cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aesthetics, Popular Visual Culture, and Designer Capitalism

While rejecting modernist philosophical aesthetics, the author argues for the use in art education of a current, ordinary-language definition of aesthetics as visual appearance and effect, and its widespread use in many diverse cultural sites is demonstrated. Employing such a site-specific use of aesthetics enables art education to more clearly address the realities of everyday life under designer capitalism, a socio-economy based on the drive to create evermore desire. Aesthetic manipulation is viewed as a primary means to facilitate the smooth operation of this system. The recent craze for Bratz dolls is used to illustrate the centrality of aesthetics to designer capitalism. Finally, the author offers suggestions as to how art education can view consumer products like Bratz as pedagogic opportunities.
Alternatives for the Disposal of Poultry Carcasses

Every broiler production facility is faced with the reality of carcass disposal. Nationwide, this represents a tremendous amount of organic matter that requires environmentally and biologically safe disposal or utiliza­ tion. Disposal of poultry carcasses has been identified as one of the major problems facing the poultry industry. If poultry carcasses resulting from death by natural occurrences at such high levels of production are not disposed of by environmentally acceptable methods, future industry expansion will be limited or regulatory constraints will be imposed. Methods for the disposal of poultry carcasses include burial, incineration, composting, and rendering. Burial and incineration impose environmental concerns that are becoming less acceptable. Composting is environmentally sound, relatively inexpensive, and is gaining widespread acceptance. Rendering carcasses into a valued protein by-product meal is another alternative. Methods for transporting fresh or refrigerated carcasses to a rendering facility are being investigated. When coupled with rendering, fermentation is an excellent alternative for storing and transporting pathogen-free poultry carcasses. Extrusion of carcasses provides an alternative to conventional by-product rendering. All methods that allow for the environ­ mentally safe and biosecure disposal of poultry carcasses should be considered. No single method will completely solve the problem. (Key words: poultry waste, mortality, carcasses, composting, rendering)
Whole-Animal Chemical Screen Identifies Colistin as a New Immunomodulator That Targets Conserved Pathways

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to take advantage of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to perform a whole-animal chemical screen to identify potential immune activators that may confer protection against bacterial infections. We identified 45 marketed drugs, out of 1,120 studied compounds, that are capable of activating a conserved p38/PMK-1 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway required for innate immunity. One of these drugs, the last-resort antibiotic colistin, protected against infections by the Gram-negative pathogens Yersinia pestis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa but not by the Gram-positive pathogens Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus. Protection was independent of the antibacterial activity of colistin, since the drug was administered prophylactically prior to the infections and it was also effective against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Immune activation by colistin is mediated not only by the p38/PMK-1 pathway but also by the conserved FOXO transcription factor DAF-16 and the transcription factor SKN-1. Furthermore, p38/PMK-1 was found to be required in the intestine for immune activation by colistin. Enhanced p38/PMK-1-mediated immune responses by colistin did not reduce the bacterial burden, indicating that the pathway plays a role in the development of host tolerance to infections by Gram-negative bacteria. IMPORTANCE The innate immune system represents the front line of our defenses against invading microorganisms. Given the ever-increasing resistance to antibiotics developed by bacterial pathogens, the possibility of boosting immune defenses represents an interesting, complementary approach to conventional antibiotic treatments. Here we report that the antibiotic colistin can protect against infections by a mechanism that is independent of its microbicidal activity. Prophylactic treatment with colistin activates a conserved p38/PMK-1 pathway in the intestine that helps the host better tolerate a bacterial infection. Since p38/PMK-1-mediated immune responses appear to be conserved from plants to mammals, colistin may also activate immunity in higher organisms, including humans. Antibiotics with immunomodulatory properties have the potential of improving the long-term outcome of patients with chronic infectious diseases.
Measuring productivity diachronically: nominal suffixes in English letters, 1400–1600

Much scholarship on morphological productivity has focused on measures such as hapax legomena, single occurrences of derivatives in large corpora, to compare and contrast the varying productivities of English affixes. But the small size of historical corpora has often limited the usefulness of such measures in diachronic analysis. Examining letters from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in the Corpus of Early English Correspondence, this article advances a multifaceted approach to assessing historical changes in nominal suffixation in English. It adapts methodologies from work on morphological productivity in contemporary language – in particular, measures of base and derivative ratios from Hay & Baayen (2002) – to provide quantitative and qualitative descriptions of changes in the productivity of native -ness and borrowed -ity, -cion, -age and -ment in Early Modern English. Ultimately, the study argues that diachronic productivity is best evaluated with a multifactor analysis, including measures of suffixal decomposability, aggregation of new derivatives and evidence of hybridization. It also suggests that increased use of neologisms with borrowed suffixes in Early Modern English might be explained by the increasing transparency of these suffixes in derivatives during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Learning Curve Management in Educational Programming Environments

programmers are best served by integrated development environments that adapt to their growing sophistication as programmers. To this end, we propose four design goals for learning curve management in educational programming environments. We provide pedagogical justification for each goal, describe possible supporting feature sets, and discuss the extent to which these goals have been achieved in some current environments, particularly JPie, our interactive environment for live construction of Java applications.
Baseline drift and physiological noise removal in high field FMRI data using kernel PCA

Baseline drift and physiological (cardiac and respiratory) fluctuations are among major sources contaminating blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signals in high field functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Automatically detecting and removing them have been long-standing problems. We propose here a new method, utilizing kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) and frequency analysis, to detect and remove the noise from fMRI data. Differing from thermal noise, the main energy of baseline drift and physiological noise are characterized by the most significant kernel principal components that also contain information on brain structure. To maintain the details of brain anatomy, we filter the feature projections to the components that are found to contain significant baseline drift and physiological noise. This approach is different from most discriminant analysis-based denoising methods that remove insignificant or noisy components before the reconstruction. Experimental results show that the proposed method increases the BOLD contrast and the detection sensitivity of activated voxels.
CTCF binding site sequence differences are associated with unique regulatory and functional trends during embryonic stem cell differentiation

CTCF (CCCTC-binding factor) is a highly conserved multifunctional DNA-binding protein with thousands of binding sites genome-wide. Our previous work suggested that differences in CTCF's binding site sequence may affect the regulation of CTCF recruitment and its function. To investigate this possibility, we characterized changes in genome-wide CTCF binding and gene expression during differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells. After separating CTCF sites into three classes (LowOc, MedOc and HighOc) based on similarity to the consensus motif, we found that developmentally regulated CTCF binding occurs preferentially at LowOc sites, which have lower similarity to the consensus. By measuring the affinity of CTCF for selected sites, we show that sites lost during differentiation are enriched in motifs associated with weaker CTCF binding in vitro. Specifically, enrichment for T at the 18(th) position of the CTCF binding site is associated with regulated binding in the LowOc class and can predictably reduce CTCF affinity for binding sites. Finally, by comparing changes in CTCF binding with changes in gene expression during differentiation, we show that LowOc and HighOc sites are associated with distinct regulatory functions. Our results suggest that the regulatory control of CTCF is dependent in part on specific motifs within its binding site.
Six diagnostic single nucleotide polymorphism markers for detecting introgression between cutthroat and rainbow trouts.

Ten primer pairs were screened to develop single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) TaqMan assays that will distinguish California golden trout and some rainbow trouts (Oncorhynchus mykiss sspp., O. m. aguabonita) from the Paiute and Lahontan cutthroat trouts (Oncorhynchus clarkii seleniris, O. c. henshawi). From these 10 primer pairs, one mitochondrial and five nuclear fixed SNP differences were discovered and developed into TaqMan assays. These six assays will be useful for characterizing and monitoring hybridization between these groups. Additional Oncorhynchus clarkii sspp. and Oncorhynchus mykiss sspp. were assayed to determine if these assays are useful in closely related species.
Technique for testing a very high speed mixed signal read channel design

PRML (partial response maximum likelihood) read channel devices are heterogeneous, complex, mixed signal devices. This paper describes methodology for testing a state-of-the-art CMOS read channel, including design-for-test (DFT) techniques, device-interface-board (DIB) design features and test flow. DFT techniques such as scan, built-in self-test (BIST) loop-back and ad-hoc analog test features are discussed. Analog test grading methods (test-for-quality) are also presented. Afterwards a brief overview of the DIB hardware highlighting critical features such as wide band analog and high speed digital undersampling tester interfaces are reviewed. An overview of the test suite defining the mix of functional, structured, IDDQ and BIST tests is offered. The problems and possible solutions of embedding a PRML channel into a system-on-chip are also extensively explored.
Conformity in the Asch Experiment

(1974). Conformity in the Asch Experiment. The Journal of Social Psychology: Vol. 94, No. 2, pp. 303-304.
Relationship between improvements of subjective well-being and depressive symptoms during acute treatment of schizophrenia with atypical antipsychotics.

What is known and Objective: It has been suggested that atypical antipsychotics may exert beneficial effects on subjective well-being as well as depressive symptoms in schizophrenia. However, the relationship between the two remains to be clarified. The authors examined the relationship between subjective well-being and depressive symptoms across the course of acute treatment with atypical antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Thirty-five inpatients with schizophrenia were examined for subjective well-being, psychopathology, and extrapyramidal side effects before and 8 weeks after the initiation of new treatment with atypical antipsychotics. Results and Discussion: Significant improvement was observed in subjective well-being, psychotic symptoms, and depressive symptoms. No change was observed in the severity of extrapyramidal side effect. The subjective well-being score had significant negative correlations with depressive symptom score both at baseline and at week 8. The mean change in subjective well-being score was significantly correlated with that in depressive symptom score. The severity of depressive symptoms at baseline was significantly correlated with the subsequent change in subjective well-being score and the change in depressive symptom score was the only predictor of change in subjective well-being score. What is new and Conclusion: Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with subjective well-being in patients with schizophrenia and may moderate the acute effects of atypical antipsychotic treatment on subjective well-being. Further investigations are necessary to fully define the place of depressive symptoms in the conceptualization of subjective well-being in schizophrenia and the optimal use of atypical antipsychotics.
Modeling Success, Failure, and Intent of Multi-Agent Activities Under Severe Noise

This chapter takes on the task of understanding human interactions, attempted interactions, and intentions from noisy sensor data in a fully relational multi-agent setting. We use a real-world game of capture the flag to illustrate our approach in a well-defined domain that involves many distinct cooperative and competitive joint activities. We model the domain using Markov logic, a statistical-relational language, and learn a theory that jointly denoises the data and infers occurrences of high-level activities, such as a player capturing an enemy. We show that while it may be impossible to directly detect a multi-agent activity due to sensor noise or malfunction, the occurrence of the activity can still be inferred by considering its impact on the behavior of the people involved. Further, we show that given a model of successfully performed multi-agent activities, along with a set of examples of failed attempts at the same activities, our system automatically learns an augmented model that is capable of recognizing success and failure, as well as goals of people’s actions with high accuracy. We compare our approach with other alternatives and show that our unified model, which takes into account not only relationships among individual players, but also relationships among activities over the entire length of a game, although more computationally costly, is significantly more accurate. Finally, we demonstrate that interesting game segments and key players can be efficiently identified in an automated fashion. Our system exhibits a strong agreement with human judgement about the game situations at hand.
On the coupling of ion cyclotron motion to ion internal degrees of freedom

Abstract The possibility of significant coupling between gas-phase ion cyclotron motion and two internal angular momentum terms is explored. The first case, coupling with ion spin, is treated via the relativistic Hamiltonian, and found to produce only relativistic perturbations which are entirely negligible. The second case, coupling with ion rotation, is developed via its equivalence to a Stark effect. Small shifts in the cyclotron resonance frequency, ω c , and the appearanceof a weak-cyclotron resonance at 2ω c , are predicted, but these effects are negligible in general. If the cyclotron frequency is near an ion rotational transition, however, a shift of 10 −5 in cyclotron frequency may be observed, and could provide a means of investigating low-frequency rotational transitions of ions.
A Network-Flow Model for Racially Balancing Schools

This paper is concerned with developing a procedure for assigning students to public schools optimally, given that a specified racial balance must be attained in each school. The criterion for optimality is to minimize the total number of miles traveled. The problem is formulated as a minimum-cost flow problem in a single-commodity network. A summary of the results achieved by the model for the Gainesville, Florida, school system is discussed.
Is strong modal resonance a precursor to power system oscillations

We suggest a new mechanism for interarea electric power system oscillations in which two oscillatory modes interact near a strong resonance to cause one of the modes to subsequently become unstable. The possibility of this mechanism for oscillations is shown by theory and computational examples. Theory suggests that passing near strong resonance can be expected in general power system models. The mechanism for oscillations is illustrated in 3- and 9-bus examples with detailed generator models.
The Timing of Adaptive Group Responses to Nonroutine Events

Previous group and team literature suggests three behaviors—information collection and transfer, task prioritization, and task distribution—as pivotal in groups' adaptation to nonroutine events. The results of a study in which airline crews engaged in a high-workload flight simulation indicated that although the frequencies of two of the three behaviors were not significantly associated with crews' performance, the timing of key adaptive behaviors was thus associated. Only the frequency of information collection activities had a positive association with performance, and the amount of time taken to engage in adaptive responses after nonroutine events had a negative association with it.
Research, Policy, and Practice in Action: The Office of Community College Research and Leadership

The Office for Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) founded in 1989 focuses on P–20 education and the role of community colleges in facilitating educational access and equity. This article highlights the work of OCCRL as a research center that bridges inquiry, policy, and practice in contributing to the national dialogue on relevant programs and policies that advance community college education.
Molecular profiling of breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP): A guide to individualized therapy in upper gastro-intestinal malignancies

B9 Introduction: Breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP/MXR/ABCG2) is an ATP binding cassette efflux protein expressed on cancer cells that plays a crucial role in multi-drug tumor resistance. Taxanes, irinotecan and photodynamic therapy using photosensitizers such as 2-(1-hexyloxyethyl)-2-devinyl pyropheophorbide-a (HPPH) are palliative measures used in patients with upper gastro-intestinal (UGI) cancers. These drugs are substrates / modulators of multidrug resistance protein such as BCRP. We performed this pilot study to analyze BCRP expression in esophageal and gastric cancers from a randomly selected series of patients. Methods: With IRB approval, paraffin embedded tumor blocks of esophageal and gastric cancer patients diagnosed between 1998 and 2002 at our institute were obtained. Immunohistochemical staining was done using specific murine monoclonal antibody to BCRP, mAb BXP-21 and BXP-34. Slides were read as strongly positive (>10% of cells), intermediate ( Results: Ten of the 19 patients (52%) examined expressed BCRP [strong (n=6) and intermediate (n=4)]. Eight of ten positive cases had membranous BCRP expression while five had cytoplasmic expression (3/10 were positive for both). There was no difference in average survival in BCRP positive (37.5 months) versus negative patients (27.8 months). One patient received HPPH photodynamic therapy but had poor response and relapsed within 6 months (40% BCRP). One of three patients who received a Taxane had strong (30%) BCRP expression and had poor response to chemotherapy. Conclusions: BCRP multidrug resistance protein expression is seen in esophageal, gastro-esophageal junction (GEJ) and gastric cancers. Evaluation of BCRP expression in larger subset is ongoing and will be correlated with response to HPPH, taxanes or irinotecan, and other chemotherapies that may be substrates / modulators of BCRP. Successful correlation would allow rational selection of chemotherapies and photosensitizers (Photofrin instead of HPPH). Furthermore, BCRP expression can be decreased by epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, raising the question of whether treatment with an EGFR inhibitor could improve clinical outcomes by sensitizing BCRP-positive cancers to therapeutic agents that are BCRP substrates.
Experimental results with HF underwater acoustic modem for high bandwidth applications

We present a robust, video-capable modem designed for wireless underwater acoustic communication. The difficult nature of the underwater acoustic channel necessitates explicit Doppler compensation and mitigation of severe multipath. Due to the relatively low propagation speed of sound in water, platform mobility causes severe Doppler that cannot be treated as in RF wireless communicaiton, as a frequency shift or through a global rescaling. We model the underwater acoustic channel with explicit time-varying Doppler and multipath, and derive the turbo resampling equalizer (TRE) that tracks and mitigates these phenomena. Building on previous work, we demonstate experimental results achieving data rates in excess of 1 Mbps over 100 m in shallow water, and successfully transmit live video over a 5 m underwater acoustic channel from a rapidly moving transmitter with speeds in excess of 3 m/s and accelerations in excess of 7m/s2.
Designing ubiquitous computing for reflection and learning in diabetes management

In many areas of human enterprise, private as well as professional, individuals shape their actions and choices based on lessons learned from their past experiences. Reflection has a particular significance for individuals with chronic diseases, such diabetes. Due to the high individual differences between cases, each affected individual must find the optimal combination of lifestyle alterations and medication through reflective analysis of personal diseases history. Computing technologies, specifically ubiquitous and pervasive computing, strive to assist individuals in this daunting task by helping them to record relevant experiences and analyze the captured records for trends and correlations. However, these applications often minimize individuals’ involvement with data capture. Instead, they rely on sensor networks, biosensors, and other automated capture mechanisms. In this dissertation I argue that excluding individuals from the monitoring process often leads to their disengagement from learning. In contrast, engaging individuals in proactive capture of relevant data helps them adopt a proactive attitude towards learning and enrich their understanding of their disease. I propose that computing for reflection should promote individuals’ engagement in reflection by exploiting breakdowns in individuals’ routines or understanding, support continuity in thinking that leads to a systematic refinement of ideas, and support articulation of thoughts and understanding that helps to transform insights into knowledge. I support my claims with the empirical evidence gathered during the design and deployment of three ubiquitous computing applications that support reflection in diabetes management.
TISSUE CATECHOLAMINE LEVELS IN PROLONGED OLIGEMIC HYPOTENSION.

SummaryCatecholamine levels were determined in tissues obtained from dogs subjected to prolonged oligemic hypotension. The lung and liver were found to have retained their normal complement of catecholamines while the cerebral hemisphere, spleen and heart were depleted. In the brain the depletion appeared to be a terminal phenomenon, possibly associated with the respiratory difficulties experienced by the animal at that time. In the spleen the depletion seemed to take place progressively throughout the experimental period. An attempt is made to reconcile these data with known metabolic and functional parameters of the organs studied.
The Pupa of Hyblaea (Lepidoptera, Hyblaeidae)

One of the very few families of the higher moths whose early stages have not been critically studied is the Hyblaeidae, with the single tropical genus Hyblaea. This genus was formerly placed as a subfamily of the Noctuidae and earlier was associated with forms commonly called Pseudodeltoids. Later when we came to study the thoracic characters we found it could not belong to the Noctuidae, and in Comstock's “Introduction” we placed it after the Pyraloids. Heinrich and Busck, who have examined the male genitalia, find more resemblance to the true microlepidoptera.
Antecedents and Outcomes of Hospitality Loyalty A Meta-Analysis

Customer loyalty is vital for hospitality businesses. A large body of literature has accumulated on the topic, requiring integration to form generalizations and to make it accessible to operators. In this research, I provide a conceptual framework for classifying indirect and direct loyalty antecedents and outcomes, and quantifying its components using meta-analysis. I analyze 102 studies that produce 423 effect sizes, which are distilled into a summary effect size for each relationship. The analysis reveals strong relationships between direct loyalty antecedents (satisfaction, emotional commitment, service quality, trust, and switching costs) and overall loyalty. However, the magnitude of effects declines significantly as the outcome moves from attitudinal loyalty to behavioral intentions to behavior. As most of our knowledge about loyalty is based on intention measures, the findings suggest that effects on actual loyalty may be smaller than the research would suggest. Indirect loyalty antecedents includ...
ADEA President-Elect’s Address: The Next Right Thing

Good afternoon, my friends—old friends, new friends, and friends I have not yet met. Each year, the President-Elect is given this opportunity to welcome you to the ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition and to briefly share a little of herself and her goals for our Association. I am certain that our
Utility of Measured Microdosimetric Single Event Spectra in Interpreting Quality of Radiation Fields Used in BNCT

The absorbed dose in BNCT on a cellular level is due to (1) secondary electrons produced predominantly by gamma rays, (2) protons produced by neutrons and the 14N(nth,p)14C reaction, and (3) alpha particles and Li ions produced by the BNC reaction. The relative contribution of electrons, protons and BNC reaction products changes with position within a beam in a patient/phantom and between different beams, leading to different biological effectiveness for the same absorbed dose. Additionally, (1) the proton energy spectrum is expected to change due to the rapidly degrading neutron energy spectrum with depth and changes in the relative contributions of recoil protons and protons from the 14N(nth,p)14C reaction, and (2) the BNC reaction products’ spectrum is expected to depend on the cellular location of the 10B atoms.
Abstract 4857: Design and biological evaluation of substituted pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidines as dual acting RTK and microtubule targeting agents

Combination chemotherapy with antiangiogenic (cytostatic) and microtubule targeting (cytotoxic) agents (MTA) have shown significant promise and several studies with such combinations have progressed to the clinic. Single agents with both antiangiogenic activities as well as cytotoxicity would circumvent pharmacokinetic problems of multiple agents, might be effective at lower doses to alleviate toxicity, and delay or prevent tumor cell resistance. We have designed, synthesized and evaluated single agents that are novel pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidine MTAs that also inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and platelet-derived growth factor receptor â (PDGFRâ). Sixteen pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidine analogs were synthesized with variations on the C-2 and the 4-anilino position. The importance of various substituents was evaluated based on their abilities to cause cellular microtubule depolymerization and inhibit proliferation of MDA-MB-435 cancer cells. Compounds with N5-Me were more potent than the N5-H analogs indicating that a conformational restriction induced by N5-Me could mimic the bioactive conformation. In addition, all C2-Cl compounds afforded 2 to 10-fold more potentIC 50 values than their C2-Me counterparts as illustrated by C2-Cl analog AG336 (IC 50 = 18.3 ± 5.0 nM) compared to its C2-Me analog AG85 (IC 50 = 193 ± 39 nM). The most active antitubulin agents were evaluated against RTKs and demonstrated good inhibition for EGFR (IC 50 = 29.5 - 91.5 nM), VEGFR-2 (182.3 - 543.6 nM) and PDGFRâ (IC 50 = 204.4 - 450.2 nM), thus demonstrating dual-targeting ability. Preclinical assessment of AG165 at 75 mg/kg in mice in the NCI/ADR resistant tumor model demonstrated significant reduction of tumor volume compared to paclitaxel (10 mg/kg) treated mice [p = 0.0333], indicating antitumor activity in a multidrug resistant tumor model, in addition to excellent antitumor activity in MDA-MB-435 and MDA-MB-231 xenograft models. These results demonstrate the viability of these multitargeted single agents as potential clinically active antitumor agents. Citation Format: Aleem Gangjee, Khushbu Shah, Nicholas Dybdal-Hargreaves, Susan Mooberry, Anja Bastian, Michael Ihnat. Design and biological evaluation of substituted pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidines as dual acting RTK and microtubule targeting agents. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4857.
Issues of Modern Quality Assurance Management

Quality assurance must be the key complement to current technological development. However, the consensus is that top-level managers are not committed to implementation of quality assurance programs. Discussion should focus on issues of modern quality assurance management for the military communications environment. Four invited papers are delivered: (1) C. G. Manak, on software quality assurance; (2) S. B. Liebesman, on the cost of poor quality; (3) W. F. Trezenka, on reliability and customers; and (4) K. Dey and M. Hartz, on practical considerations of statistical process control and reliability.
Immunosuppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cells are increased in splenocytes from cancer patients

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogeneous population of myeloid cells that are increased in the peripheral blood of cancer patients and limit productive immune responses against tumors. Immunosuppressive MDSCs are well characterized in murine splenic tissue and are found at higher frequencies in spleens of tumor-bearing mice. However, no studies have yet analyzed these cells in parallel human spleens. We hypothesized that MDSCs would be increased in the spleens of human cancer patients, similar to tumor-bearing mice. We compared the frequency and function of MDSC subsets in dissociated human spleen from 16 patients with benign pancreatic cysts and 26 patients with a variety of cancers. We found that total MDSCs (Linneg CD11bpos CD33pos HLA-DRneg), granulocytic MDSCs (additional markers CD14neg CD15pos), and monocytic MDSCs (CD14pos CD15neg) were identified in human spleen. The monocytic subset was the most prominent in both spleen and peripheral blood and the granulocytic subset was expanded in the spleen relative to matched peripheral blood samples. Importantly, the frequency of CD15pos MDSCs in the spleen was increased in patients with cancer compared to patients with benign pancreatic cysts and was associated with a significantly increased risk of death and decreased overall survival. Finally, MDSCs isolated from the spleen suppressed T cell responses, demonstrating for the first time the functional capacity of human splenic MDSCs. These data suggest that the human spleen is a potential source of large quantities of cells with immunosuppressive function for future characterization and in-depth studies of human MDSCs.
Permeation of limonene through disposable nitrile gloves using a dextrous robot hand

Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the permeation of the low-volatile solvent limonene through different disposable, unlined, unsupported, nitrile exam whole gloves (blue, purple, sterling, and lavender, from Kimberly-Clark). Methods This study utilized a moving and static dextrous robot hand as part of a novel dynamic permeation system that allowed sampling at specific times. Quantitation of limonene in samples was based on capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and the internal standard method (4-bromophenol). Results The average post-permeation thicknesses (before reconditioning) for all gloves for both the moving and static hand were more than 10% of the pre-permeation ones (P≤0.05), although this was not so on reconditioning. The standardized breakthrough times and steady-state permeation periods were similar for the blue, purple, and sterling gloves. Both methods had similar sensitivity. The lavender glove showed a higher permeation rate (0.490±0.031 μg/cm2/min) for the moving robotic hand compared to the non-moving hand (P≤0.05), this being ascribed to a thickness threshold. Conclusions Permeation parameters for the static and dynamic robot hand models indicate that both methods have similar sensitivity in detecting the analyte during permeation and the blue, purple, and sterling gloves behave similarly during the permeation process whether moving or non-moving.
Utility and diagnostic accuracy of bedside lung ultrasonography during medical emergency team (MET) activations for respiratory deterioration.

Abstract Purpose We investigated the feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of lung ultrasonography during medical emergency team (MET) activations for respiratory deterioration. Material and methods We performed a prospective study of inpatients requiring MET evaluation for respiratory decompensation. A blinded investigator recorded videos of lung and lower extremity ultrasonography. The videos were reviewed by blinded investigators to determine a ultrasonography diagnosis. The accuracy of MET diagnosis and ultrasonography diagnosis were compared to the final diagnosis determined by retrospective chart review. Results The ultrasound exam was completed in 49/50 (98%) patients enrolled in the study with a mean duration of 13 ± 4 min. When excluding six cases that were not amenable to diagnosis by our algorithm, we report a lung ultrasonography diagnostic accuracy of 84% (37/44) which is similar to the accuracy of the MET clinical diagnosis of 75% (33/44) (p = 0.29). Furthermore, we report in 28/37 (76%) of cases where the lung ultrasonography diagnosis was correct, patients may have received inappropriate therapies. Conclusions Lung ultrasonography can be rapidly performed in the majority of patients with MET activation for respiratory deterioration. As an independent diagnostic test, lung ultrasonography is non-inferior to the MET clinical assessment and may prevent unnecessary treatments if used simultaneously.
Software Architecture of the Da Vinci Research Kit

The da Vinci Research Kit (dVRK) has been installed at over 25 research institutions across the world, forming a research community sharing a common open-source research platform. This paper presents the dVRK software architecture, which consists of a distributed hardware interface layer, a real-time component-based software framework, and integration with the Robot Operating System (ROS). The architecture is scalable to support multiple active manipulators, reconfigurable to enable researchers to partition a full system into multiple independent subsystems, and extensible at all levels of control.
The development and use of a molecular model for soybean maturity groups

Achieving appropriate maturity in a target environment is essential to maximizing crop yield potential. In soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], the time to maturity is largely dependent on developmental response to dark periods. Once the critical photoperiod is reached, flowering is initiated and reproductive development proceeds. Therefore, soybean adaptation has been attributed to genetic changes and natural or artificial selection to optimize plant development in specific, narrow latitudinal ranges. In North America, these regions have been classified into twelve maturity groups (MG), with lower MG being shorter season than higher MG. Growing soybean lines not adapted to a particular environment typically results in poor growth and significant yield reductions. The objective of this study was to develop a molecular model for soybean maturity based on the alleles underlying the major maturity loci: E1, E2, and E3. We determined the allelic variation and diversity of the E maturity genes in a large collection of soybean landraces, North American ancestors, Chinese cultivars, North American cultivars or expired Plant Variety Protection lines, and private-company lines. The E gene status of accessions in the USDA Soybean Germplasm Collection with SoySNP50K Beadchip data was also predicted. We determined the E allelic combinations needed to adapt soybean to different MGs in the United States (US) and discovered a strong signal of selection for E genotypes released in North America, particularly the US and Canada. The E gene maturity model proposed will enable plant breeders to more effectively transfer traits into different MGs and increase the overall efficiency of soybean breeding in the US and Canada. The powerful yet simple selection strategy for increasing soybean breeding efficiency can be used alone or to directly enhance genomic prediction/selection schemes. The results also revealed previously unrecognized aspects of artificial selection in soybean imposed by soybean breeders based on geography that highlights the need for plant breeding that is optimized for specific environments.
The Narrative Development of a Biblical Image in Folklore

In his epistle to the Colossians 2:14, St. Paul describes Adam’s fall by means of “the handwriting of ordinances that was against us”, which was nailed to the cross by Jesus Christ. The handwriting, the physical existence of which has not even been discussed in religious literature, has been transformed into folklore in a concrete form and developed as a narrative: Adam makes a written deal with the devil, and later Jesus Christ tears it to pieces. This theme can be found not only in oral folklore but also in iconography: on the frescoes of the resurrection, Jesus Christ is sometimes represented holding a torn scroll. The given paper analyses the above-mentioned theme in the context of narrative development of Biblical literary image in folklore.
Finite element formulation with embedded weak discontinuities for strain localization under dynamic conditions

We present an explicit finite element formulation designed for the treatment of strain localization under highly dynamic conditions. A material stability analysis is used to detect the onset of localization behavior. Finite elements with embedded weak discontinuities are employed with the aim of representing subsequent localized deformation accurately. The formulation and its algorithmic implementation are described in detail. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the usefulness of this computational framework in the treatment of strain localization under highly dynamic conditions, and to examine its performance characteristics in the context of two-dimensional plane-strain problems.
Post-operative HRIM and FLIP for dysphagia following antireflux procedures

Post-operative dysphagia after an antireflux procedure is a common problem that requires a thorough evaluation of anatomy and physiology to determine whether the complaint is due to obstruction at the esophagogastric junction or a defect in peristalsis that was either missed or underestimated during the pre-operative assessment. Many tools are helpful in this assessment and the first step is to assess the anatomy of the EGJ as antireflux procedures focus primarily on attempting to augment the barrier function of this anatomic zone. This can be accomplished with a careful endoscopy or a barium esophagram to determine whether the antireflux procedure is intact or potentially disrupted with or without herniation. Additionally, these tools are also important in ruling out strictures and other mechanical problems related to the various endoscopic and surgical approaches.
Almost Difference Sets in Transformational Music Theory

The combinatorial theory of difference sets has prior applications in the field of mathematical music theory. The theory of almost difference sets, however, has not received similar attention from music scholars. Nevertheless, these types of structures also have significant musical applications. For instance, the well known all-interval tetrachords of pitch-class set theory are almost difference sets. To that end, we investigate the various categories of almost difference sets (cyclic, abelian, and non-abelian) in terms of their representations in Lewinian music-transformational groups.
Evaluation of students’ satisfaction with three all-you-can-eat university dining facilities

ABSTRACTWith the growing number of dining options, both on and off campus, university dining facilities need to assess their ability to meet the needs of the student population, considering the competitive alternate dining options. The purposes of this study were to (1) measure university students’ satisfaction with, and importance of, nine key attributes of three unique, all-you-can-eat, university dining facilities and (2) compare and contrast students’ ratings of attributes among the three dining facilities. A one-way ANOVA determined that participants at Dinning Facility 1 rated 8 of 9 attributes significantly higher on satisfaction compared to Dining Facilities 2 and 3. Attributes with highest satisfaction were cleanliness, atmosphere/environment, and image/reputation. Attributes with lowest satisfaction were menu variety, food quality, and healthy options. These results can guide dining facilities in efforts to improve customer satisfaction.
Intuitions — Good and Not-So-Good

In (Salmon, 1980) I offered a critical survey of what I regarded as the three significant theories of probabilistic causality available at that time — namely, those of I. J. Good, Hans Reichenbach, and Patrick Suppes. Both Good and Suppes have responded to that article — (Good 1980 and 1985), and (Suppes 1984, chap. 3) — and I have taken the subject up again in (Salmon 1984, chap. 7). The purpose of this paper is to continue that discussion. As I see it, we have arrived at a point at which basic intuitions about probabilistic causality clash.1 It may not be possible to resolve the conflicts, but I hope at least to clarify the issues.
Groundwater Nitrate Concentrations and Its Relation to Landcover, Buncombe County, NC

High concentrations of nitrate (NO3) in groundwater can be harmful to human health if ingested, and the primary cause of blue baby syndrome, among other health impacts. In this study, the spatial distribution of NO3 in groundwater for 610 private drinking water wells in Buncombe County, North Carolina was modeled. While NO3 concentration in the sampled wells did not exceed the 10 mg/L limit established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, some wells had NO3 concentrations approaching this limit (as high as 8.5 mg/L). Kriging interpolation was implemented within a Geographic Information System to predict NO3 concentrations across the county, and a cokriging model using land cover type. Cross validation statistics of root mean square and root mean square standardized for both models were compared and the results showed that the predicted NO3 map was improved when land cover type was integrated into the model. The cokriging interpolated surface with land cover as a covariate had the lowest root mean square (0.979) when compared to the kriging interpolated surface (0.986), indicating a better fit for the model with land cover. NO3 concentrations equal or greater than 2 mg/L were concentrated in 37% hay/pasture land, 34% developed open space, and 29% deciduous forest. The study did not reveal any statistically significant difference in the presence of high NO3 concentration between these landcover types, indicating they all relate to high NO3 content.
Modelling phase behavior of biodiesel related systems with CO2 using a polar version of PC-SAFT

Abstract In previous work, Soh et al., 2014 [1] obtained >98% conversion of triolein to biodiesel (a fatty acid methyl ester) using temperatures of 95 °C, a methanol to triglyceride ratio of 5:1, and carbon dioxide as a co-solvent that enhanced the miscibility of the oil and methanol reactants. To try to determine the most advantageous conditions to operate such reactions where CO2 is employed as a benign co-solvent, the PC-SAFT theory has been employed to model the phase behavior of the associated mixtures (including alcohols, CO2, fatty esters, and glycerol) that one would encounter throughout the reaction. Modelling results achieved accurate phase behavior representations for pure components, plus binary and ternary mixtures that include carbon dioxide by using a polar version of PC-SAFT. Group contribution methods were employed to predict pure component parameters for a range of fatty acid methyl- and ethyl-esters, simplifying the modelling while minimizing the number of parameters. Small errors were obtained using very low values of binary interaction coefficients (below 0.07) for the binary mixtures. Successful modelling for liquid-liquid and vapor-liquid regimes of binary and ternary systems suggest the possibility to determine process conditions for transesterification performed in multiphasic reactors in presence of CO2.
MIMO Radar Beampattern Design Under Joint Constant Modulus and Orthogonality Constraints

The capability of Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) radar systems to adapt waveforms across antennas allows flexibility in transmit beampattern design. In cognitive radar, a popular cost function is to minimize deviation against an idealized beampattern (which is arrived at with knowledge of the environment). The optimization of transmit beampattern becomes particularly challenging in the presence of practical constraints on the transmit waveform. In this work, we study two important but difficult non-convex constraints: constant modulus and orthogonality of waveform code across transmit antennas. Individually, incorporating these constraints continues to be challenging and they have rarely been jointly studied because each set is individually a (non-convex) manifold. We develop a new approach by leveraging the theory of optimization over manifolds: we derive a new projection, descent and retraction (PDR) update strategy that allows for monotonic cost function improvement while maintaining feasibility over the complex circle manifold (constant modulus set). The approach allows a tractable extension to incorporate orthogonality as a penalty term with the cost function. We provide analytical guarantees of monotonic cost function improvement along with proof of convergence. Experimentally, we show that PDR can outperform state of the art wideband beampattern design methods while being computationally tractable. Robustness to target direction mismatch (enabled by orthogonal waveforms) is also demonstrated.
“In Our Nature”: The Kenotic Christology of Charles Chauncy

Charles Chauncy (1705–1787), for more than sixty years the pastor of the influential First (“Old Brick”) Church in Boston, was a leading participant in many of the greatest controversies of his century. Best known for his opposition both to Jonathan Edwards and to what he regarded as the emotional excesses of the Great Awakening, he is also well remembered for his vigorous protest against Anglican efforts to establish bishops in America. He became such an ardent champion of the colonists in their struggle for a free and independent nation that above all others he deserves the title “theologian of the American Revolution.”