cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Beauvais Cathedral Project

Preserving cultural heritage and historic sites is an important problem. These sites are subject to erosion, vandalism, and as long-lived artifacts, they have gone through many phases of construction, damage and repair. It is important to keep an accurate record of these sites using 3-D model building technology as they currently are, so preservationists can track changes, foresee structural problems, and allow a wider audience to "virtually" see and tour these sites. Due to the complexity of these sites, building 3-D models is time consuming and difficult, usually involving much manual effort. This paper discusses new methods that can reduce the time to build a model using automatic methods. Examples of these methods are shown in reconstructing a model of the Cathedral of Saint-Pierre in Beauvais, France.
Finite state automata as form-generation and visualization tools

Architects and other designers use diagrams to visualize the process of product analysis and synthesis. The paper outlines a new pictorial representation tool that helps designers visualize the process of composing and classifying their final products. Finite state automata (FSAs) are used in the context of formal languages as recognition devices. In this sense, they complement the synthetic device of linear grammars in the definition of regular languages. Using the paradigm of language for understanding the design process, FSAs can be developed to describe how basic shapes standing for elements or subsystems can be put together into meaningful subsystems or systems. They can classify different options for component grouping. Compared to flow charts, FSAs represent graphically a class of flow charts that share a set of predefined criteria. In addition, FSAs allow the representation of recursive as well as topological and spatial relations among components.
School-based asthma surveillance: A comparison of student and parental report

This study addressed the comparability of data obtained from a student-based and parent-based asthma and respiratory health survey. Our goal was to ascertain whether there were meaningful and systematic differences in asthma classification based on symptom and diagnosis reports obtained separately from students and their parents. A brief, written survey, based on the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Children questionnaire, was administered to 6th through 10th grade students in two schools in Oakland, CA, USA. Students who reported asthma-like indicators for the previous 12-month period were defined as positive and a more extensive questionnaire was mailed home to those parents. A more refined classification of asthma based on parent report of indicators was compared with student report. Forty-four percent of 1298 students were classified as positive for current asthma-like symptoms and 50% of parent surveys were returned. For the positive students with parent surveys, 59% were classified as 'probable' for asthma based on the parent survey. Overall, the agreement between parent and students' classification was 70%, and 83% for students with a parent report of physician diagnosis of asthma. Students who were discordant with parents for physician diagnosis of asthma were more likely to be male, and more likely to have a parent report of unscheduled Emergency Department visit for wheezing or trouble breathing. Findings indicated that with the exception of medication, students reported asthma indicators more frequently that parents, independent of classification. Student report of physician diagnosis with a 12-month report of an asthma symptom was determined to be a good indicator of probable current asthma. Inclusion of or reliance on a parental questionnaire is not likely to improve the reliability of a school-based asthma surveillance program in our population.
Ultrastructure of Hepatocellular Neoplasms in Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)-Initiated Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss):

The fine structure of hepatocellular neoplasms from aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)-initiated rainbow trout was studied by transmission electron microscopy. Large, usually uniform hepatic nuclei, large nucleoli, abundant, dilated rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum, and reduced glycogen storage were common findings in both hepatocellular adenomas and hepatocellular carcinomas. In addition, the presence of poorly developed microvilli in the space of Disse and in bile canaliculi, the occurrence of few or no bile preductule cells and a striking increase in the size and number of intercellular spaces characterized hepatocellular carcinomas. The three latter characteristics of hepatocellular carcinomas suggest loss of inter-relationships between hepatocytes and the microvascular system (sinusoids), between hepatocytes and the biliary system, and between individual hepatocytes, respectively. With respect to these parameters, adenomas were more similar to normal liver than to carcinomas.
Austromusotima camptozonale (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) Herbivory Results in Frond and Rhizome Mortality of the Invasive Fern Lygodium microphyllum (Schizaeles: Lygodiaceae)

Abstract Old World climbing fern, Lygodium microphyllum (Cav.) R. Br.; Schizaeles: Lygodiaceae), is among the most problematic invasive weeds in southern Florida, USA, where it smothers and displaces native vegetation. Chemical and mechanical control methods that target aerial fronds may not provide adequate control of L. microphyllum as underground rhizomes produce new fronds following treatment. Alternatively, biological control involves persistent feeding damage from introduced herbivores and may be an additional control measure for the management of the exotic weed. Herein, we hypothesized that high levels of persistent herbivory will reduce foliar biomass, kill underground rhizomes, and increase the number of other plant species. This hypothesis was tested over an 18 month period by placing 6 cages over L. microphyllum patches growing in a natural setting and repeatedly inoculating 3 of the cages with the Australian moth Austromusotima camptozonale (Hampson) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) while the remaini...
Differential Cortical Atrophy in Subgroups of Mild Cognitive Impairment

jects. Compared with patients with MCI-MCD, patients with MCI-A had significant volume loss of the left entorhinal cortex and inferior parietal lobe. Compared with patients with MCI-A, patients with MCI-MCD had significantlyreducedvolumeoftherightinferiorfrontalgyrus, right middle temporal gyrus, and bilateral superior temporalgyrus.PatientswithMCIwhoprogressedtoAlzheimer disease during follow-up (mean interval 2 years, maximum 4.5 years), showed greater atrophy in the left entorhinal cortex, bilateral superior temporal gyri, and rightinferiorfrontalgyruscomparedwiththosewhodid not progress. Conclusions: These data provide evidence of distinct brainstructuralabnormalitiesin2groupsofpatientswith MCI. While both have mesial temporal and cortical volume loss, those with a focal memory deficit have more involvement of the mesial temporal structures and less involvement of the neocortical heteromodal association areas than those patients with MCI with diffuse cognitive dysfunction. Thus, MCI may represent a more heterogeneous group than currently conceived, possibly reflecting2differentetiologicalprocessestodementia.These data also suggest that these structural abnormalities precede the development of Alzheimer disease. Arch Neurol. 2005;62:1393-1397
Reliability analysis of fault-tolerant IMU architectures with redundant inertial sensors

A systematic reliability analysis procedure for evaluating fault-tolerant inertial measurement unit (IMU) architectures is described. This reliability analysis procedure is based on modeling the system architecture, the component reliabilities, and the redundancy management. The component reliabilities are based on constant failure rates and exponential failure distributions. The procedure computes both the overall reliability of the IMU and the major contributors to the IMU reliability. This reliability analysis procedure is used to evaluate and compare three state-of-the-art fault-tolerant IMU architectures: the triple triad architecture, the dual quad architecture, and the hexad architecture. >
Benchmarks for detecting ‘breakthroughs’ in clinical trials: empirical assessment of the probability of large treatment effects using kernel density estimation

Objective To understand how often ‘breakthroughs,’ that is, treatments that significantly improve health outcomes, can be developed. Design We applied weighted adaptive kernel density estimation to construct the probability density function for observed treatment effects from five publicly funded cohorts and one privately funded group. Data Sources 820 trials involving 1064 comparisons and enrolling 331 004 patients were conducted by five publicly funded cooperative groups. 40 cancer trials involving 50 comparisons and enrolling a total of 19 889 patients were conducted by GlaxoSmithKline. Results We calculated that the probability of detecting treatment with large effects is 10% (5–25%), and that the probability of detecting treatment with very large treatment effects is 2% (0.3–10%). Researchers themselves judged that they discovered a new, breakthrough intervention in 16% of trials. Conclusions We propose these figures as the benchmarks against which future development of ‘breakthrough’ treatments should be measured.
The use of bioreactance and carotid Doppler to determine volume responsiveness and blood flow redistribution following passive leg raising in hemodynamically unstable patients.

Background The clinical assessment of intravascular volume status and volume responsiveness is one of the most difficult tasks in critical care medicine. Furthermore, accumulating evidence suggests that both inadequate and overzealous fluid resuscitation are associated with poor outcomes. The objective of this study was to determine the predictive value of passive leg raising (PLR)-induced changes in stroke volume index (SVI) as assessed by bioreactance in predicting volume responsiveness in a heterogenous group of patients in the ICU. A secondary end point was to evaluate the change in carotid Doppler flow following the PLR maneuver. Methods During an 8-month period, we collected clinical, hemodynamic, and carotid Doppler data on hemodynamically unstable patients in the ICU who underwent a PLR maneuver as part of our resuscitation protocol. A patient whose SVI increased by > 10% following a fluid challenge was considered a fluid responder. Results A complete data set was available for 34 patients. Twenty-two patients (65%) had severe sepsis/septic shock, whereas 21 (62%) required vasopressor support and 19 (56%) required mechanical ventilation. Eighteen patients (53%) were volume responders. The PLR maneuver had a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 100% for predicting volume responsiveness (one false negative result). In the 19 patients undergoing mechanical ventilation, the stroke volume variation was 18.0% ± 5.1% in the responders and 14.8% ± 3.4% in the nonresponders ( P = .15). Carotid blood flow increased by 79% ± 32% after the PLR in the responders compared with 0.1% ± 14% in the nonresponders ( P r = 0.59, P = .0003). Using a threshold increase in carotid Doppler flow imaging of 20% for predicting volume responsiveness, there were two false positive results and one false negative result, giving a sensitivity and specificity of 94% and 86%, respectively. We noted a significant increase in the diameter of the common carotid artery in the fluid responders. Conclusions Monitoring the hemodynamic response to a PLR maneuver using bioreactance provides an accurate method of assessing volume responsiveness in critically ill patients. In addition, the study suggests that changes in carotid blood flow following a PLR maneuver may be a useful adjunctive method for determining fluid responsiveness in hemodynamically unstable patients.
Peripheral hardware and a hands-on multitasking lab

Two teaching approaches are described. The first uses a set of 15 small, prebuilt hardware assemblies for microprocessor laboratories. The second, a multitasking laboratory-oriented course, lets undergraduate students carry out embedded-control projects, using a low-cost system of microcomputer boards that they wire to rebuilt peripheral boards. The hardware modules conveniently allow laboratory activities that focus on embedded hardware applications. The multitasking course goes even further into real-time systems, as well as teaching group project ideas. The programming languages used, the course sequence, and the laboratory equipment are described. >
Political Practices of Care: Needs and Rights*

Abstract. In this paper the authors argue that the exploration of the nature of needs and rights should begin with the actually existing organization of care and of justice in society. The authors raise two key concerns with this organization: 1) the invisibility of care to some, and 2) the inaccessibility of rights to others. Recent work by care scholars has called attention to the ways the current organization of care work perpetuates the myth of self-sufficiency for some, while reducing others to mere dependents. Law and Society scholars have demonstrated the problems of uneven access to legal remedies within the current organization of the legal system. Addressing these concerns simultaneously reveals both the problems of the current organization of needs and rights as well as illuminating alternative possibilities. The authors argue, first, that a justice perspective, based on rights is inadequate because its presumed universality is belied by the reality of the inaccessibility of rights to many. Second, the authors argue that a care perspective, currently formulated upon the assumption that only some people have needs, is also flawed because its presumed particularity distorts the human experience and subsequent policies. Instead, the authors need to conceive of care in a public way that permits both rights and needs to be understood as applicable to all. The authors propose some initial thoughts about how to create such a public concept of care.
Biofuels: Is There Anything There?

Introduction My first introduction to the idea of biofuels came when I met the Nobel Laureate chemist, Melvin Calvin, in the late 1970s (his prize was awarded in 1961 for the discovery of how photosynthesis worked). It was the time of the Arab oil embargo and he had a dream of what he called growing oil. He had found a plant in the Amazon that produced oil that could directly substitute for diesel fuel, and was working on improving the output of a different plant that could grow in the temperate zone, and on poor ground. He wanted, through genetic engineering, to greatly increase its natural production of an oil-like substance. He did not think using food crops for energy systems was a good idea because of population growth. We would need all the food we could get. Mel retired in 1980 (continuing to work as do most of us) and died before he succeeded. The science community is still trying to bring Mel Calvin’s vision to life. Today, in the United States biofuels means ethanol from corn, while in Brazil it is ethanol from sugarcane (the European Union has an ethanol program too, and I will come back to it). After looking in some detail at the US program, I confess that I have become a biofuels skeptic. Most of what one hears about corn as a source of fuel ethanol that saves energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions is propaganda from agribusiness (I think Calvin would agree). Sugarcane is one crop that does give the promised benefits, but even its long-term contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions depends on how land is used. There is an intensive worldwide research program aimed at developing much more effective biological sources of fuel, but as of the writing of the first edition it had not yet reached practicality. Now, five years later, it still has not reached practicality.
Atmospheric plasma deposition of diamond-like carbon coatings

Abstract The atmospheric pressure plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of diamond-like carbon (DLC) has been investigated. The DLC coatings were grown with a mixture of acetylene, hydrogen and helium that was fed through a linear plasma source. The plasma was driven with radio frequency power at 27.12 MHz. Deposition rates exceeded 0.10 µm/min at substrate temperatures between 155 and 200 °C. Solid-state carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance revealed that the coatings contained approximately 43% sp2-bonded carbon and 57% sp3-bonded carbon. Coefficient of friction values for the coatings were found to be 0.24 ± 0.02, which is within the range observed for vacuum deposited DLC.
Treatment of Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome Via Traditional and Robotic Techniques

Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) is a rare entity characterized by extrinsic compression of the celiac artery and symptoms of postprandial epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, and weight loss mimicking mesenteric ischemia. We present two patients diagnosed with MALS, the first treated with an open laparotomy by a vascular surgeon and the second using a robot assisted laparoscopic approach by a general surgeon with a vascular surgeon on standby. This is the second ever report of this approach. Both patients recovered without complications and experienced resolution of their symptoms. A discussion of the pathophysiology, literature review, and multispecialty treatment approach are presented.
Predicting mechanisms of arrhythmia in heart failure using high performance computing

Differences in electrophysiological properties of cardiac cells produce repolarization gradients across the transmural wall. Under pathological conditions, such as Heart Failure (HF) and Long QT Syndrome (LQTS), these gradients are amplified and can form the substrate for re-entry, arrhythmia and possible sudden cardiac death which remains a leading cause of death in the western world. It is therefore important to work towards a more complete understanding of the mechanisms of arrhythmia so that more effective diagnostic and therapeutic procedures can be developed. The work presented in this study describes computational approaches for developing cardiac models which can be used in conjunction with experiments to test hypotheses by which arrhythmias may arise in the heart. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of repolarization abnormalities in the generation of arrhythmias under conditions of HF. There are two main components of our model: (a) a description of the detailed anatomical structure of the tissue; and (b) experimentally-derived electrophysiological models of ion currents. The computational domain consists of millions of mesh points each representing a cardiac myocyte. Current fluxes within each myocyte were modeled using coupled non-linear ordinary differential equations (ODEs). We adopted a stiff symmetric operator-splitting scheme to eliminate the need to use extremely small integration time steps, which would otherwise be required to satisfy the stiffness of the ODE system. In the scheme we adopted, the reaction term was solved using a stiff integration method, and the diffusion term was solved with a second order Runge-Kutta method. This scheme increased computational speed by almost ten fold compared to a simple numerical method such as the forward Euler method. High Performance Computing (HPC) was employed to cut down simulation runtime. The parallel algorithm developed was highly scalable to the problem size as well as the number of processors, and could be ported to other parallel machines. The models were used to examine HF-related functional changes in electrical conduction and action potential duration (APD) gradients. Modeling results predict that the interplay between HF-induced electrophysiological remodeling of cell properties and reduced conductivity significantly increases repolarization gradients and APD dispersion (APDD) both of which have been shown to increase the risk of arrhythmias. These models can serve as computational tools to study the mechanisms underlying cardiac arrhythmias.
On the Motion of Growth. I. Introduction to the Energetics of Growth and Metabolism

It is proposed in this and in a few succeeding papers briefly to present the major results of an extensive investigation into the general nature and mechanism of growth, a problem which has now occupied our attention for the past eight years. It is clearly impossible, accordingly, to do more here than to sketch in the barest fashion such features as are of primary interest to those working in this field. A detailed description whereby all steps in the argument are properly and fully justified has already been prepared for early publication elsewhere.Previous workers as described by Scammon1 have contributed greatly in diverse ways to our knowledge of the outward, graphical characteristics of growth in various biological forms, but it needs to be pointed out that no analyses have been brought to the point where the intrinsic properties or perhaps better, the special mechanisms of growth as such are thereby satisfactorily clarified, and further, that there is nowhere a hint as to the real connections of thi...
Progesterone in the treatment of neonatal arterial ischemic stroke and acute seizures: Role of BDNF/TrkB signaling.

Neonatal stroke is among the top ten causes of childhood death and permanent disability in survivors, but no safe and effective acute treatments exist. To advance understanding of its neuroprotective mechanisms, we examined the effects of progesterone (PROG) on local and systemic inflammation (IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα), brain derived neurotrophic factor/Tropomyosin receptor kinase B (BDNF/TrkB) signaling, vascular damage (vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9)), acute behavioral seizures and brain infarction size following neonatal arterial ischemic stroke in mice. CD1 mouse pups (postnatal day 12, mixed gender) received permanent unilateral right common carotid ligation (pUCCL) or sham surgery. Pups showing seizure activity during the first hour post-pUCCL were randomly assigned to receive PROG (8 mg/kg) or vehicle injections. PROG treatment significantly (p < 0.05) reduced seizure occurrence by ∼44% compared to vehicle and attenuated the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in serum and brain at different time-points. PROG differentially regulated the expression of BDNF and TrkB and the activity of VEGF and MMP-9 over the 7d period. Permanent UCCL resulted in severe hemispheric damage measured at 7 days post-pUCCL but PROG treatment produced a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in infarct volume (∼70%) compared to vehicle. A gender-based comparison of data revealed significantly greater seizure activity in males compared to females. However, we did not observe significant sex differences on any other markers of the injury at this early stage of development. PROG treatment is neuroprotective through a number of signaling pathways and can be beneficial in treating neonatal arterial ischemic stroke in CD1 mice.
Directed Drop Transport Rectified from Orthogonal Vibrations via a Flat Wetting Barrier Ratchet

We introduce the wetting barrier ratchet, a digital microfluidic technology for directed drop transport in an open air environment. Cyclic drop footprint oscillations initiated by orthogonal vibrations as low as 37 μm in amplitude at 82 Hz are rectified into fast (mm/s) and controlled transport along a fabricated ratchet design. The ratchet is made from a simple wettability pattern atop a microscopically flat surface consisting of periodic semi-circular hydrophilic features on a hydrophobic background. The microfluidic ratchet capitalizes on the asymmetric contact angle hysteresis induced by the curved features to drive transport. In comparison to the previously reported texture ratchets, wetting barrier ratchets require 3-fold lower actuation amplitudes for a 10 μL drop, have a simplified fabrication, and can be made optically flat for applications where transparency is paramount.
Law, Neuroscience and Conceptual Housecleaning

On occasion, my own scholarship in law and neuroscience has required me to wade into philosophical waters. However, given that I am not a trained philosopher, I have always tried to focus more on p...
Pregabalin as a rare cause of liver disease

Anamnese: Eine 76-jahrige Patientin wird aus der unfallchirurgischen Abteilung zur weiteren geriatrischen Fruhrehabilitation nach konservativer Therapie einer rechtsseitigen Os-sacrum-Fraktur ubernommen. Die Aufnahme erfolgte zur Diagnostik bei Fallneigung, Schmerzeinstellung und zur Mobilisation. Untersuchungsbefund: Am Tag der Aufnahme zeigte sich ein unsicheres Gangbild mit ungerichteter Fallneigung. Laborchemisch zeigte sich eine leichte Erhohung der Infektparameter (CRP 0,67 mg / dl) und der alkalischen Phosphatase (AP) (191 U / I). Therapie und Verlauf: Es erfolgte ein multimodales fruhrehabilitatives Konzept mittels Krankengymnastik, aktivierender Pflege und Schmerztherapie (Metamizol, Tilidin / Naloxon). Unter der krankengymnastischen Therapie manifestierten sich zusatzlich neuropathische Schmerzen im Sinne eines radikularen Schmerzsyndroms L5 /S1 rechts, so dass zusatzlich eine Therapie Pregabalin initiiert wurde. Nach 10 Tagen klagte die Patientin uber Ubelkeit. Bei Persistenz der Beschwerden und klinischem Verdacht auf einen Ikterus erfolgte eine laborchemische Kontrolle. Hier zeigten sich erhohte Cholestaseparameter (Bilirubin 6 mg / dl, GOT 131U / I, G-GT 2030 U / l, AP 650U / I). In der Abdomen-Sonografie und Magnetresonanz-Cholangiopankreatiokografie (MRCP) konnte kein Hinweis auf eine Cholestase, Choledocholithiasis oder Malignitat gefunden werden, so dass die Therapie mit Pregabalin bei Verdacht auf eine medikamentos-induzierte Hepatopathie beendet wurde. Hierunter kam es im weiteren Verlauf zu einer Normalisierung der Leberfunktionswerte. Schlussfolgerung: Bei klinisch unklarer Hepatopathie sollte auch an eine Medikamentennebenwirkung gedacht werden. Bei der hier beschriebenen Patientin ist eine neu begonnene Schmerztherapie unter Pregabalin hierfur ursachlich anzunehmen.
Surfactant apoprotein in adult rat lung compartments is increased by dexamethasone

The distribution of the major surfactant apoprotein (SP-A) in adult rat lung was determined in order to gain insight into its metabolism, including packaging of SP-A into lamellar bodies. The effec...
Pharmacist participation on an inpatient geriatric care team.

Q Our hospital plans to establish an inpatient geriatric care team consisting of physicians, nurses, dietitians, and social workers. The pharmacy department believes that a pharmacist can bring unique and valuable contributions to the care of elderly patients. How can we convince the hospital's administration that the team should include a pharmacist?
The Metastatic Breast Cancer Project: A national direct-to-patient initiative to accelerate genomics research.

LBA1519Background: The challenge in studying tumors from patients (pts) with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) has been that most tumors are not available for research, largely because most pts are cared for in community settings where genomics studies are not conducted. To address this, we launched a nationwide study, The Metastatic Breast Cancer Project, which seeks to empower patients to accelerate research by sharing their samples and clinical information. Methods: In collaboration with pts and advocacy groups, we developed a website to allow MBC pts to participate across the U.S. Enrolled pts are sent a saliva kit and asked to mail back a saliva sample, which is used to extract germline DNA. We contact participants’ medical providers and obtain medical records and part of their tumor biopsy. Whole exome and transcriptome sequencing is performed on tumor and germline. Clinically annotated genomic data are used to identify mechanisms of response and resistance to therapies. The database is shared widely w...
Reconfigurable 96×128 active pixel sensor with 2.1µW/mm 2 power generation and regulated multi-domain power delivery for self-powered imaging

We present an energy harvesting system comprising a dual purpose CMOS active pixel sensor (APS) array, and a combined energy extractor and multi domain voltage regulator on a single die in 130nm technology. The reconfigurable image sensor is a 128 × 96 pixel array. The array captures image and is reconfigured to form an on-chip photovoltaic cell to harvest energy. It generates 2.1µW peak power at 300mV with 200klux illuminance. The generated voltage is used as the input of the switching energy extractor that boosts the voltage up to 3.3V and stores the energy in the storage element (battery/super capacitor). The stored energy is then supplied to the load at three independent domains using the single inductor multi-output (SIMO) buck regulator. Both the SIMO buck and the energy-harvesting boost use the only inductor in the system through internally managed time-multiplexing mechanism. This prototype demonstrates a solution for low frame rate, energy autonomous imaging applications including distributed wireless sensor node and IoT electronics.
Towards a scalable architecture for class-A power amplifiers

In this paper we present a preliminary study on a scalable class-A power amplifier (PA) architecture, which improves PA's efficiency by dynamically scaling biasing current as well as compensating the gain. Simulation results indicate the potential of 71% efficiency improvement, as well as 50% reduction of power consumption, with the input range near the -8 dBm level. We discuss simulation setups as well as results, and identify future research areas with the goal to have a complete and flexible architecture allowing dynamic current scaling for higher PA efficiency and other operation parameters.
Why Forward Viral Fashion Messages? The Moderating Roles of Consumers’ Fashion Traits and Message Orientation

ABSTRACTBusinesses are now using social media as platforms for viral marketing. However, little is known about the motivations, attitudes, and behaviors of fashion consumers who engage with this marketing instrument. This study examines the factors that influence consumers’ use of social media and their behavioral intentions to forward viral fashion messages. An attitudinal model was proposed through the integration of uses and gratification theory and the elaboration likelihood model. Individuals’ fashion trait and message orientations were specified as moderating factors. An online survey was administered to collect data, and 381 college students participated in the study. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Findings showed that individuals’ intention to forward a message was affected by favorable functional and expressive attitudes towards the message, while motivations of using social media had only slight effects on individuals’ attitudes. Group comparisons showed significant m...
The Role of the Gut Microbiome in Multiple Sclerosis Risk and Progression: Towards Characterization of the “MS Microbiome”

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the prototypic complex disease, in which both genes and the environment contribute to its pathogenesis. To date, > 200 independent loci across the genome have been associated with MS risk. However, these only explain a fraction of the total phenotypic variance, suggesting the possible presence of additional genetic factors, and, most likely, also environmental factors. New DNA sequencing technologies have enabled the sequencing of all kinds of microorganisms, including those living in and around humans (i.e., microbiomes). The study of bacterial populations inhabiting the gut is of particular interest in autoimmune diseases owing to their key role in shaping immune responses. In this review, we address the potential crosstalk between B cells and the gut microbiota, a relevant scenario in light of recently approved anti-B-cell therapies for MS. In addition, we review recent efforts to characterize the gut microbiome in patients with MS and discuss potential challenges and future opportunities. Finally, we describe the international MS microbiome study, a multicenter effort to study a large population of patients with MS and their healthy household partners to define the core MS microbiome, how it is shaped by disease-modifying therapies, and to explore potential therapeutic interventions.
Cancer Diagnostics Using 1H-NMR-Based Metabonomics

For several solid human malignancies, currently available serum biomarkers are insufficiently reliable to distinguish patients from healthy individuals. Metabonomics, the study of metabolic processes in biologic systems, is based on the use of 1H-NMR spectroscopy and multivariate statistics for biochemical data generation and interpretation and may provide a characteristic fingerprint in disease. Here we review our initial experiences utilizing the metabonomic approach for discriminating sera from women with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) from healthy controls. 1H-NMR spectroscopic analysis was performed on preoperative serum specimens of 38 EOC patients, 12 patients with benign ovarian cysts and 53 healthy women. PCA analysis allowed correct separation of all serum specimens from 38 patients with EOC (100%) from all of the 21 premenopausal normal samples (100%) and from all the sera from patients with benign ovarian disease (100%). In addition, it was possible to correctly separate 37 of 38 (97.4%) cancer specimens from 31 of 32 (97%) postmenopausal control sera. ROC analysis indicated that the sera from patients with and without disease could be identified with 100% sensitivity and specificity at the 1H-NMR regions 2.77 parts per million (ppm) and 2.04 ppm from the origin (AUC of ROC curve = 1.0). These findings indicate that the 1H-NMR metabonomic approach deserves further evaluation as a potential novel strategy for the early detection of EOC.
Comment: Extending the Latent Position Model for Networks

It is a pleasure to congratulate the authors (Durante, Dunson, and Vogelstein 2017), hereafter DDV, on an excellent article that substantially advances the field of latent space modeling of network...
Not all organic food is created equal: the role of product type, perceived authenticity, and construal level

Consumption of processed organic food is on the rise while fresh organic food still dominates organic food market. Drawing from the literature on authenticity and construal level theory, this study...
Exploring College Students’ Clothing Fit Perception and Overall Fit Satisfaction in General

Consumers regard clothing fit as the most crucial factor in determining overall satisfaction with garments (Pisut & Connell, 2007). However, individual body variations coupled with the lack of standardization of sizing systems in the apparel industry complicate our understanding of consumer perspectives on fit. Studies over the past 30 years in fashion design and product development have focused primarily on finding ways to improve physical fit by relying on experts’ opinions (Ashdown, Loker, Schoenfelder & Lyman-Clarke, 2004; Ashdown & O’Connell, 2006; Frost, 1988; Loker, Ashdown & Schoenfelder, 2005).
Application of echocardiographic data in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Purpose of review Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at a high risk for cardiovascular events and mortality, particularly heart failure. Echocardiography is the most commonly used diagnostic imaging modality for heart failure. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent literature that demonstrates how echocardiography may be used to define cardiac structure and function in the CKD population and to identify echocardiographic abnormalities that have utility in predicting clinical outcomes in this population. Recent findings Recent studies have highlighted the high prevalence of echocardiographic abnormalities in this population, and the challenge of identifying specific echocardiographic criteria for heart failure. There have been advances in application of strain echocardiography for evaluating systolic function in patients with normal ejection fraction, understanding pulmonary hypertension and identifying echocardiographic correlates of albuminuria. Additional studies have focused on diastolic dysfunction, left ventricular hypertrophy and echocardiographic findings in children with CKD. Summary Recent studies demonstrate the utility of echocardiography in characterizing heart structure and function and in providing potential tools for risk stratification in the high-risk CKD population.
Linkage analysis using somatic cell hybrids

It is my aim in this article to review current progress in somatic cell genetics. Somatic cell genetics, although a relatively new discipline, has already split into several different areas of investigation. For example, somatic cell hybrids are being used to study problems of cytodifferentiation,41 mitotic regulation,82,83,168,189 and activation of latent viruses.99,103,234 These subjects, while related to somatic cell genetics, will not directly concern us here. In this article, I shall focus on the utilization of somatic cell populations for the purpose of establishing the linkage relationships of genes to other genes and genes to chromosomes in higher eukaryotic organisms—especially man.
Other Filament Types

Microfilaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments clearly are the major fibrous cytoplasmic components of eukaryotic cells, but the question remains whether any other filamentous structures have eluded identification. Such components could either be relatively minor constituents, or they might be ephemeral structures difficult to preserve and isolate. For example, the elaborate architecture of the microtrabecular lattice (see section VIII.) which is far more complex than the sum of the networks formed from the three major cytoskeletal filaments, has prompted the speculation that it contains and conceals additional cytoskeletal filaments. Is this speculation justified, and what is the evidence for the existence of other fibrous components with a cytoskeletal or motile function?
Improving gender recognition using genetic algorithms

This paper attacks the problem of gender classification using genetic algorithms. We use local binary patterns and principle component analysis to extract a set of features from face images in the FERET database. The genetic algorithm searches the space of feature subsets to find a set of features that maximizes gender classification accuracy using a support vector machine classifier with hand tuned parameters. Starting with 142 features, the genetic algorithm reduces the feature set size by approximately half resulting in 98.5% accuracy with 100% reliability. This accuracy and reliability are better than when using all 142 features.
Objective measurements of the atlantoaxial joint on radiographs performed without flexion can increase the confidence of diagnosis of atlantoaxial instability in toy breed dogs

Toy breed dogs are overrepresented for atlantoaxial instability. Radiography is a standard diagnostic test, however published toy breed-specific radiographic measurements are lacking and diagnosis remains largely subjective. Aims of this retrospective, diagnostic accuracy study were to describe normal values and determine whether some quantitative radiographic criteria strongly support a diagnosis of atlantoaxial instability specific to toy breed dogs. Neutral lateral and ventrodorsal radiographs of 102 toy breed dogs (92 control, 10 affected) were reviewed. The median C1-C2 overlap (the distance of overlap between the C2 spinous process and the dorsal arch of C1) was +4.65 mm in control dogs and -5.00 mm in atlantoaxial instability cases. A C1-C2 overlap ≤ +1.55 mm was the most sensitive (100%) and specific (94.5%) radiographic measurement in the diagnosis of atlantoaxial instability. Three relative measurements were performed: the ventral atlantodental interval to dorsal atlantodental interval ratio, the dens/C2 ratio, and the C1-C2 angle. These three relative measurements had good specificity (94.5, 86.9, and 98.9%, respectively), lower sensitivity (80.0, 66.7, and 60.0%, respectively), and were not influenced by body weight (P > 0.05). Absolute measurements (including absolute dens length and atlantoaxial distance) were significantly correlated with body weight (P < 0.05) diminishing their utility in the diagnosis of atlantoaxial instability. Decreased C1-C2 overlap strongly supports atlantoaxial instability. The ventral atlantodental interval/dorsal atlantodental interval ratio, dens/C2 ratio, and C1-C2 angle may provide further support but may be normal in individual cases.
Abstract P286: Patterns of Caregiving Among Patients Hospitalized With Cardiovascular Disease

BACKGROUND: Cardiac caregivers may represent a novel low cost strategy to improve patient adherence to medical follow up, guidelines, and ultimately patient outcomes. Prior work on caregiving has been conducted primarily in mental health and cancer research; few data have systematically evaluated caregivers of cardiac patients. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the patterns of caregiving and characteristics of caregivers among hospitalized patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) to determine the potential pool of caregivers for an educational intervention and assess disparities in caregiver burden. METHODS: Consecutive patients admitted to the CVD service line at a university medical center during a 3 month period were included in the F amily Cardiac Caregiver I nvestigation T o Evaluate O utcomes ( FIT-O ) Study. Patients [N=1415, 55% (776/1415) white, 60% (853/1415) male, >92% participation rate] completed a standardized interviewer assisted questionnaire in English or Spanish regarding assistance with medical care, daily activities, and medications in the past year and plans for post-hospitalization. Caregivers were classified as either paid/professional (e.g. nurse/home aide) or non-paid (e.g. family member/friend). RESULTS: Among CVD patients, 14% (195/1415) planned to have a paid caregiver and 54% (759/1415) a non-paid caregiver at discharge. Planned paid caregiving was more prevalent among black/Hispanic vs. white/other patients (OR=1.8; 95%CI=1.2-2.5); planned non-paid caregiving prevalence did not differ by race/ethnicity. Most non-paid caregivers were female [82% (325/398)]. Patients who had non-paid caregivers in the year prior to hospitalization [(33% (466/1415)] reported: grocery shopping/meal preparation [62% (287/466)], transport to/arranging doctor visits [61% (283/466)], and medication adherence/medical needs [51% (236/466)] as top tasks caregivers assisted with. CONCLUSIONS: Following hospitalization, a majority of patients expect non-paid caregivers, primarily females, to assist with tasks that have the potential to improve CVD outcomes such as medical follow up, medication adherence and nutrition, suggesting these are important targets for a caregiver educational intervention.
Synchrotron-Based Additive Manufacturing Instrumentation

Additive manufacturing (AM) refers to a suite of technologies that build three-dimensional (3D) objects in a layer-by-layer fashion from digital models or CAD files. If AM sounds new to you, you mu...
Soybean Fungal Endophytes Alternaria and Diaporthe spp. are Differentially Impacted by Fungicide Application.

In field trials in Iowa, we investigated the association of a fungicide applied at early pod set to the diversity and composition of foliar endophytic fungi in presenescent soybeans. The main purpo...
Lossy GIF Compression Using Deep Intrinsic Parameterization

With billions of animated GIFs being shared and viewed every day, it has become imperative for GIF hosting websites to serve content with minimal lag. To cater to the ever-decreasing attention span of a wide audience with different connectivity issues, it makes sense to suitably compress GIFs during transmission. We present a unique and interpretable approach to lossily compress GIFs or any temporal sequence of frames through a CNN based image parameterization technique and a simple scalar quantization scheme. Contrary to learned compression techniques, our approach is instance-specific and self-supervised.
Consumer expectations: a new paradigm

Most scholars view the expectations held by consumers to be little more than uninformed guesses. Nonetheless, research has repeatedly found a close correspondence between aggregate trends in consumer expectations with the corresponding trends in national statistics. The theory of tailored expectations has reconciled the false paradox of micro-inaccuracy and macro-accuracy by shifting the focus from national data to the conditions people actually face. Processing, interpreting, and learning from economic information are largely accomplished by non-conscious cognitive activity. The inherent social nature of economic expectations generates cascades that can result in self-fulfilling expectations and consumers deserve equal billing with business and the government as having an independent and potent impact on the macro-economy. Lastly, the lament that non-conscious cognitive activity cannot be directly observed should not impede progress toward a more robust theory of economic expectations.
1978, the Year of Magical Thinking: Magical Realism and the Paradoxes of White Gay Ontology in Andrew Holleran’s Dancer from the Dance and Edmund White’s Nocturnes for the King of Naples

Radel looks at the uses of magical realism in late twentieth- and early twenty-first-century gay fictions to offer a much-needed nuancing of the connections between white racial identities and homosexuality. Situating Edmund White’s Nocturnes for the King of Naples (1978) and Andrew Holleran’s Dancer from the Dance (1978) within a literary tradition that combines magic, horror, and fantasy with homoerotic elements, Radel argues the novels represent white homosexuality as something unattainable, something almost otherworldly or magical. The essay, thus, provides a new reading of early gay literature that does not link it necessarily to the post-AIDS history of white gay assimilation but that, also, reflects the necessary and perhaps inevitable incoherence of white gay ontologies.
Endoscopic endonasal transpterygoid approach for reduction of a lateral recess encephalocele with postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak.

The authors present an endoscopic endonasal transpterygoid approach for reduction of a lateral recess encephalocele with post-operative cerebrospinal fluid leak. A 43-year-old man presented with right-sided clear rhinorrhea for 2 years. He had no other sinus complaints. On examination, he had a body
The Mode of Action of Endosidin20 Differs from That of Other Cellulose Biosynthesis Inhibitors

Endosidin20 (ES20) was recently identified as a cellulose biosynthesis inhibitor (CBI) that targets the catalytic domain of CELLULOSE SYNTHASE 6 (CESA6) and thus inhibits the growth of Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we characterized the effects of ES20 on the growth of other plant species and found that ES20 is a broad-spectrum plant growth inhibitor. We tested the inhibitory effects of previously characterized CBIs (isoxaben, indaziflam and C17) on the growth of Arabidopsis cesa6 mutants that have reduced sensitivity to ES20. We found that most of these mutants are sensitive to isoxaben, indaziflam and C17, indicating that these tested CBIs have a different mode of action than ES20. ES20 also has a synergistic inhibitory effect on plant growth when jointly applied with other CBIs, further confirming that ES20 has a different mode of action than isoxaben, indaziflam and C17. We demonstrated that plants carrying two missense mutations conferring resistance to ES20 and isoxaben can tolerate the dual inhibitory effects of these CBIs when combined. ES20 inhibits Arabidopsis growth in growth medium and in soil following direct spraying. Therefore, our results pave the way for using ES20 as a broad-spectrum herbicide, and for the use of gene-editing technologies to produce ES20-resistant crop plants.