cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Leveraging Information Technology Infrastructure to Facilitate a Firm's Customer Agility and Competitive Activity: An Empirical Investigation

This paper investigates how information technology IT facilitates a firm's customer agility and, in turn, competitive activity. Customer agility captures the extent to which a firm is able to sense and respond quickly to customer-based opportunities for innovation and competitive action. Drawing from the dynamic capability and IT business value research streams, we propose that IT plays an important role in facilitating a "knowledge creating" synergy derived from the interaction between a firm's Web-based customer infrastructure and its analytical ability. This will enhance the firm's ability to sense customer-based opportunities. IT also plays an important role in "process enhancing" synergy obtained from the interaction between a firm's coordination efforts and its level of information systems integration, which facilitates the firm's ability to respond to those opportunities. We also leverage the competitive dynamics and strategic alignment literature to propose that the alignment between customer-sensing capability and customer-responding capability will impact the firm's competitive activity. We test our model with a two-stage research design in which we survey marketing executives of high-tech firms. Our results show that a Web-based customer infrastructure facilitates a firm's customer-sensing capability; furthermore, analytical ability positively moderates this relationship. We also find that internal systems integration positively moderates the relationship between interfunctional coordination and a firm's customer-responding capability. Finally, our results show that agility alignment affects the efficacy of a firm's competitive actions. In particular, action efficacy is higher when sensing and responding capabilities are both high.
Probing metal-mediated O2 activation in chemical and biological systems

The use of oxygen ( 18 O) isotope fractionation as a mechanistic probe of chemical and biological oxidation reactions, particularly those which involve metal–O2 adducts, is currently being explored. Summarized here are reactions of enzymes and inorganic compounds for which competitive isotope effect measurements have been performed using natural abundance molecular oxygen and isotope ratio mass spectrometry. The derived 18 O equilibrium isotope effects (EIEs) and kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) reflect the ground state and transition state structures, respectively, for reactions of 16 O– 16 O and 18 O– 16 O. Normal isotope effects (>1) characterize the binding of O2 to transition metal centers. The magnitudes, which are primarily determined by the decrease in the O–O force constant accompanying formal electron transfer from the metal to O2, suggest that metal superoxo complexes can be distinguished from metal peroxo complexes. Because 18 O isotope effects can be measured during catalytic turnover, they complement existing approaches to elucidating the structures of activated oxygen intermediates based on low-temperature spectroscopy and crystallographic analysis of inorganic model compounds. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Integrins in cell migration – the actin connection

The connection between integrins and actin is driving the field of cell migration in new directions. Integrins and actin are coupled through a physical linkage, which provides traction for migration. Recent studies show the importance of this linkage in regulating adhesion organization and development. Actin polymerization orchestrates adhesion assembly near the leading edge of a migrating cell, and the dynamic cross-linking of actin filaments promotes adhesion maturation. Breaking the linkage between actin and integrins leads to adhesion disassembly. Recent quantitative studies have revealed points of slippage in the linkage between actin and integrins, showing that it is not always efficient. Regulation of the assembly and organization of adhesions and their linkage to actin relies on signaling pathways that converge on components that control actin polymerization and organization.
Immunosuppression Minimization: Current and Future Trends in Transplant Immunosuppression

The past decade has witnessed unprecedented advances in renal transplantation propelled by novel and effective immunosuppression drugs. The introduction of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), tacrolimus, cyclosporine microemulsion, sirolimus, a new generation of monoclonal antibodies (the anti–
Asymptotic stability for force reflecting teleoperators with time delay

A bilateral system consists of a local master manipulator and a remotely located slave manipulator. Velocity commands are sent forward from the master to the slave, and force information is "re flected "back from the slave to the master. Often there is a transmission delay when communicating between the two subsys tems, which causes instability in the force-reflecting teleoperator. Recently, a solution for this instability problem was found, based on mimicking the behavior of a lossless transmission line. Al though the resulting control law was shown to stabilize an actual single-DOF teleoperator system, and although the control law is intuitively stable because of its passivity properties, stability for the system has not yet been proven. In this article we extend these results to a nonlinear n-DOF system and prove its stability. Non linear, multidimensional networks are used to characterize the nonlinear equations for the master and slave manipulators, the time-delayed communication systems, the human o...
Time meter estimation technique for naval equipment

A method for estimating operating time using existing time meter readings by calculating the duty factors for each unit in the system is described. The duty factor is used with the Reliability Block Diagram database, which gives the configuration for each hull and failure database (i.e., the Logistics Support Center Failure database and the 3-M database) to calculate the failure rates and MTBFs (mean times between failure) for parts, units, and systems. Percentage of time used is tested in a regression analysis. It is shown that there is no statistical relationship between the total number of failures per year and the percentage of time a system is on. >
PCR diagnostics underestimate the prevalence of avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum) in experimentally-infected passerines.

Several polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods have recently been developed for diagnosing malarial infections in both birds and reptiles, but a critical evaluation of their sensitivity in experimentally-infected hosts has not been done. This study compares the sensitivity of several PCR-based methods for diagnosing avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum) in captive Hawaiian honeycreepers using microscopy and a recently developed immunoblotting technique. Sequential blood samples were collected over periods of up to 4.4 yr after experimental infection and rechallenge to determine both the duration and detectability of chronic infections. Two new nested PCR approaches for detecting circulating parasites based on P. relictum 18S rRNA genes and the thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (TRAP) gene are described. The blood smear and the PCR tests were less sensitive than serological methods for detecting chronic malarial infections. Individually, none of the diagnostic methods was 100% accurate in detec...
Meso-β-scale Characteristics of an Episode of Meso-α-scale Convective Complexes

Abstract A variety of meso-β-scale (20–200 km, 6 h) convective complex (MCC) are described. The analysis is based on a typical episode of MCCs in the central United States. Thunderstorms in the MCC are generally well-organized into meso-β-scale convective features. The larger MCCs are typically preceded by several of these meso-β convective clusters or bands, which tend to be aligned along linear meso-α-scale features such as the eastern slope of the Rockies or thermodynamic discontinuities evident in hourly surface or satellite data. The intense development of these larger systems involves the growth, merger and interaction of those meso-β convective feature located nearest the intersection of the meso-α axes along which they are aligned. Throughout the mature phase of the MCC, multiple meso-β convective components may persist within the more uniform meso-α cloud shield as expanding regions of str...
Cavernous tissue antibiotic levels in penile prosthesis surgery.

AbstractA comparison of the delivery of several antibiotics (vancomycin, gentamicin and aztreonam) to the tissue site of prosthesis implantation was studied using cavernous tissue levels for each antibiotic. A total of 32 patients underwent penile prosthesis implantation. Intravenous antibiotics were administered 1 to 2 hours preoperatively, with vancomycin and aztreonam given to patients at the Tulane University Medical Center, and vancomycin and gentamicin given to patients at the New Orleans Veterans Administration Hospital. At operation the urine, serum and cavernous tissue were concurrently sampled and later analyzed for antibiotic concentration. The mean cavernous tissue level for vancomycin was 55.5 ± 5.5ng./mg. (standard deviation) for 20 patients, while the mean cavernous tissue levels for aztreonam and gentamicin were 8.9 ± 2.1ng./mg. for 10 patients and 4.7 ± 1.2ng./mg. for 12 patients, respectively. When the delivery of antibiotic to cavernous tissue was compared (quantitated as ng. antibiotic...
The Amaryllidaceae alkaloids: biosynthesis and methods for enzyme discovery

Amaryllidaceae alkaloids are an example of the vast diversity of secondary metabolites with great therapeutic promise. The identification of novel compounds in this group with over 300 known structures continues to be an area of active study. The recent identification of norbelladine 4'-O-methyltransferase (N4OMT), an Amaryllidaceae alkaloid biosynthetic enzyme, and the assembly of transcriptomes for Narcissus sp. aff. pseudonarcissus and Lycoris aurea highlight the potential for discovery of Amaryllidaceae alkaloid biosynthetic genes with new technologies. Recent technical advances of interest include those in enzymology, next generation sequencing, genetic modification, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and mass spectrometry (MS).
Federalism in Kant's Political Philosophy

Kant argues in Eternal Peace that without a universal foedus pacificum ("pacific federation") of "republics" there is no security anywhere for "public legal justice"'; and in the Rechtslehre he adds that "if public legal justice perishes then it is no longer worthwhile for men to remain alive on this earth."2 This seems, then, to be a strong argument for some sort of federalism-at least in the international forum, between sovereign "republics," if not necessarily within the domestic structure of each of those republics. (One might think that any "federalist" would want to break down "indivisible" sovereignty by creating federal structures both beyond and within the national-state plane, and be a partisan of both "domestic" and international federalism3; but Kant's federalism moves mainly in one direction-beyond the national state.) A kind of international federalism, indeed, was more important to the political theory of Kant than to that of any other thinker, since for him the possibility of a public legal order on any plane was jeopardized by the absence of such an order on the broadest plane, the relations of independent states. Only an international peace (roughly) comparable to the peace which ought to be enjoyed by individual men in a particular state could guarantee state law.4
Mini-Helicon Plasma Thruster Characterization

A compact mini-Helicon Thruster (mHT) is designed to study possible space applications. High beam and gas utilization efficiencies are of major importance, as well as the compact design and system integration. The concept does not require a cathode for beam neutralization or any auxiliary gas discharge for plasma initiation. We target gases with intermediate weight, such as molecular nitrogen, atomic argon, and mixtures like air, operating at low 50% beam efficiency is achievable. Experimentally demonstrated efficiency is ~20%, which is primarily due to high energy loses in the RFtransition lines that has been recently quantified. Measured heat loads onto inner wall of the discharge chamber are moderate, a few watts per square centimeter. However, power density in the plasma beam is exceptionally high, several mega-watts per square meter, allowing much smaller cross-section of a system in comparison to other EP concepts.
Circuit relations, reciprocity theorems

A waveguide can itself be treated as a system of distributed impedances. Distributed impedances are treated in the same way as lumped impedances, by use of Kirchhoff's current and voltage laws for networks. A system of distributed impedance can, in fact, be replaced by a network of lumped-impedance elements. The latter differ from the conventional radio-circuit elements in that their impedance is a transcendental function of frequency rather than an algebraic function. By means of these equivalent lumped-element networks, the network theorems that are applicable to low-frequency lumped-element networks are carried over to systems with distributed impedance. The first part of this chapter will review several network theorems and the two-wire transmission-line theory that are used in microwave circuit theory. The subjects will be treated briefly, the reader being referred to standard texts for more complete discussions and proofs of the results quoted here.
Introduction to linear photonics (sending RF/microwave over fiber)

Microwave photonics is the practice of using optical carriers to generate, process, or distribute signals in the microwave spectrum. In this paper, techniques for the optical distribution of microwave signals are described. In general, these systems employ microwave links which involve: 1) the modulation and demodulation of microwave information with respect to an optical carrier, 2) the propagation of the modulated signal on fiber optic cables, and 3) the limitations to the fidelity of the signal, which are due to both linear and nonlinear processes.
326 PARASYMPATHETIC INNERVATION MAY MEDIATE THE EFFECT OF AGE AND GENDER ON BODY FAT DISTRIBUTION IN HUMANS.

Objective Pancreatic polypeptide (PP) is a 36-amino acid peptide produced by the F-cells of the pancreas, the plasma concentration of which has been used as a marker of parasympathetic activity. Recent work in rodents suggests that both sympathetic and parasympathetic input to adipose tissue may regulate its endocrine function and play a role in intra-abdominal fat (IAF) accumulation. We hypothesized that in humans parasympathetic activity mediates IAF accumulation and thereby insulin resistance. Research Design and Methods To test this hypothesis, we measured PP levels in 177 non-diabetic, healthy subjects (75 M/102 F; age 32-75 y). IAF and subcutaneous fat (SCF) areas were measured by CT scan. The insulin sensitivity index (S I ) was quantified using Bergman9s minimal model from the results of a tolbutamide-modified frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test. Results PP levels were higher in men than in women (96.2 ± 72.2 vs 76.1 ± 55.0 pg/mL, mean ± SD, p = .037), as was IAF area (124.7 ± 67.4 vs 83.0 ± 57.7 cm 2 , p 2 , p = .001). PP levels were positively associated with age (β = 0.03, p Conclusion In humans, parasympathetic innervation may be mediating the effect of age and gender on IAF accumulation, but not SCF accumulation.
Care of the very small premature infant.

Recent advances have dramatically increased the rate of survival and hopefully the long-term prognosis for the very small premature infant. The author’s experience at the Newborn Center of the City of Memphis Hospital is presented.
Immunologic Targets in Atopic Dermatitis and Emerging Therapies: An Update

Atopic dermatitis is one of the most common chronic inflammatory skin diseases. It usually begins in childhood, has a considerable impact on patients’ quality of life, and incurs substantial healthcare costs. The standard-of-care treatments for patients with moderate to severe disease are very limited and have variable and typically insufficient efficacy and many side effects, some of which are quite serious. However, over the last decade, considerable advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis have paved the way for a number of new treatments. Most notable are the drugs that target the Th2-polarized immune system, which is thought to play a key role in many of the signs and symptoms characteristic of this disease. In this article, we briefly review the pathophysiology of atopic dermatitis, while noting that each patient’s disease phenotype is likely due to a unique interplay of several disease-specific dysregulated pathways. Lastly, we cover emerging therapies for atopic dermatitis, focusing on those that target specific components of the immune system, which are altered in atopic dermatitis. The hope is that these new biologics or small-molecule antagonists, which have high specificity for their target molecules, will decrease the undesirable side effects caused by off-target effects commonly observed with current immunosuppressive agents that are characterized by broad biological actions.
Outcome Assessment of the Emerging US National Security Strategy

This chapter will offer an example of the sort of outcome-based risk assessment highlighted in the previous section by examining the emerging US grand strategic approach, which could be called “selective engagement.” It first describes this strategic posture, and then informs its analysis with two previous case studies of similar strategies: the gradual British recognition of a need to wind down their empire, and the Nixon Doctrine. The discussion then undertakes a brief risk assessment of the emerging US approach along the lines suggested in the previous chapter.
Ultrasound Production, Emission, and Reception

All bats use acoustic signals for passive listening to ambient sounds and for intra- and inter-species communication. In addition, most bats have evolved an active sonar system that uses calls for exploring the environment acoustically. In the majority of bats, the larynx produces these echolocation pulses. Echolocation is absent in the family of Old World fruit bats except for one genus, Rousettus, which “reinvented” echolocation by producing sonar pulses using tongue clicks. This chapter first discusses how sounds are produced by the bat larynx by outlining its characteristic morphological features and detailing general sound production mechanisms, including non-linear features that play a key role in enabling echolocating bats to switch between echolocation and communication sounds. Subsequently, details are presented on the neuronal basis for sound production in echolocating bats by briefly discussing the neural innervation pattern of the larynx and how this affects spectral and temporal features of sounds, followed by a summary of the neuronal connection patterns and mechanisms within the brain stem as well as in higher-order brain structures. The chapter then explores the role of various forms of sensory feedback in sound production, such as auditory and somatosensory stimulation, and highlights how sound production is intertwined with other motor patterns, such as flying. The chapter also briefly explores the diversity in the shape of nose leafs and pinnae in different species of echolocating bats and the role that dynamic changes of such facial characteristics may play in echolocation. Finally, the tongue-click echolocation in Rousettus is discussed.
Fibpredictor: a computational method for rapid prediction of amyloid fibril structures

Amyloid fibrils are important in diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, and are also a common instability in peptide and protein drug products. Despite their importance, experimental structures of amyloid fibrils in atomistic detail are rare. To address this limitation, we have developed a novel, rapid computational method to predict amyloid fibril structures (Fibpredictor). The method combines β-sheet model building, β-sheet replication, and symmetry operations with side-chain prediction and statistical scoring functions. When applied to nine amyloid fibrils with experimentally determined structures, the method predicted the correct structures of amyloid fibrils and enriched those among the top-ranked structures. These models can be used as the initial heuristic structures for more complicated computational studies. Fibpredictor is available at http://nanohub.org/resources/fibpredictor .
Federal Strategies to Induce Resistant States to Participate in the ACA Health Exchanges

Initial state implementation of the Affordable Care Act health exchanges was marked by political polarization. More than half of the states initially chose not to create their own health exchanges, leading the federal government to adopt a new strategy: dividing the implementation of health exchanges into a series of smaller tasks. States could choose which of four core functions of the exchanges they would implement, with the federal government handling the remaining functions. This strategy induced some resistant states to administer some core functions. Why did some states take part in the exchanges while others did not? Ordered logistic regression analyses provide evidence that both state political context and other factors affected this decision. The analyses also suggest that state officials considered state workforce capacity and financial inducements from the federal government and that they were influenced by divided government.
Letter by Nighoghossian Regarding Article, "Risk of Pulmonary Embolism After Cerebral Venous Thrombosis".

We read with great interest the article by Liberman et al,1 who have recently assessed the rate of pulmonary embolism (PE) after cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) and deep venous thrombosis. The risk of PE after CVT was significantly lower than the risk after deep venous thrombosis. Among patients with CVT, the greatest risk for …
Improving Recognition Effectiveness of Noisy Texture Concepts through Optimization of Their Descriptions

Learning from noisy engineering data requires to develop either noise-tolerant learning tools or concept optimization methods. We present and compare several concept optimization approaches. This comparison is provided for texture recognition and image segmentation task. Training and test data represent 12 texture classes extracted from low quality images incorporating Laws' energy masks.
Chapter 9 – SQL/XML

Publisher Summary This chapter presents more advanced aspects of SQL:1999, the use of eXtended Markup Language (XML) with Structured Query Language (SQL). XML is one of the fastest growing phenomena in information technology today and is widely viewed as a principle component in business-to-business (B2B) communication, in web services, and in data management in general. XML is a markup language—a language used to “mark up” documents for various purposes. XML is a subset of another markup language, known as SGML, and is intended to be compatible with Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), but simpler and easier both to implement and to use. By contrast, XML is intended for use in marking up the content of documents to readily identify the information they contain. Instead of, for example, specifying that a certain text component should be displayed in italics, in red ink, or centered on a page, XML markup might specify that a piece of text is actually an employee name or a final budget figure. Of course, XML can be used for traditional appearance-based document markup, but that is not where its strengths lie. Contrasted with Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) and most other markup languages, XML shares several important characteristics with its ancestor, SGML.
Aging and Disability Among Hispanics in the United States: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

Background and objectives Hispanics are the most rapidly aging minority population in the United States. Our objective is to provide a summary of current knowledge regarding disability among Hispanics, and to propose an agenda for future research. Research design and methods A literature review was conducted to identify major areas of research. A life course perspective and the Hispanic Paradox were used as frameworks for the literature review and for identifying future areas of research. Results Four research areas were identified: (1) Ethnic disparities in disability; (2) Heterogeneity of the U.S. older Hispanic population; (3) Risk factors for disability; and (4) Disabled life expectancy. Older Hispanics are more likely than non-Hispanic whites to be disabled or to become disabled. Disability varied by country of origin, nativity, age of migration, and duration in the United States. Important risk factors for disability included chronic health conditions, depression, and cognitive impairment. Protective factors included positive affect and physical activity. Older Hispanics have longer life expectancy than non-Hispanic whites but spend a greater proportion of old age disabled. Future research should continue to monitor trends in disability as younger generations of Hispanics reach old age. Attention needs to be given to regional variation within the United States for disability prevalence, early-life risk factors, and factors that may contribute to variation in disabled life expectancy. There is also an urgent need for interventions that can effectively prevent or delay the onset of disability in older Hispanics. Discussion and implications Considerable research has examined disability among older Hispanics, but continued research is needed. It is important that research findings be used to inform public policies that can address the burden of disability for older Hispanic populations.
Immune cells involved in tumor regression in syngeneic rat and mouse models of glioma

6026 Malignant glioma is a highly invasive and neurologically destructive tumor frequently resulting in death within nine months after diagnosis. While treatments utilizing gene therapeutic vectors expressing HSV1-thymidine kinase (HSV1-TK) in combination with the pro-drug ganciclovir (GCV) are 100% efficient in many preclinical glioma models, phase 1 and 2 clinical trials in human patients have not shown such dramatic results. We have developed a macroscopic preclinical model of glioma in rats and have shown that all single cytokine and cytotoxic gene therapies fail. Furthermore, combined treatments with HSV1-TK and various immuno-modulatory agents were also unsuccessful for improving survival. Only combined treatment with HSV1-TK and the potent cytokine for stimulation of dendritic cells, human soluble Fms like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (hsFlt3L), provided 80% survival in this syngeneic model of glioma. This model is a more faithful reflection of the clinical results obtained utilizing single gene therapies in human patients suffering from glioma. In the present study a detailed FACS based analysis of immune cells present in naive and glioma bearing animals was conducted after treatment with HSV1-TK and hsFlt3L alone or in combination. We found that when adenoviral vectors expressing HSV1-TK and hsFlt3L are injected into naive brains, large increases in B, NK-T, NK and plasmacytoid dendritic cell (pDC) populations were observed. NK and NK-T cells are important mediators of antigen-independent anti-tumor cytotoxicity. pDC’s may improve antigen presentation and prime an efficient adaptive immune response against the tumor. ELISA and ICC were used to assess long-term expression of both HSV1-TK and hsFlt3L transgenes. In summary, our results indicate that the combined anti-tumor effect of HSV-1TK and hsFlt3L enhances both innate and adaptive branches of the immune system and improves survival in a syngeneic macroscopic glioma model.
Measurement Error Analysis from Independent to Longitudinal Setup

In a generalized linear models (GLMs) setup, when scalar responses along with multidimensional covariates are collected from a selected sample of independent individuals, there are situations where it is realized that the observed covariates differ from the corresponding true covariates by some measurement error, but it is of interest to find the regression effects of the true covariates on the scalar responses. Further it may happen that the true covariates may be fixed but unknown or they may be random. It is understandable that when observed covariates are used for either likelihood or quasi-likelihood-based inferences, the naive regression estimates would be biased and hence inconsistent for the true regression parameters. Over the last three decades there have been a significant number of studies dealing with this bias correction problem for the regression estimation due to the presence of measurement error. In general these bias correction inferences are relatively easier for the linear and count response models, whereas the inferences are complex for the logistic binary models. In the first part of the paper, we review some of the widely used bias correction inferences in the GLMs setup and highlight their advantages and drawbacks where appropriate. As opposed to the independent setup, the bias correction inferences for clustered (longitudinal) data are, however, not adequately addressed in the literature. To be a bit more specific, some attention has been given to deal with bias correction in linear longitudinal setup (also called panel data setup) only. Bias corrected generalized method of moments (BCGMM) and bias corrected generalized quasi-likelihood (BCGQL) approaches are introduced and discussed. In the second part of this paper, we review these BCGMM and BCGQL approaches along with their advantages and drawbacks. The bias correction inferences for count and binary data are, however, more complex, because of the fact that apart from the mean functions, the variance and covariance functions of the clustered responses also involve time-dependent covariates. This makes the bias correction difficult. However, following some recent works, in the second part of the paper, we also discuss a BCGQL approach for longitudinal models for count data subject to measurement error in covariates. Developing a similar bias correction approach for longitudinal binary data appears to be difficult and it requires further in-depth investigations.
The Wall Tritium Concentration as a Factor in Fusion Reactor Hall Design

The effect of either concrete or stainless steel walls on the cleanup time required to attain tritium (HTO) atmospheric levels less than or equal to 0.5 mCi/m/sup 3/ was assessed. Calculations were performed for concrete; experimental results are presented for stainless steel.
Using Bond Valences to Model the Structures of Ternary and Quaternary Oxides

The bond valence method is implemented in the modeling of crystal structures with the software program SPuDS. The approach is investigated for the perovskite, pyrochlore, spinel, and garnet structure types. Crystal structures of selected compositions were calculated and compared to experimental structures that were determined using X-ray or neutron diffraction. Bond valence sums (BVSs) of the ions and the global instability indices (G) are investigated to provide insight into the structures of these four structural classes of materials. The predictive ability is examined in the context of understanding the structures of existing compounds. The accuracy and possible uses of the crystal structures obtained from modeling using bond valences are explored.
Assessment of 18F-FLT PET to predict treatment response in HER2+ breast cancer xenografts

1338 Objectives Changes in tumor size may not provide the most sensitive response assessment to targeted therapies. Thus, imaging methods that can quantify early molecular changes are of interest. This study evaluated the utility of 18F-FLT PET to predict treatment response before changes in tumor size with HER2+ human xenografts sensitive and resistant to the HER2 antibody trastuzumab. Methods Trastuzumab-sensitive (BT474) xenografts were established in female athymic mice to determine the time point at which tumor volumes became statistically different. Once tumors reached ≥250 mm3, mice were treated with trastuzumab (10 mg/kg; n=4) or vehicle (n=4) twice per week. A second cohort included mice with BT474 (8 treated, 5 control) and trastuzumab-resistant (HR6; n=8) xenografts. For the second cohort, a 18F-FLT PET scan was acquired at each time point, and the maximum standardized uptake value normalized to muscle (SULmax) was calculated. Results In the first cohort with treated and control BT474 xenografts, significant differences in tumor volume were observed on days 4, 5, 7, and 8. Thus, time points for the second cohort were baseline and days 1 and 4. Significant differences were observed on days 1 and 4 between the treated and control mice with BT474 xenografts, whereas a significant difference between treated mice with BT474 and HR6 tumors was only observed on day 4 (see table). Conclusions The detected SULmax change in the BT474 tumors differentiated treated vs. control animals before changes in tumor size occured. However, treatment-induced SULmax changes in the BT474 and HR6 xenografts occurred only when tumor size changes were also evident. Thus, these findings suggest that 18F-FLT PET can only predict response before changes in tumor size in trastuzumab-sensitive HER2+ xenografts. In an attempt to validate these imaging findings, histology and western blot analyses of tumor lysates are ongoing. Research Support NCI 5R01CA138599, P50CA098131, P30CA068485
Effects of Growing Season, Plant Stage of Development, and Substrate Drench Applications of Paclobutrazol as Compared to a Daminozide Standard on Growth and Flowering of Gerbera Daisy ‘Bright Red with Light Eye'1

Abstract Paclobutrazol substrate drenches at 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 ppm were compared to a 2,500 ppm daminozide foliar spray standard in two finishing seasons (fall 2015 and spring 2016) and at two application stages for plant size control and improved market quality of ‘Bright Red with Light Eye' Gerbera daisy (Gerbera jamesonii Hook. f. ‘Bright Red with Light Eye') in 12.7cm (5 in) pots. Stage 1 was when the majority of plants had roots to the bottom of the substrate, and stage 2 was 2 weeks later. A consumer preference survey assessed purchasing preference when plants had two or three open flowers. Plant size index, foliage height, peduncle length, flower diameter, and quality rating at first flower decreased linearly while days to first flower increased quadratically with increasing paclobutrazol concentration, regardless of stage or season. Paclobutrazol applications delayed flowering, and decreased flower diameter and flower and bud counts, but these differences were small and not considered of practical ...
Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia on Sleep, Symptoms, Stress, and Autonomic Function Among Patients With Heart Failure.

Background: Insomnia is common among patients with stable heart failure (HF) and associated with inflammation and altered autonomic function. Purpose: The purposes of this study were to examine the...
Enterprise design through complex adaptive systems and efficiency measurement

Abstract Managerial policies affect enterprise operations facilitating or impeding the achievement of goals. Enterprises can operate individually or might also be part of a group of interconnected enterprises. For an enterprise operating as part of a (de)centralized group of enterprises with a similar or complementary mission and under the same or different ownership, the coordination of decisions and actions is important. Using the concept of network as an arrangement of interconnected nodes, this paper deals with enterprises as the members of a network, and with enterprise transactions as the connections among its members. We consider coordination exhibiting connectivity, feedback, and adaptation. These features are not only typical of enterprise networks, but also of complex adaptive systems (CAS). By considering enterprise networks as CAS, we study managerial policies that affect the coordination among the members of enterprise networks and the subsequent effect on technical efficiency both at the individual member enterprise and network levels. To approximate the effects of coordination-driven managerial policies, we consider flocking behavior from natural ecosystems, which the CAS literature studies, as a proxy for managerial policies. We simulate the relationships between managerial policies and technical efficiency in an enterprise network of deregulated power plants through an agent-based model. Experimental results inform when and how managerial policies enhance the coordination among network members and allow for the investigation of the relationships that exist between individual decisions and collective influences. These relationships result in an emergent goal seeking network behavior with respect to the goal of achieving technical efficiency.
Secrecy Performance of a Relaying System Over Non-Identical Fading Channels

Relaying will play a very important role in the emerging fifth generation (5G) wireless communication systems, particularly in the ultra-dense networks (UDNs) involve the massive multiple-input multiple-output (M-MIMO) and the millimeter wave (mmWave) technologies. In this paper, we investigate the secrecy performance of a generic relay cluster. Although primitive, the channels in this cluster are subject to hybrid fading. We derive several closed-form yet simple benchmark metrics for this system. With these metrics, the impact of fading on secrecy can be readily assessed. Numerical results are presented and discussed. The presented methodology can be easily applied to other scenarios.
Private and public bullets: Analyzing credit attributions in military outsourcing

The increased outsourcing of national security endeavors to private military companies (PMCs) raises questions concerning public evaluations of their performance and the extent to which government ...
Introduction to This Volume

The 2016 meeting of the International Association for Computing and Philosophy brought together a highly interdisciplinary consortium of scholars eager to share their current research at the increasingly important intersection of a number of fields, including computer science, robotics engineering, artificial intelligence, logic, biology, cognitive science, economics, sociology, and philosophy. This introductory chapter serves to organize and connect the discussions across these domains of inquiry, describing both the insights and broad relevance of the research well represented in this volume.
Heart Transplantation with ECMO Bridging: Survival Differences in the Era of the New Heart Allocation Policy

Purpose Historically, survival after heart transplantation (HT) has been inferior among patients bridged with ECMO. With the recent changes in US heart allocation policy, VA-ECMO is now a status 1 indication for HT. We sought to explore the potential implications of these changes by evaluating outcomes among patients bridged to HT with ECMO. Methods We sampled HT recipients enrolled through the UNOS database from 1987 to 2017. Re-transplants were excluded, and patients were divided into two age groups: 18 years (adults ). Patients in each age group were categorized as those bridged with ECMO vs No-ECMO, and demographics between ECMO and No-ECMO patients were analyzed with Wilcoxon and Chi-Square tests . Overall survival time was analyzed with Kaplan-Meier, and compared between groups using Log-rank tests. Survival was also assessed >90 days post-transplant. Results Our sample consisted of 8,334 juveniles (414 ECMO, 7,920 No-ECMO), mean age 6.1 years and 56,013 adults (189 ECMO, 55824 No-ECMO), mean age 52.1 years. In both groups, recipient and donor ages differed between ECMO and No-ECMO patients (p 90 days). Conclusion Survival after HT with ECMO bridging is significantly lower among both juveniles and adults, though differences disappeared after 90 days. Limitations include small number of adults undergoing ECMO bridging. In light of the new HT allocation policy, as well as a lack of donor organs and notable waitlist mortality, alternate bridging options could be considered. This is particularly true among adult populations, where other options exist.
Abstract 242: Comparison of Pharmacist-Managed Initial Dosing of Direct Oral Anticoagulants with Non-Pharmacist Practitioner Prescribing Patterns

Background: There is currently a lack of data regarding pharmacist-managed DOAC (direct oral anticoagulant) therapy. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of pharmacist-managed initi...
Event‐related brain potentials reveal how multiple aspects of semantic processing unfold across parafoveal and foveal vision during sentence reading

Recent event-related brain potential (ERP) experiments have demonstrated parafoveal N400 expectancy and congruity effects, showing that semantic information can be accessed from words in parafoveal vision (a conclusion also supported by some eye-tracking work). At the same time, it is unclear how higher-order integrative aspects of language comprehension unfold across the visual field during reading. In the current study, we recorded ERPs in a parafoveal flanker paradigm, while readers were instructed to read passively for comprehension or to judge the plausibility of sentences in which target words varied in their semantic expectancy and congruity. We directly replicated prior work showing graded N400 effects for parafoveal viewing, which are then not duplicated when the target words are processed foveally. Critically, although N400 effects were not modulated by task goals, a posteriorly distributed late positive component thought to reflect semantic integration processes was observed to semantic incongruities only in the plausibility judgment task. However, this effect was observed at a considerable delay, appearing only after words had moved into foveal vision. Our findings thus suggest that semantic access can be initiated in parafoveal vision, whereas central foveal vision may be necessary to enact higher-order (and task-dependent) integrative processing.
Argatroban-refractory, Heparin-induced Thrombocytopenia after Coronary Intervention with Radial Artery Occlusion

Heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is serious disorder that occurs in a small percentage of patients following exposure to heparin. HIT can further be classified into two types: HIT type 1 and type 2. Type 2 HIT is a potentially life threatening with clinically significant outcomes. It presents with thrombocytopenia and evidence of thrombus formation in the presence of antibody formation. Additionally, several variations of HIT exist, including delayed onset HIT and refractory HIT, known collectively as autoimmune HIT (aHIT). Here we present a case of delayed onset and refractory HIT in a patient with little heparin exposure, discovered only after cardiac intervention for suspected STEMI. Significant thrombotic events occurred thereafter, including radial artery stenosis and intracardiac thrombus. Treatment with argatroban was ineffective. Significant resolution of thrombocytopenia was seen several weeks after infusion with IVIG, thus depicting further suspicion for refractory HIT. IVIG for aHIT treatment is traditionally chosen only if the disease process is refractory to other anticoagulation efforts due to the potential risk for increasing thrombotic risk with IVIG infusion. Our case illistrate the rare presentation of aHIT and the use if IVIG to successfully treat thrombocytopenia in refractory HIT.
Screening for Metabolic Bone Disease of prematurity

Metabolic bone disease (MBD) of prematurity remains a significant comorbid condition in preterm, low birth weight infants. As the majority of in utero calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (Phos) accretion occurs during the third trimester, many of these children have inadequate mineral stores and are at risk for deficiencies of Ca and Phos. While fortification of formula has allowed for increased mineral delivery to premature infants, intestinal immaturity prevents optimal absorption. This is compounded by immobilization, delayed establishment of enteral feeds, long term parenteral nutrition and medications that may alter mineral levels. Over time, biochemical changes occur and accompany MBD, with poor bone mineralization during this period increasing the risk for complications such as osteopenia, rickets and fractures. Screening is largely based on risk factors, but despite the 2013 AAP Consensus Statement, there remains significant variation in screening practices across institutions. A combination of laboratory and radiologic testing is often used to diagnose and manage MBD of prematurity, but there exists a lack of consensus on which screening tests and thresholds to use. This is in part related to a lack of normative data and clinical trials for preterm infants, and a result, a lack of evidence-based guidelines on the diagnosis and timing of potential treatment. Biochemical markers, such as serum Phos, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and parathyroid hormone (PTH), have shown some benefit in the diagnosis of MBD in some studies, but have not always been reproducible. Radiographs may identify different degrees of skeletal changes, but these changes may not be detected until later in MBD development. Other modalities, such as DXA and ultrasound, have also been used, but these may be limited by lack of standards in preterm infants or lack of availability in some centers. Further research, more specifically clinical trials, are needed to determine which combination of tests can detect MBD at its earliest, in order to promote early treatment and prevent short- and long-term complications of MBD.
First report of the association of Genus Chaetomium with roots of Cucurbita maxima

Chaetomium sp. is a fungal genus in the Ascomycota that has a world-wide distribution throughout tropic and temperate regions. Species of Chaetomium are often associated with and classified as both seed-borne and soil-borne fungi, which inhabit a variety of terrestrial ecosystems including; agricultural, forests, grasslands, wetlands, and coastal zones. Chaetomium sp. plays an important ecological role as a saprophyte, but also shows strong anti-microbial activities which allow its use as a biological control agent (BCA). Chaetomium sp. has been recorded on the seeds and within the rhizosphere of a variety of genera of the family Cucurbitaceae including; Citrullus, Cucumis, Cucurbita, Lagenaria, and Luffa. Within the genus Cucurbita, Chaetomium sp. has been documented in association with Cucurbita pepo and Cucurbita moschata, however up till now there is no record of association of Chaetomium sp. with Cucurbita maxima. Sampling of Cucurbita maxima roots in the eastern United States resulted in the discovery of a novel relationship between Cucurbita maxima and Chaetomium sp. This manuscript presents the first report of existence of a relationship between Chaetomium sp. and Cucurbita maxima, with the aid of light microscope to image the perithecia and spores produced by this fungus.
Incidence patterns and survival outcomes in primary small intestine B-cell lymphoma (PSIBCL) and the effect of Rituximab.

e20025Background: PSIBCL is a rare manifestation of primary extra-nodal B-cell Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is underreported in literature. We assessed the incidence patterns, and clinicopathologic f...