cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Oatp1a1 Requires PDZK1 to Traffic to The Plasma Membrane by Selective Recruitment of Microtubule-based Motor Proteins

Previous studies identified a family of organic anion transport proteins (OATPs), many of which have C-terminal PDZ binding consensus sequences. In particular, the C-terminal four amino acids of Oatp1a1, a transporter on rat and mouse hepatocytes, comprise a consensus binding site for PDZK1. In PDZK1 knockout mice and in transfected cells where PDZK1 expression was knocked down, Oatp1a1 accumulates in intracellular vesicles. The present study tests the hypothesis that Oatp1a1 traffics to and from the cell surface in vesicles along microtubules, and that PDZK1 guides recruitment of specific motors to these vesicles. Oatp1a1-containing vesicles were prepared from wild-type and PDZK1 knockout mice. As seen by immunofluorescence, kinesin-1, a microtubule plus-end directed motor, was largely associated with vesicles from wild-type mouse liver, whereas dynein, a minus-end directed motor, was largely associated with vesicles from PDZK1 knockout mouse liver. Quantification of motility on directionally marked microtubules following addition of 50 µM ATP showed that wild-type vesicles moved equally toward the plus and minus ends whereas PDZK1 knockout vesicles moved predominantly toward the minus end, consistent with net movement toward the cell interior. These studies provide a novel mechanism by which PDZK1 regulates intracellular trafficking of Oatp1a1 by recruiting specific motors to Oatp1a1-containing vesicles. In the absence of PDZK1, Oatp1a1-containing vesicles cannot recruit kinesin-1 and associate with dynein as a predominant minus-end directed motor. Whether this is a result of direct interaction of the Oatp1a1 cytoplasmic domain with dynein or with a dynein-containing protein complex remains to be established.
10MHz current mode 4 switch buck boost converter (4SBBC) for polar modulation

This paper presents a transistor level design of a current mode 4 switch buck boost converter (4SBBC) for polar modulation. The reference signal of this 4SBBC is the envelope signal of EDGE (Enhancement Data-rate for GSM Evolution) standard which has more than 200 kHz bandwidth. In order for output voltage to follow this fast varying reference signal, this 4SBBC uses current mode control with 10 MHz fixed switching frequency which demands high bandwidth circuit design. This paper will show how to design the high speed current sensor and oscillator well operating with 10 MHz switching frequency. The current sensor exhibits rail to rail input and output range, and active feed back scheme makes it work well in 10 MHz switching frequency range. The oscillator generates 2 sawtooth signals which have precise and stable 180 degree phase shift each other by using common mode feedback scheme. The transistor level simulation shows this 4SBBC converter has more than 80% average efficiency with real EDGE envelope reference and is capable of wide input, output voltage range which is suitable for EDGE polar modulation.
The Veil, Desire, and the Gaze: Turning the Inside Out

AbstractIn psychoanalytically inflected scholarship, the veil is often understood to remove women from the field of the gaze. Our analysis offers a different understanding of the interplay between the veil, the gaze, and the subject by showing that the veil in fact is visible and that this visibility and its governance are part of the formation of pious, desiring subjects. The question of the gaze is especially pertinent to what we call “veiling fashion” (that is, stylish combinations of the headscarf with a range of clothing items, which variably adhere to an Islamic code of modesty). In 2009 we conducted focus groups with women who wear veiling fashion and with sales assistants who work on the retail side of veiling fashion in Turkey. Rather than being removed from view, we find, women participate in veiling fashion’s scopic regime, which situates them in a particular way as the objects and subjects of looking and desiring. Within the visual field, women enlist veiling fashion in their pursuit of harmon...
Overexpressed genes associated with hormones in terminal ductal lobular units identified by global transcriptome analysis: An insight into the anatomic origin of breast cancer

Although human breast ducts and terminal ductal lobular units (TDLUs) share the same cell types, ample evidence shows that TDLUs are the predominant site for the origin of breast cancer. Yet, there is still limited information concerning the molecular mechanisms. Analysis of transcriptomic profiles in TDLUs may provide insight into early breast tumorigenesis. We compared genome-wide expression profiles of 8 matched sets of breast main duct and TDLU samples, using significance analysis of microarray (SAM) software to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with fold-change >2.0 and q-value <0.05. Moreover, we used Gene Ontology for functional enrichment analysis. We identified 472 DEGs between the two tissue types, and confirmed 17 randomly chosen DEGs by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR). Notably, hormone-related pathways were highly enriched in the TDLU samples, including various hormone-related DEGs that are associated with breast carcinogenesis and tumor progression. Oncogenic upregulation in TDLUs indicates a potential inappropriate or excessive response to successive hormone stimulus during the proliferation, differentiation and lactation cycles of the human mammary gland. Imbalanced hormone reactions may finally result in the early onset of neoplastic transformation that occurs mostly in breast TDLUs.
Molecular identification of sheep at Blydefontein Rock Shelter, South Africa

The Blydefontein Rock Shelter is a Later Stone Age archaeological site in the eastern Karoo of South Africa. No remains of domesticated animals have been reported although a dung layer, interpreted as deriving from sheep, dates to approximately one thousand years ago. The published morphological analyses of the site's fauna include many wild taxa, but also report that the majority of the bones in the assemblage were too fragmentary to identify. A recent re-examination of the assemblage identified ten specimens as examples of sheep or goats. In this paper we report on ancient DNA research on the eight specimens we were sent to study, six of which have preserved DNA. Of these, five are examples of wild animals, all of which had been previously identified as present at the site. One specimen was confirmed as sheep, and it likely comes from a layer that dates to a period well after the initial introduction of domesticates. Direct dating of the specimen is not possible as the entire sample was consumed by the genetic testing. This study highlights the importance of ancient DNA as confirmation of taxon identification when the results of morphological identification challenge the broader culture history.
Minimization of Mizumoto Automata

In this paper, we introduce Mizumota automata whose initial and final states are fuzzy. Furthermore, the equivalence of the type of Mizumoto automaton(MA) and canonical fuzzy finite automaton(CA) with single initial state and deterministic transition function is established. Then we present a method to minimize the states of automata in canonical form.
Chemisorption Theory: Dissociation of H 2 on Ti (0001)

The chemisorption of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ on Ti(0001) is treated with use of an ab initio configuration-interaction theory for the surface region. Dissociation of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ occurs above the surface but more stable threefold coordination sites lie closer to the surface at \ensuremath{\sim} 1.3 \AA{}. Adsorption in adjacent threefold sites is less stable than in separated sites sharing only one surface atom. Bonding is predominantly with the $4s$ electrons of the metal leading to hydridic hydrogens and a polarized lattice electronic distribution.
The effect of subcutaneous administration of synthetic luteinizing hormone releasing factor on plasma gonadotropins and prolactin in the rat.

SummaryThe effect of subcutaneous injection of synthetic LRF was evaluated in normal and castrated rats under tribromoethanol (TBE) anesthesia. The procedure of anesthetization with TBE followed by injection and bleeding produced no change in plasma LH in intact males, but a decline followed by a rebound to initial levels in castrates. FSH levels showed a delayed rise in the intact animals and a decline followed by return to initial values in the castrates. In both intact and castrate animals, prolactin levels declined acutely and remained low throughout the experiment. Subcutaneous administration of LRF produced a dose-related acute release of LH in intact and castrate males. The response was prolonged compared to that observed in previous studies following intravenous administration of the peptide. Minimal and delayed FSH release occurred following high doses of 100 or 500 ng of the peptide in intact animals, but dose-related increases of considerable magnitude took place in the castrates. In general, r...
A review of epidermal maturation arrest: a unique entity or another description of persistent granulation tissue?

Objective: To conduct a review of reported cases of epidermal maturation arrest and to compare their clinical and histological descriptions with that of persistent granulation tissue with a focus on diagnostic methods and response to treatment. Methods: The authors performed a literature search within Pubmed, Embase, Google Scholar, and Web of Science for all reported cases of epidermal maturation arrest under the terms “epidermal maturation arrest,” “epidermal arrest,” “epidermal maturation,” and “re-epithelialization maturation arrest.” They reviewed the clinical and histological presentation of hypergranulation tissue as well as the evidence for the most widely used treatments. Results: There is only one case series and one case report of epidermal maturation arrest, and the former gives the most detailed clinical and histological description including response to treatment. The clinical description, histological findings, and response to treatment of all cases are comparable to that of persistent granulation tissue and there is no histological or cytological data provided to support that epidermal maturation arrest exists as a distinct entity. Conclusion: Among the cases of epidermal maturation arrest reported in the literature, there is insufficient evidence that keratinocytes acquired a state of arrest in their migration. Rather, the described cases appear to have been complicated by persistent granulation tissue, a well-known aberration in wound healing.
The Role of Educational Research in the Global Setting

Given that most global surgery efforts have focused on service rather than education, there is very little written about educational research in the global surgery setting. As the focus of global surgery rotations shift from a purely volunteerism-driven effort to an educational experience for surgical trainees as well as providers in host institutions, there is a need to evaluate different ways education initiatives can be tailored and adapted to meet the needs of both sides. Academic institutions can partner with institutions in resource-limited countries to facilitate bridging the gap in surgical workforce, as well as help with training needs of these countries. It is in this educational environment that educational research can flourish.
Morbidity Associated With Vasectomy

A report of 400 consecutive bilateral vasectomies performed in a hospital outpatient urology clinic between June 1970 and March 1972. The morbidity of this "simple procedure" is emphasized. Patients and their spouses were initially interviewed and the permanent nature of vasectomy was emphasized. Those with a history of emotional or psychiatric illness or sexual dysfunction were referred for psychiatric clearance and given a 4-6 week waiting period. After intravenous valium local anesthesia about 1.5 cm of each vas was resected and submitted for histologic examination. General anesthesia was required for some complications. A scrotal wound check was scheduled for 48 hours after operation but 33 of the 398 patients did not attend. Semen examinations were made after 8 weeks. Complications included: a large scrotal hematoma 8 hours after operation 8 small hematomas 5 wound infections and 11 patients with epididymitis. One of these was septic requiring antibiotics. Ecchymosis of the scrotal area was noted in 11 patients and hair in an incision complicated one case. Semen analysis of 354 patients was negative for sperm cells in 293 at 8 weeks and in all but 3 at 16 weeks. Subsequent operation showed these 3 to have recanalization. (A fulguration technic has since been used to prevent this.)y 12 patients complained of a lump at the site thought to be a granuloma. 1 patient noted decreased sexual desire and 1 lessened erections. 9.5% of the patients were less than 25 years old 70% were 26-40 years old and 21.5% were more than 40. The number of children conceived ranged from 0 to 11 with 3.1 the average. The complication rate was 15.5%. <2 patients requested reanastamosis of the vas.
Delivery of the very low birth weight infant.

Very low birth weight infants are almost always the result of preterm labor, which is the most important problem in modem perinatal medicine. Response of the preterm fetus to labor and delivery, management of preterm labor and delivery, and the establishment of limits for aggressive perinatal care in very low birth weight infants are discussed.
Apathy, Novelty Processing, and the P3 Potential in Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by deficits in goal-directed behavior as well as mood and motivational symptoms, including apathy, depression and anxiety. The present study investigated novelty processing in PD, using event-related potentials (ERPs) to characterize electrophysiological reflections of visual novelty processing. Since apathy has been associated with decreased novelty processing (P3 potentials) in highly apathetic PD patients, we were particularly interested to see if this relationship exists in a sample of PD patients with heterogeneous levels of apathy. Non-demented patients with PD receiving dopaminergic treatment (n = 14) and healthy control participants (n = 12) completed a three-stimulus oddball task while EEG was recorded. Relative to controls, the PD patients exhibited reductions in centrofrontally distributed P3 potentials when viewing novel distracters during this task. Distracter-related P3 amplitudes evoked by novel distracters were strongly associated with apathy symptoms, even after controlling for the effects of depression, anxiety, and executive function. Executive dysfunction was also predictive of novelty related P3 processing, yet this relationship was independent from that of apathy. These findings suggest that the brain’s electrophysiological response to novelty is closely related to both motivational and cognitive symptoms in PD, even for patients whose apathy symptoms are not excessive. These results have significant implications for our understanding of non-motor symptoms in this clinical population.
ROSflight: A lightweight, inexpensive MAV research and development tool

To accelerate research and development of the autonomous capabilities of micro aerial vehicles we have developed flight control framework, ROSflight, as a research tool. ROSflight makes development of autopilot code easier and more efficient by minimizing the use of embedded systems, incorporating the Robot Operating System and using off-the-shelf and open-source hardware and software. Motivation and applications for use in the research community are discussed. Analysis of loop rate and communication bandwidth are presented as well as results from flight demonstration of two multirotor aircraft.
Distribution of oligosynaptic group I input to the cat medial gastrocnemius motoneuron pool

To characterize the oligosynaptic group I afferent input to the cat medial gastrocneumius (MG) motoneuron pool, the medial branch of the tibial nerve (MTIB: flexor digitorum and hallucis longus, po...
End-to-end simulations and planning of a small space telescopes: Galaxy Evolution Spectroscopic Explorer, a case study

Large astronomical missions are usually general-purpose telescopes with a suite of instruments optimized for different wavelength regions, spectral resolutions, etc. Their end-to-end (E2E) simulations are typically photons-in to flux-out calculations made to verify that each instrument meets its performance specifications. In contrast, smaller space missions are usually single-purpose telescopes, and their E2E simulations start with the scientific question to be answered and end with an assessment of the effectiveness of the mission in answering the scientific question. Thus, E2E simulations for small missions consist a longer string of calculations than for large missions, as they include not only the telescope and instrumentation, but also the spacecraft, orbit, and external factors such as coordination with other telescopes. Here, we illustrate the strategy and organization of small-mission E2E simulations using the Galaxy Evolution Spectroscopic Explorer (GESE) as a case study. GESE is an Explorer/Probe-class space mission concept with the primary aim of understanding galaxy evolution. Operation of a small survey telescope in space like GESE is usually simpler than operations of large telescopes driven by the varied scientific programs of the observers or by transient events. Nevertheless, both types of telescopes share two common challenges: maximizing the integration time on target, while minimizing operation costs including communication costs and staffing on the ground. We show in the case of GESE how these challenges can be met through a custom orbit and a system design emphasizing simplification and leveraging information from ground-based telescopes.
Attention Problems as a Mediator of the Relation between Executive Function and Social Problems in a Child and Adolescent Outpatient Sample.

Social functioning is critical for the successful navigation of everyday life for children, adolescents, and adults. Recent theories have postulated a neuropsychological basis for social functioning with particularly strong links with the executive functioning (EF) system. The current study examined attention problems as a mediator between EF (e.g., working memory, planning, and response inhibition) and social functioning in a child and adolescent outpatient sample. Participants were 218 children ages 6–16 (M = 10.23; SD = 2.52; 68.8 % males) who were referred to an outpatient clinic for psychoeducational assessment. Bias-corrected bootstrapping mediation analyses were used to examine the hypothesized models. The effects of working memory and planning (but not response inhibition) on social problems were mediated by attention problems in both teacher- and mother-reported models. These findings also held up in cross-source models (e.g., mother-reported attention problems as a mediator in a model predicting teacher-reported social problems). These findings have implications for dimensional models of social functioning and conceptual models for specific clinical populations (e.g., attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder).
“Der Wald war sein Schicksal . . . .” An Ecocritical Reading of the Nibelungenlied

This article explores, informed by recent ecocritical thinking regarding the interpretation of literature in past and present, the symbolic function of the forest space in the Middle High German heroic epic Nibelungenlied . Intriguingly, both the protagonist Siegfried and his nemesis Hagen operate in, through, and with the forest, but only Siegfried emerges as a true master of the forest, which provides him, through various channels, with much of his true strength and power. In many respects, the poet projects the forest as an ominous space where the lives of the courtly protagonists are reflected and determined. However, each protagonist responds to and engages with the forest in different way. This ecocritical approach uncovers a heretofore mostly ignored perspective regarding the importance of the forest in the Nibelungenlied .
MECHANISM OF ACTION OF ESCHERICHIA COLI FORMAMIDOPYRIMIDINE N-GLYCOSYLASE AND ENDONUCLEASE V

DNA base damages generated either from oxidation or replication errors are repaired through the base excision and the mismatch repair pathways, respectively. In base excision repair, base damages are recognized specifically by N-glycosylases. Formamidopyrimid-ine N-glycosylase recognizes many oxidative products of purines including the formami-dopyrimidines and 8-oxoguanine. The enzyme has an associated β,δ-lyase activity. The extent of β,δ-elimination was influenced by mutation in a conserved lysine in the fpg protein, sequence context surrounding the lesion as well as the location of the DNA lesion. These data suggest that the stability of the β-complex is critical in determining the extent of β,δ-elimination for fpg protein. Endonuclease V exhibit high affinity for deoxyinosine and might be important for the repair of this lesion in vivo. Mismatch recognition by endonuclease V is strand specific and depends on the presence of a 5′ terminus, thus suggest that endonuclease V might be important in the repair of mismatches generated in the Okazaki fragment. It was recently found that mutation in endonuclease V lead to an increase frequency in the expansion of CAG repeats in DNA, a phenotype that was also shared by the yeast RAD27 mutant. These data suggest that structure specific endonu-cleases might play an important role in the maintenance of these triplet repeat sequences.
Some real quadratic number fields with their Hilbert 2-class field having cyclic 2-class group

Abstract Let k be a real quadratic number field with 2-class group C 2 ( k ) isomorphic to Z / 2 m Z x Z / 2 n Z , m ≥ 1 , n ≥ 2 , and let k 1 be the Hilbert 2-class field of k. We give complete criteria for C 2 ( k 1 ) to be cyclic when either d k , the discriminant of k, is divisible by only positive prime discriminants, or when the 2-class number of k 1 is greater than 2, and partial criteria for C 2 ( k 1 ) to be elementary cyclic when d k is divisible by a negative prime discriminant.
Accessing the inaccessible: discrete multinuclear coordination complexes and selective anion binding attainable only by tethering ligands together

Novel multimetallic copper pyrazolate complexes, inaccessible using simple pyrazole ligands due to competing, alternative structural motifs, can be obtained by locking pairs of pyrazole ligands together with ethylene tethers. Nanojars based on this tethered pyrazole ligand display unexpected total selectivity for the carbonate over the sulfate ion.
Polycapillary optics for medical applications

Polycapillary optics can be designed for a wide variety of x-ray applications, including x-ray fluorescence for non-destructive materials analysis and diffraction applications such as protein crystallography. Of particular interest are medical applications, including the removal of Compton scattering with the resultant improvement in contrast and resolution in mammography, the production of monochromatic parallel beams for high-contrast imaging in clinical settings and the localization of radioactive tracers. A recent development is the use of polycapillary optics to improve beam coherence for x-ray phase imaging. Conventional radiographic techniques depend on attenuation, which provides only low contrast between soft tissues. Phase imaging can yield significantly higher contrast but requires spatially coherent beams. Conventional sources small enough to produce high coherence are necessarily low power, requiring long exposures. Polycapillary optics employed to create a small secondary source from high power sources have been shown to yield strong phase effects. Polycapillary optics can also be combined with other x-ray optics. A combination of a toroidally bent crystal with a polycapillary optic has been shown to produce enhanced resolution in a magnified image. Another x-ray imaging technique which does not rely on the small attenuation contrast is the capture of coherently scattered radiation, for which polycapillary optics could be used as angular filters to collect the beam, resulting in a map of tissue or material type.
BALANCING AMBULANCE CREW WORKLOADS VIA A TIERED DISPATCH POLICY

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system’s mission is to provide timely and effective treatment to anyone in need of urgent medical care throughout their jurisdiction. The default dispatch policy is to send the nearest ambulance to all medical emergencies and it is widely accepted by many EMS providers. However, sending nearest ambulance is not always optimal, often imposes heavy workloads on ambulance crews posted in high demand zones while reducing available coverage or requiring ambulance relocations to ensure high demand zones are covered adequately. In this paper we propose a tiered dispatch policy to balance the ambulance crew workloads while meeting fast response times for priority 1 calls. We use a tabu search algorithm to determine the initial ambulance locations and a simulation model to evaluate the impact of a tiered dispatch policy on ambulance crew workloads, coverage rates for priority 1-3 calls, and on survivability rate for out of hospital cardiac arrests. We present computational statistics and demonstrate the efficacy of the tiered dispatch policy using real-world data.
An academic pay it forward with a pay it younger focus: poster session

Faculty members are afforded the opportunity to attend educational workshops to learn about innovative technologies. It is important that faculty members share what they have learned in order to support the spread of knowledge. While university faculty have direct access with college-level students who can benefit from the faculty workshop experience, it is also important to inspire even younger students in the computing fields. According to Gurer and Camp [1] whether one continues in the computing field throughout school and beyond will depend on how positive one's attitude is towards computing. In order to support a life-long learning journey in the computing field, Gurer and Camp [1], determined that "it is crucial that we give children at a young age equal exposure to computers and that they have positive experiences to carry through their later years."
Versatility of presenilin 1.

Mutations in PSEN1 and PSEN2 genes, encoding presenilin 1 (PS1) and presenilin 2 (PS2), respectively, cause autosomal-dominant Alzheimer’s disease (ADAD) (1, 2). The precise mechanism by which PS1 mutations lead to AD is under active investigation. Multiple theories have been suggested to explain the role of PS1 and PS2 mutations on AD pathogenesis, including the effects on γ-secretase activity and specificity (3⇓⇓–6), protein trafficking (7), β-catenin pathway (8), calcium homoeostasis (9), and the lysosomal/autophagy pathway (10). In PNAS, Bustos et al. (11, 12) show an unprecedented role for PS1 in autophagic degradation of βCTF and, consequently, reduction of Aβ. Moreover, they offer an underlying mechanism in which PS1 is phosphorylated at Ser367 by CK1γ2 that recruits AnxA2 to initiate autophagic machinery. Importantly, this discovery leads to a novel avenue for treatment of AD. β-Secretase and γ-secretase sequentially cleave the amyloid precursor protein (APP) to generate the N terminus and C terminus of Aβ, respectively. Investigation of PS has paralleled identification of γ-secretase. ( i ) ADAD mutations in PSEN1 and PSEN2 cause an increase in the ratio of Aβ42/Aβ40 in transfected cells and in transgenic mice (3⇓–5). ( ii ) Isolated cultured neurons derived from PS1-deficient mice showed significantly reduced Aβ production and accumulate APP fragments that fail to be processed by γ-secretase (13). ( iii ) Mutagenesis of two conserved aspartate residues in the transmembrane regions of PS1 significantly … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: liy2{at}mskcc.org. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
ATOMIC-STRUCTURE MODEL OF I(AL0.570CU0.108LI0.322)

An atomic-structure model of quasicrystalline i-(${\mathrm{Al}}_{0.570}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{0.108}$${\mathrm{Li}}_{0.322}$) is presented and compared with models obtained earlier using different approaches. The quasicrystal, assumed quasiperiodic, is represented by a higher-dimensional crystal which is modeled directly in the hyperspace, unprejudiced by any tiling assumptions. The modeling follows a method which systematically enforces chemical (steric and stoichiometric) constraints directly in the hyperspace. A detailed comparison and examination of earlier models using this method reveals significant violations of the constraints, including some unphysically short interatomic separations.
Palm Oil in Myanmar: A Spatiotemporal Analysis of the Effects of Industrial Farming on Biodiversity Loss.

Background Palm oil consumption is potentially deleterious to human health, and its production has resulted in 11 million hectares of deforestation globally. Importing roughly 394,000 metric tons of palm oil in 2012 alone, the Burmese government has recently pushed for intensive oil palm development to sate domestic demand for consumption and become international market players. Given well-studied linkages between biodiversity loss and ecosystem instability, this study aims to characterize the nature of deforestation for oil palm production in Myanmar, its relationship to increased biodiversity loss, and contextualize the potential impacts of this loss on diets and human health in rural Myanmar. Methods First, a GIS land suitability analysis overlaying spatial data on rainfall, elevation, and slope was conducted in order to identify areas of Myanmar best suited to oil palm tree growth. Second, after narrowing the geographic range, vegetation indices using varying spectral band models in ENVI (Environment for Visualizing Images) allowed a more granular examination of changes in vegetation phenology from 1975 to 2015. Lastly, ground truthing permitted an in-person verification of GIS and ENVI results and provided contextual understanding of oil palm development in Myanmar. Results GIS analysis revealed that the Tanintharyi Region, one of the most biodiverse regions in Myanmar, is highly suitable for oil palm growth. Next, vegetation indices revealed a progressive shift from smallholder farming, with little observable deforestation between 1975 and 1990, to industrial oil palm plantations all throughout Tanintharyi starting around 2000-a shift concomitant with biodiversity loss of primary forestland. Ground truthing indicated that plantation development has advanced rapidly, though not without barriers to growth. Conclusions If these trends of Burmese oil palm intensification continue, 4 key outcomes may follow: (1) even higher levels of biodiversity loss, (2) increased access and affordability of edible palm oil, (3) decreased importing of palm oil, and (4) large profits made from selling excess palm oil on the international market. Although the first 2 outcomes may adversely affect low-income Burmese populations, the latter 2 may bode well for the domestic economy and international trade partners, thus encouraging competing interests. This increased domestic access and affordability of palm oil may increase consumption and cause increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Finally, this biodiversity loss concurrent with industrial deforestation may disproportionately impact vulnerable, rural communities.
Electronic Cigarette Prevalence and Patterns of Use in Adults with a History of Cardiovascular Disease in the United States.

BackgroundCharacterizing electronic cigarette (e‐cigarette) use patterns is important for guiding tobacco regulatory policy and projecting the future burden of tobacco‐related diseases. Few studies...
Opening up Housing Theory: Who Speaks, Who Listens, and to What End?

My discussion of the respective Focus articles by David Clapham (This issue) and Hannu Ruonavaara (This issue) is situated within philosophical pragmatism, especially as described by William James,...
Lomechusamania and Colony Collapse Disorder in Honeybees: Implications for Disease in Complex Animal Societies

Colony Collapse Disorder (in North America, Honey Bee Depopulation Syndrome, or HBDS elsewhere) shows similarity to Lomechusamania in ants. A number of questions regarding the cause of CCD continues to make progress in fighting the disease difficult. Here information is provided that may result in an isolation of factors to identify the syndrome of effects that lead to the disease, based on studies of disease avoidance and illness behavior in other animal species. Most of the work to date to discover a cause has focused on a direct relationship between a pathogen or parasite or environmental condition and the Disorder. Lomechusamania may provide a different pathway not yet explored. Disease avoidance is an important survival tactic for many animals and if the mechanism is modified by a pathogen or toxin unusual outcomes may result. We can see on the molecular level how the 'Trojan Horse' of HIV defeats the highly evolved human immune system, or how interfering defective particles of virus can lead to disturbances in regulation in other disease states. In complex animal societies we might imagine that the opportunity for other forms of disruption are numerous.
Averroes’ Book of Questions in Physics

The focus of this Question is textual and formal. Averroes sees Physics VII, 1 as consisting of an introduction followed by a more substantive section. In the introduction, the Arabic translation of Physics VII, 1 is not always as explicit as the Greek text, and this forces Averroes to speculate about the precise meaning of Aristotle’s text and the purpose for which it may have been written. He also is concerned to clarify the meaning of a technical term (per se) as it is used in this chapter. His discussion of the remainder of the text is largely concerned with an analysis and elaboration of Aristotle’s argument, which culminates in a reconstruction of that argument in the first figure of the syllogism.
Estimation of BOD and DO Probability Distribution

Two parameters generally accepted as the primary indicators of the state of organic pollution of a stream are the biochemical oxygen demand (5-day BOD) and the dissolved oxygen (DO). A random differential equation is presented whose solution is a stochastic process representing the BOD and DO at position t downstream from the source of pollution. Using the solution of the random differential equation and bivariate probability density estimation techniques an estimate of the probability distribution of BOD and DO at position t 1 along a stretch of stream is derived based on n observed values of BOD and DO at that point. The estimated distribution is used to obtain the probability distribution of BOD and DO at other points t along the stretch and to obtain probability bounds on the BOD and DO at t. In particular, the probability of DO below a minimum specified level can be computed in order to control the pollution input. A numerical example is given for a typical stream.
Shapesearch: flexible pattern-based querying of trend line visualizations

Finding visualizations with desired patterns is a common goal during data exploration. However, due to the limited expressiveness and flexibility of existing visual analytics systems, pattern-based querying of visualizations has largely been a manual process. We demonstrate ShapeSearch, a system that enables users to express their desired patterns in trend lines using multiple flexible mechanisms --- including natural language and visual regular expressions, and automates the search via an optimized execution engine. Internally, the system leverages an expressive shape query algebra that supports a range of operators and primitives for representing ShapeSearch queries. In our demonstration, conference attendees will learn how the various components of ShapeSearch help accelerate scientific discovery by automating the search for meaningful patterns in trend lines in domains such as genomics and material science.
Leonardo da Vinci's discovery of the dynamic soaring by birds in wind shear

Although Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) is well known to have studied bird flight, few people realize that he was the first to document flight manoeuvres now called dynamic soaring. Birds use these ...
The virtual reality of Parkinson's disease freezing of gait: A systematic review.

Abstract Introduction Freezing of gait is an episodic inability to move the feet forward despite the intention to walk. It is a common cause of falls and subsequent morbidity and mortality in Parkinson's disease. Virtual reality paradigms provide an opportunity to safely evaluate freezing of gait, in order to better understand the underlying pathophysiology. This article focuses on the methodology, threshold used to define freezing of gait, results, limitations of studies using virtual reality paradigms, and proposes future directions of research. Summarizing these articles improves our understanding of freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease, and critical evaluation provides an opportunity for future studies to improve upon these efforts. Methods We performed a systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement guidelines, of studies using VR paradigms to elucidate the underlying pathophysiology of PD-FOG. Results This review initially identified 57 articles, but after exclusion of duplicates, abstracts, and studies not focused on the underlying pathophysiology of this disorder, 12 peer-reviewed articles using virtual reality paradigms to evaluate freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease were found. Conclusion Virtual reality paradigms are able to reproduce freezing of gait. Studies using MRI compatible virtual reality to evaluate freezing of gait found dysfunctional connectivity between cortical and subcortical structures during episodes. However, several important limitations of these studies should caution our interpretation of these results. Future studies which improve the design and methodology are needed to ultimately identify the cause and subsequent treatments for freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease.
Detecting the efficacy of endotracheal tube suctioning in intubated ICU patients using in vivo catheter-based OCT (Conference Presentation)

Mechanical ventilation is a critical intervention given to intensive care unit (ICU) patients who need airway support. However, this intervention with an endotracheal tube (ETT) is associated with complications such as ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). VAP is reported to develop within 48 hours after intubation and is associated with a mortality rate between 20 to 50%. The formation of bacterial biofilms within these ETT tubes provides a niche for infectious bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics. Suctioning of the ETT is believed to prevent airway colonization by pathogens, reduce resistance to airflow, and decrease biofilm formation. However, reports have shown that standard-of-care suctioning is not adequate to eliminate secretions from the ETT, and additional measures aiming to reduce the formation of ETT biofilms have been proposed to reduce VAP. We have recently demonstrated the use of catheter-based 3-D OCT imaging to identify the presence of in vivo biofilms within the ETTs of intubated human subjects in the ICU. In this study, we quantify the volume of mucus and biofilm in ETTs in intubated ICU patients using 3-D OCT, and define the efficacy of suctioning. Longitudinal OCT imaging was performed daily before and after suctioning at approximately 24-hour intervals until extubation. Extubated ETTs were subsequently imaged for further analysis. OCT image analysis results were correlated with clinical data and fluorescence microscopy/Gram stain images to verify the presence of bacteria and biofilm. In vivo catheter-based 3-D OCT offers the potential to rapidly determine the efficacy of ETT suctioning in order to effectively compare suctioning and brushing strategies in an effort to reduce the incidence of VAP.
Personalized Cancer Chemotherapy Schedule: a numerical comparison of performance and robustness in model-based and model-free scheduling methodologies.

Reinforcement learning algorithms are gaining popularity in fields in which optimal scheduling is important, and oncology is not an exception. The complex and uncertain dynamics of cancer limit the performance of traditional model-based scheduling strategies like Optimal Control. Motivated by the recent success of model-free Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) in challenging control tasks and in the design of medical treatments, we use Deep Q-Network (DQN) and Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) to design a personalized cancer chemotherapy schedule. We show that both of them succeed in the task and outperform the Optimal Control solution in the presence of uncertainty. Furthermore, we show that DDPG can exterminate cancer more efficiently than DQN presumably due to its continuous action space. Finally, we provide some insight regarding the amount of samples required for the training.
The role of Si in GaN/AlN/Si(111) plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy: polarity and inversion

The microstructure, polarity and Si distribution in AlN/GaN layers grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE) on Si(111) was assessed by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Samples grown under both metal- and nitrogen-rich conditions contained defects at the AlN/Si interface which suggest formation of an Al-Si eutectic. Correlated with this, interfacial segregation of Si was found in the samples. It is proposed that Si is dissolved in a eutectic layer floating on the AlN surface under metal-rich conditions. This Si is then incorporated into the film if the growth becomes nitrogen-rich, either intentionally or due to plasma source transients. These Si-rich layers appear to induce inversion of the nitride from nitrogen- to metal-polarity, and uncontrolled variations in the Si concentration cause occasional nonuniformity in the resulting inversion.
Cyber-Physical Ecosystems: App-Centric Software Ecosystems in Cyber-Physical Environments

The conceptual frameworks and information architectures of app-centric software ecosystems and cyber-physical systems (CPS) provide complimentary approaches to modeling systems. When integrated, these frameworks combine to become cyber-physical ecosystems (CPE). CPE are CPS whose constituent members, themselves CPS, meet the criteria for consideration as apps. Alternatively, CPE may be viewed as app-centric software ecosystems whose shared data environment includes the physical operating environment of the apps. By taking an app-centric approach to CPS integration, a semantically driven, information architecture based decomposition of a larger CPS into it’s component CPS becomes possible.
Synchro-Excited Free-Running Single Photon Counting: A Novel Method for Measuring Short-Wave Infrared Emission Kinetics.

Time-resolved measurements of short-wave infrared (SWIR) photoluminescence on the submicrosecond to millisecond scale are needed for physical and chemical studies involving singlet oxygen, single-w...
Profitable Emissions-Reducing Energy Storage

While energy arbitrage from energy storage can lower power system operating costs, it can also increase greenhouse gas emissions. If power system operations are conducted with the constraint that energy storage operation must not increase emissions, how does this constraint affect energy storage investment decisions? Two bi-level energy storage investment problems are considered, representing ‘philanthropic’ (profitability-constrained) and profit-maximizing storage investors (PhSI, PMSI). A MILP heuristic is developed to obtain good candidate solutions to these inherently MINLP bi-level problems. A case study is conducted on a 30% renewable system, with sensitivity analyses on the price of storage and the price of carbon emissions. Regardless of the emissions-neutrality constraint, a PhSI installs significantly more energy storage than a PMSI, increasing system flexibility. The effect of the emissions-neutrality constraint in the absence of a carbon price is to reduce the quantity of storage purchased and reduce annual system emissions ( ${\scriptstyle\sim}$ 3%), with only minor increases in overall cost ( ${\scriptstyle\sim}$ 0.1%). In cases with a carbon price, storage does not tend to increase emissions and the emissions constraint does not tend to decrease storage investment. The emissions-neutrality constraint is seen to deliver similar emissions reductions even in a system with much higher renewable penetration (46%).
Automated Control of the Transfer Function of an Integrated Cascaded Mach-Zehnder Interferometer

Thermal crosstalk and fabrication variations are detrimental to accurate control of integrated photonic systems. We build a calibration-based control algorithm accounting for these factors in a dual Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) structure, and experimentally demonstrate automated control of optical transmission with only 3% error.
How Relevant Is Pre-operative Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in the Asymptomatic Bariatric Surgery Patient?

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends patients attending for bariatric surgery (BS) to be evaluated for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) as untreated OSA is associated with a greater risk of post-operative complications. Not all bariatric patients have symptoms of OSA and their phenotype may be at less risk than the typical sleep clinic phenotype. Therefore, all patients may not require pre-operative sleep studies. This study aimed to establish whether screened and unscreened BS patients are at increased risk of post-operative complications. A retrospective review of BS patients at a single centre, June 2008–May 2017. Demographic data, sleep study outcomes, post-operative complications, length of stay (LOS), intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and readmission rates were reviewed. A total of 510 patients underwent gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, or gastric banding. 385/510 (75.5%) were female. Mean age was 46 ± 11.27 years, mean BMI was 49 kg/m2 ± 7.42. OSA was diagnosed in 300/510 (58.8%) and normal sleep in 57/510 (11.2%). OSA was not associated with increased post-operative complications. No significant difference between screened and unscreened patients for the development of post-operative pulmonary or cardiac complications, (p = 0.607, p = 0.827, respectively). Increasing age was a predictor for pulmonary (p = 0.011) and cardiac (p = 0.018) complications. OSA is very prevalent in morbidly obese patients. The lack of association between patients diagnosed with OSA and unscreened patients, and post-operative complications suggests that not all patients require pre-operative sleep studies. Further studies may help identify which patients can safely avoid OSA screening.
“Inoculate Yourself with the Word of God”: Persuasion Inoculation, Medical Inoculation, and Religious Rhetoric

In the midst of a particularly difficult, deadly flu season, Gloria Copeland – televangelist, co-founder of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, and member of President Trump’s faith advisory council – see...