cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wage Dynamics in Urban Brazil: Evidence of Regional Segmentation or National Markets?

In spite of Brazil's rapid pace of economic integration in recent decades, there remains substantial evidence of regional differences in wages. Numerous studies have also cited the impact of the country's form of economic development on various skill and occupational categories. On the other hand, macroeconomic models generally simplify labor market processes by assuming a single homogeneous national labor market. Arc wages in Brazil, then, determined by isolated regional, occupational, or nationwide factors? This study develops an econometric model for decomposing annual wage changes into national, occupational, and regional effects and applies it to data on male employees in Brazil's major urban areas to test whether the annual wage changes are more similar among occupational or local categories. It shows that wages are affected both by local conditions and national occupational trends, and furthermore that the underlying patterns of regional and occupational wage differentials are quite stable.
The fate of four dimensions

In gravitational theories with extra dimensions, it is argued that the existence of a positive vacuum energy generically implies catastrophic instability of our four-dimensional world. The most generic instability is a decompactification transition to growth of the extra dimensions, although other equally bad transitions may take place. This follows from simple considerations based on the form of the potential for the size modulus of the extra dimensions, and apparently offers a resolution of the conundrums presented by eternal de Sitter space. This argument is illustrated in the context of string theory with a general discussion of potentials generated by fluxes, wrapped branes, and stringy corrections. Moreover, it is unlikely that the present acceleration of the Universe represents an ongoing transition in a quintessence scenario rolling toward decompactification, unless the higher-dimensional theory has a cosmological constant.
Mixed-mode simulation tools for custom VLSI designs

A system for performing concurrent VLSI simulation on a distributed processing system is presented. The system provides an expandable medium which allows the coexistence of existing different-level simulation programs. Several design examples including various word-length Manchester carry-chain adders, Booth-encoded multipliers, and one stage of a two-dimensional fast Fourier transform circuit have been simulated using RNL at the switch level, FACTS at the electrical level, and Lisp routines at the functional level. The largest circuit simulated thus far contains 29000 transistors and was simulated in 24 concurrent processes executing on four SUN III workstations. The system can be further enriched by integrating other existing behavior, register-transfer, and logic level simulation programs. The possibility of integrating an analog-circuit simulation program is currently being investigated. >
Correlates of agonistic and competitive interactions in pregnant baboons.

Maternal condition during pregnancy is known to influence fetal viability. Recently, primatologists have suggested that certain characteristics of the fetus may influence maternal condition as well. For example, among captive pigtailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) mothers of female infants may be at greater risk of injury during their pregnancies than mothers of male infants. Analysis of the rates of aggression, submission, competition, and wounding among free-ranging pregnant baboons (Papio cynocephalus) in Amboseli National Park generally fail to support these findings, but several other factors such as maternal dominance rank, environmental conditions during pregnancy, maternal parity, and fetal age correlate with aggression, submission, competition, and injuries sustained by pregnant female baboons.
Cellular Toxicity Induced by SRF-Mediated Transcriptional Squelching

The transcriptional activator serum response factor (SRF) is a member of the immediate early gene family known to promote embryonic development, cell growth, and myogenesis through interaction with multiple nuclear protein factors. Previous studies have shown that SRF possesses potent transcriptional activation domains that can interfere with gene expression at artificially high expression levels through "transcriptional squelching." The current work sought to characterize toxicological aspects of SRF-mediated transcriptional squelching. An adenoviral expression system driven by the potent cytomegalovirus promoter was used to achieve up to a 50-fold increase in SRF protein levels. The overexpressed SRF is nuclear localized and interferes with gene expression independent of specific promoter interaction as expected for transcriptional squelching. SRF-mediated squelching elicits robust cell killing affecting multiple cell types including normal and abnormal proliferating cells as well as postmitotic cells such as cardiomyocytes in culture, and the cell killing is more pronounced than that mediated by the tumor suppressor protein p53. Although both the DNA-binding and transcriptional activation domains of SRF are normally required for the physiological roles of SRF, only the transcriptional activation domain is required for cell killing. Unlike c-myc-induced cell killing, squelching-induced cell death does not require serum withdrawal and cannot be effectively attenuated by blocking the caspase and calpain proteolytic pathways or by overexpression of the antiapoptotic gene bcl-xL. These findings suggest transcriptional squelching may be engineered for killing cancer cells, and the SRF gene may represent a novel molecular target for cancer therapeutics.
Mathematical Modeling of Flow-Generated Forces in an In Vitro System of Cardiac Valve Development

Heart valve defects are the most common cardiac defects. Therefore, defining the mechanisms of cardiac valve development is critical to our understanding and treatment of these disorders. At early stages of embryonic cardiac development, the heart begins as a simple tube that then becomes constricted into separate atrial and ventricular regions by the formation of small, mound-like structures, called atrioventricular (AV) cushions. As valve development continues, these mounds fuse and then elongate into valve leaflets. A longstanding hypothesis proposes that blood flow-generated shear stress and pressure are critical in shaping the cushions into leaflets. Here we show results from a two-dimensional mathematical model that simulates the forces created by blood flow present in a developing chick heart and in our in vitro, tubular model system. The model was then used to predict flow patterns and the resulting forces in the in vitro system. The model indicated that forces associated with shear stress and pressure have comparable orders of magnitude and collectively produce a rotational profile around the cushion in the direction of flow and leaflet growth. Further, it was concluded that the replication of these forces on a cushion implanted in our tubular in vitro system is possible. Overall, the two-dimensional, mathematical model provides insight into the forces that occur during early cardiac valve elongation.
Microprocessor voltage regulators and power supply trends and device requirements

Summary form only given. This paper gives a general overview of microprocessor power regulators and supplies. Firstly, it covers the CPU power road map, thermal issues, current and voltage scaling and system constraints. Secondly, it outlines system operating parameters. Thirdly, it details buck regulator operation. Finally, it considers system level power supply trends, system chassis shrinking and power supply density.
Visual discoveries of an urban wanderer: August Endell's perception of a beautiful metropolis

An unorthodox and influential critique of the modern city was published in 1908 by August Endell, an autodidact in the field of architecture. Influenced by empathy theory, Impressionist ideas, contemporary sociology, and the literary and artistic circles of the time, Endell's small book Die Schonheit der Grosen Stadt (The Beauty of the Metropolis) read the metropolis through a new way of ‘seeing’ [1,2]. What he saw was surprising for most readers: the city's centre was discovered in marginal sites, and its lasting identity was grasped in its fleeting moments. Although Endell never drew up encompassing schemes for the city, did not participate in the first city-building competitions of the time, and focused primarily on individual building projects, one of his major publications was entirely devoted to the city. The Beauty of the Metropolis takes the reader on a journey through a city that slowly reveals itself as Berlin. Throughout the book, Endell describes urban scenes such as streets, plazas, stations, and the margins of urbanity, such as the city's blank walls and outskirts.
Extracting interesting vehicle sensor data using multivariate stationarity

Unsupervised modeling of sequentially sampled sensor data typically results in modeling resources getting allocated in proportion to the occurrence of different phenomena in the training data. This is a problem when most of the data is uninteresting but there are rare interesting events. As a consequence of this inbalance, the rare events are either not become well represented in the model or an undesirably large model is needed to satisfy performance measures. We present an approach to resample the data in proportion to the interestingness of the data where interestingness is defined as the multivariate stationarity of a weighted set of important variables. We present a case in modeling vehicle sensor data with the intent of modeling driver actions and traffic situations. We analyzed driving simulator data with this approach and report results where instance selection using the interestingness filtering resulted in models that correspond much better to human classification of different driving situations.
Update: Recommendations for Diagnosis of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Infections by Clinical Laboratories

Abstract Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are a leading cause of bacterial enteric infections in the United States. Prompt laboratory identification of STEC strains is essential for detecting new and emerging serotypes, for effective and timely outbreak responses and control measures, for monitoring trends in disease epidemiology, and to ensure accurate diagnosis and treatment. Guidelines for laboratory identification of STEC infections by clinical laboratories were published in 2006 and 2009 (CDC, MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 55:1042-1045, 2006; MMWR Recomm. Rep. 58[RR-12], 1–14, 2009). We summarize these recent recommendations for STEC testing by clinical laboratories to emphasize the recommendation that all stools submitted for routine testing from patients with acute community-acquired diarrhea (regardless of patient age, season of the year, or presence or absence of blood in the stool) be simultaneously cultured for E. coli O157:H7 (O157 STEC) and tested with an assay that detects Shiga toxins to detect non-O157 STEC.
Radial Structure of Alfven Eigenmodes in the DIII-D Tokamak through Electron-Cyclotron-Emission Measurements

The spatial structure of toroidal Alfven eigenmodes and reversed shear Alfven eigenmodes in DIII-D is obtained from electron-cyclotron-emission measurements. Peak measured temperature perturbations are of similar magnitude for both toroidal Alfven eigenmodes and reversed shear Alfven eigenmodes and found to be deltaT(e)/T(e) approximately equal to 0.5%. Simultaneous measurements of density fluctuations using beam-emission spectroscopy indicate deltan(e)/n(e) approximately equal to 0.25%. Predictions of the measured temperature and density perturbation profiles as well as deltaT(e)/deltan(e) from the ideal magnetohydrodynamic code NOVA are in close agreement with experiment.
OPTICAL FEATURE EXTRACTION VIA THE RADON TRANSFORM.

We show that by first measuring the line integrals of a two-dimensional picture f(x, y) via the Radon transform, certain feature-extraction operations useful in pattern recognition may be computed very easily; that is, the computational overhead for these feature-extraction operations is much less in the Radon space than in the direct space. In particular, we consider the following features: (1) moments of f(x, y) invariant to translation, rotation, geometric scaling, and linear contrast scaling; (2) two geometric features, polar projections and convex hull, that have similar invariance properties; (3) the Fourier power spectrum of f(x, y) integrated along radial piewedge and annular bins in the Fourier space; and (4) the Hough transform for detection of straight edges. Much of the motivation for this work lies in its implementation as an optical pattern recognition system. We show an optical-digital hardware implementation for the rapid computation of both the Radon transform and the feature extractions. By "rapid," we mean that the transform and feature-extrac-tion operations on a 512 X 512 image may be accomplished at video rates (1 /30 s per image). We point out advantages of this system over more traditional optical pattern recognition schemes that rely on the use of Fourier optics. Some experimental results are shown.
Motion planning for heterogeneous modular mobile systems

Addresses the issue of developing a motion planning algorithm for a general class of modular mobile robots. A modular mobile robot is essentially a reconfigurable robot system in which locomotive modules such as legs, wheels, propellers, etc. can be attached at various locations on the body. The equations of motion for the robot are developed in terms of a set of generalized inputs related to the constraints and configurations of each individual module. The motion planning method developed in Lafferriere and Sussmann (1991) and extended in Goodwine and Burdick (1997) can then be modified to generate required trajectories for the modular robot. These methods generally lead to sequential motion plans-we also develop conditions under which two consecutive plans can be executed simultaneously.
The Influence of Cultural Empathy and Gender on Perceptions of Diversity Programs

Because of changes in demography and the emphasis on diversity programming, organizational leaders need to understand how employees' empathy toward diverse groups affects diversity program perceptions. This study examines whether individual ethnic/cultural empathy toward diverse groups relates to intentions to attend and interest in diversity initiatives. The sample consisted of 294 college students at a moderate sized Midwestern University. There were moderate significant relationships found. Women and those higher in ethnic/cultural empathy reported higher behavioral intentions to attend and positive perceptions of diversity programs. Managers and human resource personnel could use these findings to assess the diversity climate of their organization allowing for better targeted interventions based on current workforce attitudes and levels of cultural empathy.
Rheology and high-pressure models for quantitative elastohydrodynamics

AbstractWith the recent appearance of quantitative numerical simulations of the elastohydrodynamic lubrication of concentrated contacts, accurate models that can reproduce the behaviour that has be...
Gender Ideologies as Complex Social Forces

To say that gendered social relations are complex would be to profoundly understate the dynamism of the human experience. The ways in which individuals understand their roles as gendered beings and their relationships to other gendered beings is constantly pushed and pulled by forces both internal and external to the individual and the family/social/economic unit to which they belong at multiple scales from the household to the community to the nation. Identity, sexuality, cultural prescriptions, socioeconomic class, ethnic heritage, life cycle, and other dimensions of the cultural milieus of human agents create tensions between societal structures, gender ideals, and individual choices that require continual negotiation, interpretation, and implementation. Although challenging for scholars who seek to understand these social relations, these complexities are precisely why gender is an endlessly fascinating subject for study.
Immunobiology of Leprosy

Leprosy continues to be one of the major unconquered diseases of the world as witnessed by the fact that the total number of cases probably exceeds 12 million (WHO, 1977). Furthermore, this infection produces some form of physical disability in more than 25% of cases (Bechelli and Martinez Dominquez, 1966). Until recently, the staggering medical, social, and economic consequences of leprosy have received insufficient attention from the governments and medical research communities of more affluent nations. Within the past decade, however, the need for a global attack on leprosy has become widely recognized and tangible progress has been made.
Altered Taste Responses in Adult NST After Neonatal Chorda Tympani Denervation

Anatomic and behavioral changes have been observed in the taste system after peripheral deafferentation, but their physiological consequences remain unknown. Interestingly, a recent behavioral stud...
Renal cell carcinoma: staging and surveillance

Renal cell carcinoma is a common malignancy with many histologic subtypes. Appropriate treatment depends not only upon the specific subtype but also the size of the tumor and extent of spread at time of presentation. Approximately 5% of RCCs are part of a hereditary syndrome which must also be considered in the therapeutic decisions. Although some RCCs are detected with ultrasound, CT or MR is required for staging. CT is used most commonly as it is most readily available and relatively less expensive than MR imaging. The TNM classification of the American Joint Committee on Cancer has largely replaced the Robson classification. Early detection, accurate staging, and improved treatment options have resulted in improved 5-year survival of patients with renal carcinoma.
Feeding performance in the Western Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis proximus): ontogeny and the effects of prey type and size

It has been suggested that juveniles have exaggerated morphologies or improved performance to compensate for the disadvantages of being small. As gape-limited predators, juvenile snakes are at a particular disadvantage in terms of prey availability, capture, and ingestion. Prey preference often changes with snake size yet previous studies generally compare only one prey type or relative prey size among age classes. Using Western Ribbon Snakes (Thamnophis proximus (Say in James, 1823)), I investigated the ontogeny of head dimensions and feeding performance on frogs and fish using a range of relative prey sizes. Comparison among snake sizes indicated that smaller individuals had larger relative head sizes than larger conspecifics; however, larger individuals had larger heads. Initial bite position differed between juveniles and adults fed fish but not frogs. Both frogs and fish were generally consumed headfirst by adults and juveniles. Head length did not influence feeding performance in terms of time or pt...
The Effect of Rotation on the Internal Quality of Chicken Eggs

Abstract THERE are reports that eggs handled with modern equipment which rotates the eggs can cause a lowering of internal quality. This loss of quality has been attributed to the amount and severity of rotation of the egg, as it passes over the handling equipment. Slowing down the equipment supposedly eliminates the problem. Little can be found in the literature to support or dispute these conjectures. Pennington (1949) states that gentle turning of eggs before the candle breaks some of the mucin fibers and increases the amount of thin white. Since there is some confusion relative to this subject, it seemed important to investigate under controlled conditions whether rotation by egg handling equipment does cause a decrease in egg quality. It also seemed important to investigate to what extent the change in the internal quality is dependent upon speed and the length of time of rotation. The following studies were designed…
Kilowatts for Defense: The New Deal and the Coming of the Second World War

D URING World War I the principal centers for the production of war material in the United States experienced an alarming shortage of electric and steam power. This is not surprising, for the Wilson administration had given slight attention to matters of national defense.1 After April 1917, industrial plant expansion continued to lag behind the nation's logistical needs. Only the sudden collapse of the Central Powers in 1919 kept the critical power shortage from becoming public knowledge.2 Two decades later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt confronted a parallel situation. But, unlike Woodrow Wilson, he resolved beforehand to map out a national defense power program in order to avert a shortage of electricity. Although he failed to prepare the public and private utility systems for a war emergency, his determination to do so helps to answer certain broader questions about the New Deal. Specifically, how efficiently did the process itself function; what impact did governmental bureaucratization have on the formulation of policies; what were the relationships of publicly to privately produced power and of the federal government to private enterprise?
Cycloaddition and C–H Activation Reactions of a Tantalum Alkylidyne

The alkylidyne complex (C5Me5)Ta(≡CPh)(PMe3)2Cl (1) was first reported by Schrock in 1978, but little if any follow-up work on 1 or other group 5 metal alkylidynes has been reported. This work discloses two avenues of reactivity of 1. Treatment of 1 with 3-hexyne resulted in the formation of a tantalacyclobutadiene. Abstraction of chloride from 1 led to a mixture of products that included isomers of [(C5Me5)Ta(═CHPh)(CH2PMe2)(PMe3)]+ (4), in which a C–H bond of a PMe3 ligand was added across the Ta≡C bond. The C–H activation was found to be reversible, and the equilibrium mixture functioned as an equivalent of a cationic Ta alkylidyne in reaction with 3-hexyne, producing a cationic tantalacyclobutadiene (6). Compounds 4 and 6 were structurally characterized in the solid state by XRD methods, with 6 being the first structurally characterized metallacyclobutadiene in group 5.
Primed codeswitching in spontaneous bilingual dialogue

Abstract Structural priming has played an important role in research on both monolingual and bilingual language production. However, studies of bilingual priming have mainly used priming as an experimental tool, focusing on cross-language priming between single-language sentences, which is a relatively infrequent form of communication in real life. We investigated priming in spontaneous bilingual dialogue, focusing on a hallmark of bilingual language use: codeswitching. Based on quantitative analyses of a large corpus of English–Spanish language use (the Bangor Miami Corpus; Deuchar, Davies, Herring, Parafita Couto, & Carter, 2014), we found that key discoveries from the structural priming literature also apply to bilinguals’ codeswitching behavior, in terms of both the tendency to codeswitch and the grammatical frame of codeswitched utterances. Our results provide novel insights into the different levels and modes of speech at which priming mechanisms are at work, and they illuminate the differences and commonalities between monolingual and bilingual language production.
Hispanics’ Satisfaction with Free Clinic Providers: An Analysis of Patient-Centered Medical Home Characteristics

Hispanic Americans are less likely to be insured and they experience cultural and linguistic barriers that may prevent them from obtaining necessary and preventive healthcare. Adoption of Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) concepts in healthcare settings utilized by Hispanics could improve Hispanic patients' satisfaction with their healthcare providers. This study examined the association between Spanish-speaking and non-Spanish-speaking patients' perceptions of PCMH characteristics and satisfaction with the provider. Data were collected using a self-administered survey from two unaffiliated free clinics. Logistic regression modeled the associations between patients' perceptions of PCMH and their satisfaction with their provider, and their desire to see the same provider in the future. The sample consisted of 367 adults; 44 % were Spanish-speaking. Spanish-speaking patients were younger, less educated, and had fewer chronic conditions than non-Spanish-speaking patients. In adjusted analyses for each population, better ratings of the provider's communication skills were associated with increased satisfaction with the provider (Spanish-speaking: OR = 8.33, 95 % CI = 2.19-31.76; non-Spanish-speaking: OR = 31.39, 95 % CI = 6.91-142.62), and willingness to see the provider again (Spanish-speaking: OR = 12.54, 95 % CI = 2.80-56.24; non-Spanish-speaking: OR = 8.77, 95 % CI = 2.40-31.96). Among Spanish-speakers, lower perceived discrimination was associated with 137 % increased odds and higher perceived staff helpfulness had 212 % increased odds of seeing the provider again. Relative to other PCMH components, interpersonal skills were the most important factors in patient satisfaction with free clinics. Increased training for clinicians on cultural competence and clinician-patient communication may lead to improved patient satisfaction for both Spanish and non-Spanish speakers seen at free clinics, particularly clinics in states without Medicaid expansion.
A powerful test of independent assortment that determines genome-wide significance quickly and accurately

In the analysis of DNA sequences on related individuals, most methods strive to incorporate as much information as possible, with little or no attention paid to the issue of statistical significance. For example, a modern workstation can easily handle the computations needed to perform a large-scale genome-wide inheritance-by-descent (IBD) scan, but accurate assessment of the significance of that scan is often hindered by inaccurate approximations and computationally intensive simulation. To address these issues, we developed gLOD—a test of co-segregation that, for large samples, models chromosome-specific IBD statistics as a collection of stationary Gaussian processes. With this simple model, the parametric bootstrap yields an accurate and rapid assessment of significance—the genome-wide corrected P-value. Furthermore, we show that (i) under the null hypothesis, the limiting distribution of the gLOD is the standard Gumbel distribution; (ii) our parametric bootstrap simulator is approximately 40 000 times faster than gene-dropping methods, and it is more powerful than methods that approximate the adjusted P-value; and, (iii) the gLOD has the same statistical power as the widely used maximum Kong and Cox LOD. Thus, our approach gives researchers the ability to determine quickly and accurately the significance of most large-scale IBD scans, which may contain multiple traits, thousands of families and tens of thousands of DNA sequences.
The Collected Editions 2

The arrangement of Hardy’s stories between volumes was altered for both the Osgood edition (when Wessex Tales gained ‘An Imaginative Woman’), and the Wessex edition (when ‘An Imaginative Woman’ was transferred to Life’s Little Ironies, and ‘The Melancholy Hussar’ and ‘A Tradition of Eighteen Hundred and Four’ were placed in Wessex Tales). The preface to Wessex Tales is essentially the same in both editions, but Hardy had to alter certain passages to take account of the altered contents of the volume. Thus the beginning: An apology is perhaps needed for the neglect of contrast which is shown by presenting two consecutive stories of hangmen [two stories of hangmen and one of a military execution W] in such a small collection as the following.
Visualization-aware color design

Color encoding design currently focuses on the colors themselves: visualization designers choose sets of colors that work well in isolation. However, the effectiveness of a color encoding depends on properties of the visualization it is used for, such as the size or shape of marks. We argue for a new way of thinking about color design in visualizations: designers should choose colors based on a given context rather than in isolation. We identify three categories of design constraints that contribute to the effective color choices in visualization: aesthetic constraints, perceptual constraints, and functional constraints. The conceptual framework formed by these constraints helps designers optimize color choices based on known properties of a given visualization. In this poster, we discuss this framework in detail and illustrate how it informs more effective visualization design.
A comparative study of serum linoleic acid in prostate cancer risk between African-Americans and Africans.

A51 Introduction: There is some evidence that higher dietary intake and blood level of linoleic acid are associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer but findings have been conflicting. Prostate cancer incidence rate for African-Americans is five times that of African-Nigerians with similar rates found at autopsy. We compared the serum linoleic acid (C18:2) levels to elucidate the prostate cancer risk disparity between these two populations. Methods: A case-control study was conducted among 458 men, Nigerians (N=311) from the community and urology clinics at University of Benin Teaching Hospital, and African-Americans (N=147) from Washington DC and Nashville, Tennessee area who provided fasting blood samples. Quantitative measurement of serum linoleic acid levels and other abundant fatty acids were done using capillary gas chromatography. Logistic regression was used to compute adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) to measure the strength of associations in the highest quartile of serum linolenic acid (µg/ml) level in relation to the lowest quartile for each population. Results: Mean age of Nigerians compared to African-Americans was 60.7±13.8 to 57.1±9.7, p
From Palestine to Mexico (and back): reflections of a literary scholar

ABSTRACTThis essay examines the intersections among ethnography, literary history, decolonization and routes for comparative indigenous studies in the Global South. The author reflects on the meaning and the implication of rediscovering Palestine from the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico while being on a research trip to investigate the literary history of contemporary Mayan literature.
Synthesizing community wisdom: A model for sharing cancer-related resources through social networking and collaborative partnerships.

Despite the availability of community-based support services, cancer patients and survivors are not aware of many of these resources. Without access to community programs, cancer survivors are at risk for lower quality of care and lower quality of life. At the same time, non-profit community organizations lack access to advanced consumer informatics applications to effectively promote awareness of their services. In addition to the current models of print and online resource guides, new community-driven informatics approaches are needed to achieve the goal of comprehensive care for cancer survivors. We present the formulation of a novel model for synthesizing a local community’s collective wisdom of cancer-related resources through a combination of online social networking technologies and real-world collaborative partnerships. This approach can improve awareness of essential, but underutilized community resources.
That Supervisor is Best Which Supervises Lest

Abstract In this paper, we discuss optimality of supervisory control by comparing two supervisors for one discrete event system. We show that the temporal performances of the supervised systems can be inferred by their logical properties described by the languages generated. More precisely, for two supervised systems, if the language generated by the first system is contained in the language generated by the second and if the language generated by the second satisfies certain fairness condition with respect to a set of events of particular interest, then every occurrence of events in the set occurs earlier in the second system. In this sense, the supervisor generating the largest language is optimal. We extend this result to the transient and asymptotic behaviors, where the conditions for optimality are weaker. An example is given to illustrate applications of the results.
Gentamicin induces functional type VII collagen in recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa patients

Background Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) is an incurable disease caused by mutations in the gene encoding type VII collagen, the major component of anchoring fibrils (AF). We previously demonstrated that gentamicin produced functional type VII collagen in RDEB cells harboring nonsense mutations. Herein, we determined whether topical or intradermal gentamicin administration induces type VII collagen and AFs in RDEB patients. Methods A double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial assessed safety and efficacy of topical and intradermal gentamicin in 5 RDEB patients with nonsense mutations. The topical arm tested 0.1% gentamicin ointment or placebo application 3 times daily at 2 open erosion sites for 2 weeks. The intradermal arm tested daily intradermal injection of gentamicin solution (8 mg) or placebo into 2 intact skin sites for 2 days in 4 of 5 patients. Primary outcomes were induction of type VII collagen and AFs at the test sites and safety assessment. A secondary outcome assessed wound closure of topically treated erosions. Results Both topical and intradermal gentamicin administration induced type VII collagen and AFs at the dermal-epidermal junction of treatment sites. Newly created type VII collagen varied from 20% to 165% of that expressed in normal human skin and persisted for 3 months. Topical gentamicin corrected dermal-epidermal separation, improved wound closure, and reduced blister formation. There were no untoward side effects from gentamicin treatments. Type VII collagen induction did not generate anti-type VII collagen autoantibodies in patients' blood or skin. Conclusion Topical and intradermal gentamicin suppresses nonsense mutations and induces type VII collagen and AFs in RDEB patients. Gentamicin therapy may provide a readily available treatment for RDEB patients with nonsense mutations. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02698735. Funding Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Partnership, Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation, NIH, and VA Merit Award.
VALIDITY OF THE MCCARTHY SCALES FOR SOUTHWESTERN RURAL CHILDREN

Scores on the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities were compared with scores on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities, and the Test for Auditory ...
Regulatory T cells in Acute and Chronic Kidney Diseases

Foxp3-expressing CD4+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) make up one subset of the helper T cells (Th) and are one of the major mechanisms of peripheral tolerance. Tregs prevent abnormal activation of the ...
Connecting play experiences and engineering learning in a children's museum

Abstract This study examined whether and to what extent children's prior play experiences might support engineering learning in museum's building construction exhibit. 277 families with 4 to 9-year-old children worked together to solve the first engineering design problem, and then children worked alone to solve the second. At the outset, some families received a demonstration of a key spatial engineering principle - bracing - that was relevant to both problems, and some were informed of the second problem before beginning the first, to increase the likelihood of knowledge transfer. More spatial play experience was associated with better family problem solving success, and when combined with the demonstration, better success by the children problem solving alone. More creative play experiences combined with the engineering demonstration to lead to greater family problem solving success. Results suggest that certain types of play experiences can help children make better use of engineering learning opportunities.
Does preoperative enteral or parenteral nutrition reduce postoperative complications in Crohn's disease patients: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES Crohn's disease (CD) patients frequently develop complications that require surgery for management. The high prevalence of malnutrition in CD patients presents a challenge because poor preoperative nutritional status has been shown to increase postoperative complications. In this study, we assessed whether preoperative enteral nutrition (EN) or total parenteral nutrition (TPN) decreases postoperative complications in CD patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS A three-point systematic and comprehensive literature search was carried out on multiple databases followed by a meta-analysis with results presented as odds ratio (OR) using two models, the Mantel-Haenszel model and the DerSimonian and Laird model. The I measure of inconsistency was utilized to assess heterogeneity. If statistically significant heterogeneity was identified, the results underwent a separate sensitivity analysis. RESULTS Five studies met inclusion criteria totaling 1111 CD patients. The rate of postoperative complications in the group receiving preoperative nutrition (EN or TPN) support was 20.0% compared with 61.3% in the group who had standard care without nutrition support [OR=0.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.07-0.99, P<0.001]. Postoperative complications occurred in 15.0% of patients in the group who received preoperative TPN compared with 24.4% in the group who did not (OR=0.65, 95% CI: 0.23-1.88, P=0.43). Postoperative complications occurred in 21.9% in the group who received preoperative EN compared with 73.2% in the group that did not received preoperative EN (OR=0.09, 95% CI: 0.06-0.13, P<0.001). CONCLUSION Preoperative nutrition supplementation reduces postoperative complications in CD patients. In particular, EN in CD patients before undergoing surgery is superior to standard of care without nutrition support with a number needed to treat of 2. There is a trend toward TPN being superior to standard of care without nutrition support, but this trend did not reach statistical significance. Further studies are necessary to evaluate specific components in EN or TPN that may be most beneficial for CD patients requiring surgical intervention.
Does the Refugee Experience Overshadow the Effect of SES? An Examination of Self-Reported Health Among Older Vietnamese Refugees

Is the consistently poorer health of Vietnamese refugees relative to whites due largely to differences in socioeconomic status, demographic characteristics, and health risk behaviors or the residual impact of the trauma of war and resettlement? Using data from a population-based household survey we use multinomial logistic regression to assess the self-rated health and activity limitations of Vietnamese refugees aged 55 and older compared to whites, adjusting for demographics, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle characteristics. Vietnamese refugees report poorer health and are more likely to report activity limitations than whites. While substantial differences in characteristics exist between the two groups, they explain little of the health differentials. Demographic and socioeconomic factors do not explain the health differential between older Vietnamese refugees and whites, although their lifestyle exerts a protective effect. The trauma of war and the stressful context of immigration likely contribute to the poorer health of Vietnamese refugees.
Upper and lower bounds on oxygen transfer rates

Approximate methods for evaluating oxygen transfer in extracorporeal devices are considered. It is shown that the constant slope approach and the advancing front concept can be used to bracket the exact solution. Generalization of the constant slope approach allows the use of available correlations for heat or mass transfer. In the case of complicated geometries for which no correlations exist, the method shows how one can experiment with different fluids and gases and estimate performance of the device as a blood oxygenator.
Secondary Metabolites Produced in Resistant and Susceptible Host Plants in Response to Fungal Vascular Infection

Resistance is a relative term used to describe the ability of a plant to prevent, restrict, or retard the penetration and development of pathogens in host tissue. The biochemical events involved with resistance are invariably invoked in “susceptible” as well as in resistant plants in response to transient biotrophs, e.g., Verticillium and Fusarium wilt fungi. Thus, from a biochemical perspective susceptible plants also resist infection, but the speed or intensity of the response is inadequate, and the pathogen is able to progressively colonize the plant. Therefore, the degree of resistance depends on the speed and intensity of the defensive response of the host relative to the speed of infection by the pathogen (Mace 1978).
Parametrized post-Einsteinian gravitational waveforms in various modified theories of gravity

Despite the tremendous success of general relativity so far, modified theories of gravity have received increased attention lately, motivated from both theoretical and observational aspects. In particular, gravitational wave observations opened new possibilities for testing the viability of such theories in the dynamical and strong-field regime. One could test each modified theory of gravity against observed data one at a time, though perhaps a more efficient approach would be to first probe gravity in a theory-agnostic way and map such information to that on specific theories afterward. One example of such model-independent tests of gravity with gravitational waves is the parametrized post-Einsteinian formalism, in which one introduces generic parameters in the amplitude and phase that capture non-Einsteinian effects. In this paper, we derive gravitational waveforms from inspiraling compact binaries in various modified theories of gravity that violate at least one fundamental pillar in general relativity, such as the strong equivalence principle, Lorentz and parity invariance, and commutativity of spacetime. We achieve this by first deriving relations between corrections to the waveform amplitude/phase and those to the frequency evolution and Kepler's third law, since the latter two have already been (or can easily be) derived in several example modified theories of gravity. In particular, such an analysis allows us to derive corrections to the waveform amplitude, which extends many of previous works that focused on deriving phase corrections only. Moreover, we derive modified gravitational waveforms in theories with a varying gravitational constant. In particular, we extend the previous work by introducing two different gravitational constants (the conservative one entering in the binding energy and the dissipative one entering in the gravitational wave luminosity) and allowing masses of binary constituents to also vary with time. We also correct some errors in the previous literature. Our results can be used to improve current analyses of testing general relativity with available gravitational wave data as well as to achieve new projected constraints on various modified theories of gravity with future gravitational wave observations.
Abstract A41: Role of UHRF1 in tumorigenesis and metastasis of osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is the eighth most common form of childhood cancer, with very limited advances in treatment over the past three decades. Osteosarcoma is a highly metastatic cancer, with 15-20% of osteosarcoma patients diagnosed after the cancer has already metastasized, causing the survival rate to be little over 50%. Common sites of metastasis include lung and liver. Loss of the retinoblastoma protein (RB) is associated with poor prognosis in osteosarcoma, as defined by shorter life span and heavier tumor burden. Ubiquitin Like with PHD and Ring Finger Domains 1 (UHRF1) has been identified as a critical downstream effector of the RB/E2F pathway that is overexpressed in various cancers. We have confirmed using human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and osteosarcoma cell lines that UHRF1 is directly regulated by the RB/E2F pathway in the bone lineage, and found that the UHRF1 gene is upregulated and its protein overexpressed in osteosarcoma. Using gain/loss-of-function assays to study the role of UHRF1 in osteosarcoma, we observed that UHRF1 is involved in promoting cell migration. To study the role of UHRF1 in osteosarcoma tumor development, we generated Uhrf1 conditional knockout mice. In this system, we use an Osterix-driven Cre recombinase (Osx-cre) to facilitate preosteoblast-specific loss of various combinations of genes. Osx-cre Tp53; Rb1 double knockout mice give rise to osteosarcoma and have a median survival of 26.7 weeks. Additional loss of Uhrf1 in Osx-cre Tp53; Rb1 double knockout mice (Osx-cre Tp53; Rb1; Uhrf1 triple knockout mice) significantly delays the age of tumor onset to >47 weeks. Furthermore, triple knockout mice have a decreased frequency and number of lung and liver metastasis. In conclusion, we have strong evidences both in vitro and in vivo that UHRF1 is a crucial component in aiding osteosarcoma progression, and have identified its novel role in tumor metastasis. The high metastatic rate and low 5-year survival rate following metastasis of osteosarcoma make UHRF1 a promising target for therapeutics. Further studies on the mechanism by which UHRF1 overexpression contributes to osteosarcomagenesis, including tumor growth and dissemination, will strongly aid the process of drug development for anticancer treatment. Citation Format: Stephanie C. Wu, Claudia A. Benavente. Role of UHRF1 in tumorigenesis and metastasis of osteosarcoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Pediatric Cancer Research: From Basic Science to the Clinic; 2017 Dec 3-6; Atlanta, Georgia. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(19 Suppl):Abstract nr A41.
Spontaneous pneumomediastinum complicating asthma exacerbation.

Pneumomediastinum is an uncommon condition characterised by the accumulation of air in the mediastinum. Pneumomediastinum is frequently associated with other forms of extra-alveolar air, including pulmonary interstitial emphysema, pneumopericardium, pneumothorax, subcutaneous emphysema,
Two Sides of the Same Coin: The Ideology of Gelon’s Innovative Syracusan Tetradrachm

The coin’s iconography – river god Alpheos/two barley grains – revises earlier Syracusan types so as to signal the new tyrant’s Olympic victory, his patronage of Demeter and Persephone, and his claim to power in Sicily.
Working with Men: A Gender-Sensitive Practice Model

The purpose of this paper is to put forth a model of practice with men that is gender-sensitive in the manner in which assessment and intervention occurs. A general framework of practice is presented with a discussion of the special challenges that men present to helpers in the field. Suggestions for overcoming various challenges are also presented.