinarians in recent years. After a susceptibility test is performed, veterinarians are left to select from drugs that have not been frequently encountered on a susceptibility report. Some of these are old drugs that have not been used regularly by veterinary dermatologists. As MRSP is, by definition, resistant to all β-lactam antibiotics, including cephalosporins, penicillins and amoxicillin-clavulanate combinations, the β-lactam drugs are not an option for systemic treatment. As most MRSPs are multidrug resistant, familiar drugs, such as trimethoprim-sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones, macrolides and lincosamides (clindamycin), are also not usually an option for treatment. Therefore, veterinarians are left with drugs such as rifampicin, chloramphenicol, tetracyclines, aminoglycosides and vancomycin to choose from on the basis of an in vitro susceptibility test. Some of these drugs were originally approved over 50 years ago and may not be familiar to some veterinarians. Each of these drugs possesses unique properties and has particular advantages and disadvantages. Veterinarians should be particularly aware of the adverse effects, limitations and precautions when using these drugs. New drugs also have been developed for meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in humans. These include linezolid, ceftaroline, daptomycin and tigecycline. Although these drugs are very infrequently--if ever--considered for veterinary use, the properties of these drugs should also be known to veterinary dermatologists.
p38 MAP kinase regulates IL-1β responses in cultured airway smooth muscle cells

We have previously reported that interleukin (IL)-1 beta causes beta-adrenergic hyporesponsiveness in cultured human airway smooth muscle (HASM) cells by increasing cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression. The purpose of this study was to determine whether p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase is involved in these events. IL-1 beta (2 ng/ml for 15 min) increased p38 phosphorylation fourfold. The p38 inhibitor SB-203580 (3 microM) decreased IL-1 beta-induced COX-2 by 70 +/- 7% (P < 0.01). SB-203580 had no effect on PGE(2) release in control cells but caused a significant (70-80%) reduction in PGE(2) release in IL-1 beta-treated cells. IL-1 beta increased the binding of nuclear proteins to the oligonucleotides encoding the consensus sequences for activator protein (AP)-1 and nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B, but SB-203580 did not affect this binding, suggesting that the mechanism of action of p38 was not through AP-1 or NF-kappa B activation. The NF-kappa B inhibitor MG-132 did not alter IL-1 beta-induced COX-2 expression, indicating that NF-kappa B activation is not required for IL-1 beta-induced COX-2 expression in HASM cells. IL-1 beta attenuated isoproterenol-induced decreases in HASM stiffness as measured by magnetic twisting cytometry, and SB-203580 abolished this effect. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that p38 is involved in the signal transduction pathway through which IL-1 beta induces COX-2 expression, PGE(2) release, and beta-adrenergic hyporesponsiveness.
Algorithms based on difference equations of infinite order and the computation of Laplace-type integrals

Certain processes in analysis, e. g., the computation of Laplace-Stieltjes moment integrals, lead to difference equations of infinite order. In this paper, we seek to apply an analog of the famous Miller algorithm for difference equations of finite order to these systems. In certain situations we are able to demonstrate the convergence of the algorithm.