cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Trolley Problem and the Type IV Safety Device

The Trolley Problem is a common problem considered by philosophers, because of the many variations that exist and the subtle differences in solutions that can be generated. Recent research has coupled the Trolley Problem with neuroimaging techniques (fMRI), and demonstrates a complex interaction between cognitive and emotional responses depending on the problem variant. This paper poses the Engineer’s variant of the Trolley problem, namely whether or not an engineer should incorporate safety devices in design if the safety devices have a downside with respect to safety. The authors provide a design paradigm that incorporates the Dangerous Safeguard Consensus, the Intrinsic Classification of Safeguard Devices, and the Safeguard Evaluation Protocol. This paradigm is consistent with the admonitions in the safety literature, industry standards, and governmental codes, the incommensurability of human lives and a utilitarian world view.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Meeting the Needs of the Transgender Nursing Student.

Student success has been linked to a supportive academic environment and faculty involvement. The college experience can be stressful for any nursing student. Transgender nursing students experience the additional stress of being in the gender minority. This article focuses on the needs of the trans
Clinical Teaching Methods for Stimulating Students' Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is a prerequisite to making any sound clinical decision. Many students entering into the fields of speech-language pathology and audiology are not equipped with the necessary crit...
Simulation-Based Training for Residents in the Management of Acute Agitation: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective Simulations are used extensively in medicine to train clinicians to manage high-risk situations. However, to our knowledge, no studies have determined whether this is an effective means of teaching residents to manage acutely agitated patients. This study aimed to determine whether simulation-based training in the management of acute agitation improves resident knowledge and performance, as compared to didactic-based instruction.
Efficacy of Slow-releasing Anticancer Drug Delivery Systems on Transplantable Osteosarcomas in Rats

New drug delivery systems for cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (CDDP) incorporated into vehicles, such as polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), fibrin glue (F.G.), alpha-tricalciumphosphate (TCP) and ethylenevinyleacetate copolymer (Polymer) were examined using a rat osteosarcoma model. The materials containing CDDP were directly implanted into the tumors or subcutaneous tissue of rats, and the inhibitory effects on tumor growth and lung metastasis were evaluated. Data on in vitro kinetics of CDDP release revealed good results for both TCP and F.G., and the release pattern from TCP to be most appropriate for a slow-releasing drug delivery system. This was supported by the results of the implantation experiments, whereby the direct implantation of TCP containing CDDP (CDDP-TCP) into tumors, gave significantly better inhibitions of tumor growth and metastasis than either non-treatment (P < 0.01) or subcutaneous implantation (P < 0.05). In a second experiment, using different administration procedures, different inhibitory effects on tumor growth and lung metastatic potency were observed with intra-arterial and intravenous CDDP administration, as well as with CDDP-TCP implanted subcutaneously. Suppression effects of CDDP (10 mg/kg)-TCP directly implanted into tumors were equal to those of intra-arterial (2.5 mg/kg) and intravenous (5.0 mg/kg) administrations. The present results suggest CDDP-TCP implantation to be effective as a slow-release drug delivery system for inhibiting tumor growth and metastasis, and that it should be a useful adjuvant to conventional i.v. or i.a. chemotherapy.
Modulation of Orthographic Decoding by Frontal Cortex

Opinions are divided on whether word reading processes occur in a hierarchical, feedforward fashion or within an interactive framework. To critically evaluate these competing theories, we recorded electrocorticographic (ECoG) data from 15 human patients with intractable epilepsy during a word completion task and evaluated brain network dynamics across individuals. We used a novel technique of analyzing multihuman ECoG recordings to identify cortical regions most relevant to processing lexical information. The mid fusiform gyrus showed the strongest, earliest response after stimulus onset, whereas activity was maximal in frontal, dorsal lateral prefrontal, and sensorimotor regions toward articulation onset. To evaluate interregional functional connectivity, ECoG data from electrodes situated over specific cortical regions of interest were fit into linear multivariate autoregressive (MVAR) models. Spectral characteristics of the MVAR models were used to precisely reveal the timing and the magnitude of information flow between localized brain regions. This is the first application of MVAR for developing a comprehensive account of interregional interactions from a word reading ECoG dataset. Our comprehensive findings revealed both top-down and bottom-up influences between higher-level language areas and the mid fusiform gyrus. Our findings thus challenge strictly hierarchical, feedforward views of word reading and suggest that orthographic processes are modulated by prefrontal and sensorimotor regions via an interactive framework. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Word reading is a critical part of everyday life. When the ability to read is disrupted, it can lead to learning disorders, as well as emotional and academic difficulties. The neural mechanisms underlying word reading are not well understood due to limitations in the spatial and temporal specificity of prior word reading studies. Our research analyzed data recorded from sensors implanted directly from surface of human brains while these individuals performed a word reading task. Our research analyzed these recordings to infer how brain regions communicate during word reading. Our original results improve upon current models of word reading and can be used to develop treatment plans for individuals with reading disabilities.
Retail logistics in the transition from multi-channel to omni-channel

Purpose – Online retailing changes all retail systems significantly. The growing importance of online sales requires the creation of new fulfillment models. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how retailers develop from separate multi-channel (MC) to integrated omni-channel (OC) fulfillment. OC retailing has an integrated perspective, with seamless interactions between online and bricks-and-mortar channels. Design/methodology/approach – More than 60 internationally active retailers and experts from Germany participated in an exploratory survey. With a response rate of 40 percent the authors achieved the goal to adequately depict the German MC and OC retail market. It is currently the largest empirical study of MC and OC fulfillment. Findings – It is the first study to comprehensively analyze the logistical development options open to retailers for integrated fulfillment. The authors discuss the conceptual development options and formulate propositions for an advanced OC fulfillment approach. OC re...
Use of positron emission tomography scan response to guide treatment change for locally advanced gastric cancer: the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center experience

Background: Early metabolic response on 18-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) during neoadjuvant chemotherapy is PET non-responders have poor outcomes whether continuing chemotherapy or proceeding directly to surgery. Use of PET may identify early treatment failure, sparing patients from inactive therapy and allowing for crossover to alternative therapies. We examined the effectiveness of PET directed switching to salvage chemotherapy in the PET non-responders. Methods: Patients with locally advanced resectable FDG-avid gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma received bevacizumab 15 mg/kg, epirubicin 50 mg/m 2 , cisplatin 60 mg/m 2 day 1, and capecitabine 625 mg/m 2 bid (ECX) every 21 days. PET scan was obtained at baseline and after cycle 1. PET responders, (i.e., ≥35% reduction in FDG uptake at the primary tumor) continued ECX + bev. Non-responders switched to docetaxel 30 mg/m 2 , irinotecan 50 mg/mg2 day 1 and 8 plus bevacizumab every 21 days for 2 cycles. Patients then underwent surgery. The primary objective was to improve the 2-year disease free survival (DFS) from 30% (historical control) to 53% in the non-responders. Results: Twenty evaluable patients enrolled before the study closed for poor accrual. Eleven were PET responders and the 9 non-responders switched to the salvage regimen. With a median follow-up of 38.2 months, the 2-year DFS was 55% [95% confidence interval (CI), 30–85%] in responders compared with 56% in the non-responder group (95% CI, 20–80%, P=0.93). Conclusions: The results suggest that changing chemotherapy regimens in PET non-responding patients may improve outcomes. Results from this pilot trial are hypothesis generating and suggest that PET directed neoadjuvant therapy merits evaluation in a larger trial.
Electrophysiological monitoring in neurosurgical patients with increased intracranial pressure

There is considerable evidence that changes in common electrophysiologic recordings, such as those of sensory evoked potentials, do not provide reliable information about changes in intracranial pressure (ICP). Several studies in animals (Bothe et al., 1993) as well as in human (Konasiewicz et al., 1994; Moulton et al., 1994) have shown that changes in sensory evoked potentials (somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP), brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP), or visual evoked potentials (VEP) are poorly correlated with changes (elevation) in ICP. Some studies, in which sensory evoked potentials were recorded simultaneously with ICP, have shown that sometimes an elevated ICP does not affect neural function but sometimes it is accompanied by changes in sensory evoked potentials, thus an indication of altered neural function. Only when an elevated ICP affects neural function as a result of ischemia or other forms of injury to neural tissue (perhaps deformation of brain tissue) are there consistent changes in specific evoked potentials (Moulton et al., 1994). There is experimental evidence that changes in sensory evoked potentials are closely related to changes (decrease) in arteriovenous oxygen content (AVDO2) (Moulton et al., 1994), which is a sign of a decrease in cerebral oxygenation. Thus an elevated ICP does not seem to play a direct role in the deterioration of neural function.
Measuring Reversible CLC-ec1 Dimerization In Membranes by Single Molecule Photobleaching

ClC-ec1 is a bacterial Cl-/H+ antiporter that exists as a homodimer with each subunit containing a structurally independent pathway for ion transport. Mutations at the dimerization interface I201W/I422W (WW) destabilize the dimer in detergent while preserving function. In this study, we have applied single fluorescent molecule imaging and photobleaching to study the dimerization of an intermediately stable mutant; I422W (IW) in phospholipid membranes. WT CLC-ec1 and its mutants were purified from E. coli into detergent and labelled with Cy5-maleimide at a unique surface exposed cysteine residue. The dye/protein ratio for all samples were ∼0.66. Cy5 labelled proteins were reconstituted in Alexa Fluor 488 SDP-ester labelled 2:1 POPE/POPG liposomes at 0.03 % fluorophore/lipid. Dialyzed liposomes were then freeze-thawed 7 times to form large multilamellar membranes, and then incubated at 25°C to facilitate protein mixing. Prior to imaging on a multi-color TIR-FM these membranes were extruded through a 400 nm filter. Protein reconstitution in liposomes follows a Poisson distribution resulting in liposomes containing either 0, 1, 2 or more protein molecules. We counted the overall occupancy of liposomes using two-color colocalization and counting the number of labelled protein particles in each liposome using step-wise photobleaching of Cy5. We determined the photo-bleaching distribution for dimeric WT, monomeric WW and intermediately stable IW. Upon increasing protein/lipid mole fraction from 1.5 x 10-9 to 7.5 x 10-4, we find that IW evolves from a monomer to dimer distribution. By carrying out a least-squares fit to the monomer and expected dimer distribution, we calculate Fdimer, I422W(X) that shows a density dependent increase that fits to a dimerization isotherm with KD=2x10-6 protein/lipid. The dimers dissociate into monomers upon diluting proteoliposomes with empty membranes suggesting that we are observing the reversible dimerization reaction in membranes.
3-D MRI cardiac segmentation using graph cuts

We consider the use of graph cuts technique to efficiently segment the full tissue volume of the entire heart or important parts of it such as ventricles in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans for different species. With the segmented 3-D volume of the heart, simulations of electrical waves propagating through the tissue can be done. The modeled wave results can then be compared directly to the experimental data. We use the graph cuts technique to achieve segmentation while letting the user initiate some of the energy cost function parameters. A Mumford-Shah type energy cost function is used. In addition to the data and smoothness terms, two spatial distance terms are incorporated to improve segmentation results. The user has the option of eliminating these terms in case the input data does not contain any useful spatial distance content.
Cooperation between MYC and BCL2 to Induce Lymphoma Is Uncovered in an Adult Context.

MYC overexpression is thought to induce tumorigenesis through a variety of different mechanisms including the induction of proliferation, inhibition of differentiation and disruption of genomic stability. Conventional transgenic systems that have been used to study the role of oncogenes in tumorigenesis continuously overexpress transgenes and hence preclude the investigation of the initial and age specific consequences of oncogene activation. To investigate the developmental specific consequences of MYC overexpression in the pathogenesis of lymphoma in vivo , we used transgenic mice in which the MYC proto-oncogene is conditionally regulated via the Tetracycline Regulatory System (Tet system). The ability of MYC to induce lymphomagenesis was found to be inversely correlated with the age of the host at the time of MYC activation. When MYC was activated constitutively, the mean time until tumor development was 13 weeks. When MYC was activated at increasing developmental ages of 3 and 5 weeks, identical tumors arose, but with an increased mean tumor latency. When MYC was activated at 7 weeks, an age equivalent to an adult mouse, no tumors developed even after 40 weeks of observation. However, we found that in adult mice, if both MYC and BCL2 are overexpressed at 7 weeks of age, mice succumbed to lymphoma with a mean latency of 27 weeks. Surprisingly, we could not find evidence that MYC overexpression induces apoptosis or that BCL2 overexpression reduced apoptosis. We conclude that the ability of MYC to induce lymphomagenesis is highly dependent on the developmental context. MYC and BCL2 cooperate to permit tumorigenesis in adult mice. Since lymphoma occurs generally as a disease in adults, this suggests that previous reports may have greatly overestimated the ability of MYC activation to induce tumorigenesis and underestimated the potential cooperation between MYC and BCL2 oncogenes. Our results also suggest that BCL2 may cooperate with MYC to induce lymphomagenesis through additional mechanisms other than preventing MYC from inducing apoptosis.
Development of a Clinically Actionable Incisional Hernia Risk Model after Colectomy Using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project

Background Incisional hernia remains a persistent and burdensome complication after colectomy. Through individualized risk-assessment and prediction models, we aimed to improve preoperative risk counseling for patients undergoing colectomy; identify modifiable preoperative risk factors; and encourage the use of evidence-based risk-prediction instruments in the clinical setting. Study Design A retrospective review of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project data was conducted for all patients undergoing either open or laparoscopic colectomy as identified through the state inpatient databases of California, Florida, and New York in 2009. Incidence of incisional hernia repair was collected from both the state inpatient databases and the state ambulatory surgery and services databases in the 3 states between index surgery and 2011. Hernia risk was calculated with multivariable hierarchical logistic regression modeling and validated using bootstrapping techniques. Exclusion criteria included concurrent hernia, metastasis, mortality, and age younger than 18 years. Inflation-adjusted expenditure estimates were calculated. Results Overall, 30,741 patients underwent colectomy, one-third of these procedures performed laparoscopically. Incisional hernia repair was performed in 2,563 patients (8.3%) (27-month follow-up). Fourteen significant risk factors were identified, including open surgery (odds ratio = 1.49; p Conclusions We present a clinically actionable model of incisional hernia using all-payer claims after colectomy. The data presented can structure preoperative risk counseling, identify modifiable patient-specific risk factors, and advance the field of risk prediction using claims data.
Lung Transplantation for FLNA-Associated Progressive Lung Disease

Objective To describe a series of patients with pathogenic variants in FLNA and progressive lung disease necessitating lung transplantation. Study Design We conducted a retrospective chart review of 6 female infants with heterozygous presumed loss-of-function pathogenic variants in FLNA whose initial presentation was early and progressive respiratory failure. Results Each patient received lung transplantation at an average age of 11 months (range, 5-15 months). All patients had pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic respiratory failure requiring tracheostomy and escalating levels of ventilator support before transplantation. All 6 patients survived initial lung transplantation; however, 1 patient died after a subsequent heart-lung transplant. The remaining 5 patients are living unrestricted lives on chronic immunosuppression at most recent follow-up (range, 19 months to 11.3 years post-transplantation). However, in all patients, severe ascending aortic dilation has been observed with aortic regurgitation. Conclusions Respiratory failure secondary to progressive obstructive lung disease during infancy may be the presenting phenotype of FLNA -associated periventricular nodular heterotopia. We describe a cohort of patients with progressive respiratory failure related to a pathogenic variant in FLNA and present lung transplantation as a viable therapeutic option for this group of patients.
Exploring Veteran Success Through State-Level Administrative Data Sets

This chapter describes the benefits and challenges of state-level longitudinal data collection on student veterans and offers recommendations for optimizing collection and reporting for the advocacy of student veteran success.
The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

The hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is a circadian oscillator that functions as a biological clock. Retinal efferent fibers originating predominately from intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) and traveling via the retinohypothalamic tract (RHT) provide irradiance signals to the SCN that entrain the circadian oscillator to the 24 h environmental day/night cycle. Entrainment provides a predictable and appropriate phase relationship between the endogenous and the day/night cycles, in effect enabling recognition of local time. Two different models have been proposed to explain the neural mechanisms by which the SCN circadian oscillator is entrained to the day/night cycle. The widely accepted phasic or nonparametric model proposes that entrainment is accomplished by a daily resetting of the SCN clock and is critically dependent on light-induced phase shifts of the clock occurring at dusk and/or dawn transitions in the day/night cycle. The continuous or parametric model suggests that light exerts a tonic effect on the oscillator, with the clock running faster in the light and slower in darkness. Light entrains the SCN by inducing the expression of genes that are integral components of the molecular clock mechanism. The SCN receives a dense serotonergic input arising from the midbrain median raphe nucleus. Serotonin (5-HT) acting at 5-HT1B presynaptic receptors located on RHT terminals inhibits the release of glutamate from the RHT and modulates entrainment. Although considerable progress has been made in working out the functional organization of the SCN, additional work is needed to understand more completely the details of the retinal circuitry that provides the crucial irradiance signals that enable its clock-like capacity.
Targeting the stroma in pancreatic cancer

The tumor stroma in pancreatic adenocarcinoma is recognized as an integral component in tumorigenesis through its effects on cell signaling, immunosuppression and inhibitory effect on therapeutic agents. Promising preclinical activity has been observed with novel therapeutic agents that target the tumor microenvironment and represent one of many potential treatment strategies of interest in this disease. Herein, we will highlight and review therapeutic novel agents aimed at tumor stroma in pancreas cancer.
POSSIBLE ROLE OF NK CELLS IN RADIATION LEUKEMOGENESIS: ADOPTIVE REPAIR OF NK DEFICIT OF FRACTIONALLY IRRADIATED MICE BY MARROW TRANSFUSION

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the possible role of natural killer (NK) cells in radiation leukemogenesis. The study described in the chapter investigated the effect of fractionated irradiation of C57BL/6 mice, with or without marrow transfusion, on NK cell activity and development of thymic lymphoma. Over a period of many months, C57BL/6 mice reared in the barrier sustained cesarean derived, SPF mouse colony, aged 4 to 6 weeks, half of each sex, were randomized into unirradiated age control groups and irradiated groups. The latter received 4 weekly exposures to 225R 137Cs. Four to seven hours after the last exposure, half of the irradiated mice received 107 C57 bone marrow cells intravenously. Marrow-transfused, nontransfused and age-control mice were tested at intervals thereafter for spleen natural cell-mediated lysis of YAC-1 lymphoma target cells, by a 4 hour chromium release method, with or without 1 or 5 days prior intraperitoneal injection of the interferon inducers Poly l:C (PIC) or Coryne bacterium parvum (CP), respectively. Spleen NK cell activity was depressed by fractionated irradiation. Bone marrow transfusion after the last irradiation significantly increased NK cell activity by 1 week post transfusion, to essentially normal levels throughout the 8 weeks post transfusion.
A Bi-material Fully Aerosol Jet printed W-band Quasi-Yagi-Uda Antenna

This paper presents for the first time the successful fabrication of a bi-material, fully printed W-band quasi-Yagi-Uda antenna using the Aerosol Jet printing (AJP) technology. A 4 mil Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) was used as the host substrate, on top of which the ground plane, the dielectric substrate and the metal antenna layer were Aerosol Jet printed. Various sizes of nozzles were used to achieve quality geometry resolution and fast prototyping. Specifically, the ground plane and the metal antenna layer were printed with silver ink using the 150 µm and 100 µm nozzles, respectively. The dielectric substrate however, was deposited using polyimide with the 300 µm nozzle. The S 11 was measured as −20 dB at the resonance frequency of 92.7 GHz and matches well with the −31.6 dB of simulated S 11 at 94 GHz. The measured and simulated −10 dB impedance bandwidth were 12.5 GHz and 8.1 GHz, respectively. 7.65 dBi of simulated maximum realized gain and 9 GHz of simulated 3 dB bandwidth were also obtained.
Implementing Experimental Substructuring in Abaqus

In many applications, components that are difficult or inconvenient to represent as a finite element model (FEM) are instead experimentally characterized to capture their contribution to the overall dynamics of an assembly. A recent advance in experimental substructuring, the Transmission Simulator method, has proven promising for coupling an experimentally identified model to analytical FEMs. While in typical applications all experimental and FEM data is imported into MATLAB and assembled in modal coordinates, it would be preferable to perform equivalent operations in finite element software where large models are readily handled and results are easily visualized and post-processed. This work details a process for importing experimental modal models into the Dassault Systemes® SIMULIA™ Abaqus finite element analysis software suite through an application of the Transmission Simulator method. In this approach, after decoupling the TS from the experimental subsystem in MATLAB, the result is represented as single degree-of-freedom (DOF) spring-mass oscillators in Abaqus. These are coupled to the native Abaqus FEM by implementing the substructuring constraint equations as linear equation multipoint constraints between the necessary DOF. This approach is shown to perform very well in an analytical test case and reasonably well in an experimental test case. The limiting factors appear to be the quality of measured data and curve fitting used in defining the modal properties of the experimental subsystem, the quantity and location of constraint DOF, and the selection of modes used to represent each subsystem. These determine the quality of the decoupled experimental model, which dictates how accurate the result will be after coupling it to the FEM subsystem.
New advances in the diagnosis and management of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the leading causes of cancer related death in the world. Biannual surveillance for the disease in patients with cirrhosis and in high risk carriers of hepatitis B virus allows early stage cancer detection and treatment with good long term outcomes. Liver ultrasonography and serum α fetoprotein are the most commonly used surveillance tests. If suspicious results are found on the surveillance test, multiphasic computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging should be undertaken to confirm the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. If radiologic tests show inconclusive results, liver biopsy or repeat imaging could be considered for confirmation of hepatocellular carcinoma. Management of the disease is complex. Patients should be evaluated by a multidisciplinary team, and the selection of treatment should consider factors such as tumor burden, severity of liver dysfunction, medical comorbidities, local expertise, and preference of patients. Early stage hepatocellular carcinoma is best managed by curative treatment, which includes resection, ablation, or transplantation. Patients with intermediate stage disease often receive locoregional treatment. Systemic treatment is reserved for patients with advanced disease. Several positive, phase III, randomized controlled trials have expanded the systemic treatment options for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with promising long term outcomes, especially trials using combination treatments, which could also have eventual implications for the treatment of earlier stage disease.
Pollinator interaction flexibility across scales affects patch colonization and occupancy.

Global change alters ecological communities and may disrupt ecological interactions and the provision of ecosystem functions. As ecological communities respond to global change, species may either go locally extinct or form novel interactions. To date, few studies have assessed how flexible species are in their interaction patterns, mainly due to the scarcity of data spanning long time series. Using a ten-year species-level dataset on the assembly of mutualistic networks from the Central Valley in California, we test whether interaction flexibility affects pollinators’ colonization and persistence and their resulting habitat occupancy in a highly modified landscape. We propose three metrics of interaction flexibility associated with different scales of organization within ecological communities and explore which species’ traits affect them. Our results provide empirical evidence linking species’ ability to colonize habitat patches across a landscape to the role they play in networks. Phenological breadth and body size had contrasting effects on interaction flexibility. We demonstrate the relationship between mutualistic networks and species’ ability to colonize and persist in the landscape, suggesting interaction flexibility as a potential mechanism for communities to maintain ecosystem function despite changes in community composition. Flexibility in interaction patterns could help species adapt to global change. Here the authors show that pollinators with higher interaction flexibility are more likely to colonize new patches in a landscape.
Longitudinal predictive modeling of tau progression along the structural connectome

Tau neurofibrillary tangles, a pathophysiological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), exhibit a stereotypical spatiotemporal trajectory that is strongly correlated with disease progression and cognitive decline. Personalized prediction of tau progression is, therefore, vital for the early diagnosis and prognosis of AD. Evidence from both animal and human studies is suggestive of tau transmission along the brains preexisting neural connectivity conduits. We present here an analytic graph diffusion framework for individualized predictive modeling of tau progression along the structural connectome. To account for physiological processes that lead to active generation and clearance of tau alongside passive diffusion, our model uses an inhomogenous graph diffusion equation with a source term and provides closed-form solutions to this equation for linear and exponential source functionals. Longitudinal imaging data from two cohorts, the Harvard Aging Brain Study (HABS) and the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), were used to validate the model. The clinical data used for developing and validating the model include regional tau measures extracted from longitudinal positron emission tomography (PET) scans based on the 18F-Flortaucipir radiotracer and individual structural connectivity maps computed from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) by means of tractography and streamline counting. Two-timepoint tau PET scans were used to assess the goodness of model fit. Three-timepoint tau PET scans were used to assess predictive accuracy via comparison of predicted and observed tau measures at the third timepoint. Our results show high consistency between predicted and observed tau and differential tau from region-based analysis. While the prognostic value of this approach needs to be validated in a larger cohort, our preliminary results suggest that our longitudinal predictive model, which offers an in vivo macroscopic perspective on tau progression in the brain, is potentially promising as a personalizable predictive framework for AD.
Association Between 5-Item Modified Frailty Index and Short-term Outcomes in Complex Head and Neck Surgery:

ObjectivesTo evaluate the impact of preoperative frailty on short-term outcomes following complex head and neck surgeries (HNSs).Study DesignCross-sectional database analysis.SettingAmerican Colleg...
Compact infrared imaging lidar system for obstacle detection and mapping in sensor fusion

Lidar is an optical technology for detection and range measurements, which has been attracting much attention in developments of next generation driving and navigation. Herein, we report on development of a type of non-scanning, non-solid-state, laser-based infrared lidar system with the potential applications in advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicles. Our emphasize in the design approach has been on compactness of the final system in order for it to be deployable both as standalone or complimentary to existing lidar sensors, enabling fusion sensing in automotive or even in drone applications. The non-scanning lidar system, currently patent pending, is comprised of a laser light source, a plurality of optical elements to create a predefined reference optical pattern, means for filtering returned optical signals, imaging optics, an optical detector, and a processing unit. The principle of this system is largely based on image processing with a known and calibrated reference. Using Python and OpenCV, the near infrared images acquired from the entire field of view is analyzed in real-time to determine the position and velocity of the objects. The work presented here describes the principle of our new lidar system, the optical system design, as well as the experimental results demonstrating its performance. The benefits and limitations of the imaging lidar technology developed by us are compared to those of the current scanning and flash lidars.
Resiliensi spiritual menghadapi disruption religious value di masa pandemi Covid-19 pada lembaga keagamaan

The Covid-19 pandemic has not yet provided a clear way of when this problem will end. It is precisely the opposite fact that is obtained, namely the increasing number of its spread. Of course, this can be a problem in cultivating the value of God's Word. The value that departs from the fruit of the Spirit is not well heeded and deeply ingrained. Therefore, a strategy is needed to increase spiritual resilience in order to survive during a pandemic. The methodology used in this research is descriptive qualitative with data collection techniques is a case study through data triangulation. The results of the study suggest that spiritual resilience can be seen from the intensity of prayer together with groups or families, exemplary through face-to-face worship meetings. There are also symbolic interactions when religious institution activities are carried out online. It creates an understanding of thinking and acting in the meaning of thoughts, understanding about oneself, and their relationship in the middle of social interactions. It is the ultimate goal to mediate and interpret the meaning in the community where the individual lives and socializes. Abstrak Pandemi Covid-19 belum memberikan jalan terang kapan akan berakhir. Hal ini dapat menjadi masalah dalam penanaman nilai Firman Tuhan terkait Sembilan buah Roh; menjadi tidak terperhatikan dengan baik dan tertanam pada jemaat. Oleh karenanya, diperlukan strategi dalam meningkatkan ketahanan spiritual agar dapat tetap survive pada masa pandemi. Metodologi yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah kualitatif deskriptif dengan teknik pengumpulan data adalah studi kasus melalui triangulasi data. Hasil penelitian mengemukakan bahwa ketahanan spiritual dapat dilihat dari intensitas doa bersama dengan kelompok atau keluarga, keteladanan melalui pertemuan-pertemuan ibadah secara tatap langsung. Terdapat juga interaksi simbolik ketika kegiatan lembaga keagamaan yang dilaksanakan secara online. Implementasi penanaman nilai firman tuhan menjadi salah satu strategi dalam rangkamembuat suatu pemahaman berpikir, selain itu terdapat juga aktualitas tindakan yang dipikirkan terlebih dahulu, pemahaman mengenai diri dan hubungannya dengan interaksi sosial. Strategi-strategi tersebut bertujuan akhir untuk memediasi, serta menginterpretasi makna di tengah masyarakat dimana individu tersebut menetap dan bersosialisasi.
Meta-Analysis illustrates possible role of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tissue injury in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) pathogenesis

BACKGROUND Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a cancer of epithelial origin with a high incidence in certain populations. While NPC has a high remission rate with concomitant chemoradiation, recurrences are frequent, and the downstream morbidity of treatment is significant. Thus, it is imperative to find alternative therapies. METHODS We employed a Search Tag Analyze Resource (STARGEO) platform to conduct a meta-analysis using the National Center for Biotechnology's (NCBI) Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) to define NPC pathogenesis. We identified 111 tumor samples and 43 healthy nasopharyngeal epithelium samples from NPC public patient data. We analyzed associated signatures in Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA), restricting genes that showed statistical significance (p<0.05) and an absolute experimental log ratio greater than 0.15 between disease and control samples. RESULTS Our meta-analysis identified activation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tissue injury in NPC tissue. Additionally, interleukin-1 (IL-1) and SB203580 were the top upstream regulators. Tumorigenesis-related genes such as homeobox A10 (HOXA10) and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2 or COX-2) as well as those associated with extracellular matrix degradation, such as matrix metalloproteinases 1 and 3 (MMP-1, MMP-3) were also upregulated. Decreased expression of genes that encode proteins associated with maintaining healthy nasal respiratory epithelium structural integrity, including sentan-cilia apical structure protein (SNTN) and lactotransferrin (LTF) was documented. Importantly, we found that etanercept inhibits targets upregulated in NPC and LPS induction, such as MMP-1, PTGS2, and possibly MMP-3. CONCLUSIONS Our analysis illustrates that nasal epithelial barrier dysregulation and maladaptive immune responses are key components of NPC pathogenesis along with LPS-induced tissue damage.
Attracting the crowd in online fundraising: A meta-analysis connecting campaign characteristics to funding outcomes

This study used meta-analytic methods complemented with an “attracting the crowd” framework to develop and test a model that connects campaign characteristics to fundraising outcomes. The proposed framework suggests that all paths between a crowdfunding campaign and its outcomes run through a single primary mechanism – attracting the crowd. A total of 36 separate meta-analytic associations across 112 samples (k = 112) with more than 3.5 million observations (N = 3,546,755) were computed to examine the proposed framework. Results suggest that the amount of text, videos, and positive tone of a campaign have a positive association with the number of backers contributing to a campaign. Number of backers in turn showed a positive association with funding amount and funding success. The results support the proposed framework and suggest that number of backers is a key mechanism that connects campaign characteristics to funding amount and funding success. A post hoc analysis was also performed to examine the association between gender and funding outcomes. The results suggest that the gender of those seeking funding has little direct influence on number of backers, funding amount, and funding success, which offers support for arguments of gender equality in online fundraising. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Updates in the neuroendocrinology of stress and its clinical management.

Purpose of review This review will provide updates on the neurobiology of stress, with specific focus on the transmitting mechanism of stress, the intricacies of integrating stress-related information, variability in response to stressors and clinical interventions. Recent findings Neuropeptides have been implicated as a potential modulator for pathological stress via effects on neurogenesis, alterations in functional states of the cortico-limbic circuits and possible neuroprotection. Glucocorticoid receptors and mineralocorticoid receptors have been implicated in limbic modulation of stress and changes in the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis activity via corticosteroid signalling and feedback regulation. Chronic stress and genetic susceptibility have been found to promote intracellular mitochondrial and cellular DNA damage resulting in structural and functional alterations of neuroanatomy and neural circuitries. Summary The interplay of stress and the neuroendocrine system appears to be influenced by alterations in genetic expression, resulting in neurochemical messenger and inflammatory cytokine alterations that impact neuroanatomy and neural circuitries to affect both central nervous system structure and function. These neurobiological contributions have been alluded to as possible contributors to stress-related psychopathologies. Clinical interventions with psychotropics, mind body therapies and behavioural therapies have been found to attenuate and reverse stress-related responses.
EMC Corporation: Managing IT M&A Integrations to Enable Profitable Growth by Acquisitions

EMC Corporation is one of the fastest profitably growing public companies in the United States. It pursues both organic and acquisitive growth. Between 2005 and 2010, it acquired over 50 companies. EMC used to be a vendor entirely of enterprise storage products. Complementary products and technologies of the acquired companies enabled EMC to transform itself into a vendor offering complete systems of hardware and software solutions for addressing information infrastructure needs of customers. EMC’s acquisition strategy has been to retain the specialization and talent of acquired companies, and accelerate their revenue growth. Consistent with this strategy, EMC has followed a case-by-case approach in integrating IT infrastructures and applications of acquired companies. Depending on the strategic intent of an acquisition, EMC has left the IT of the acquired company alone; integrated it fully with that of EMC; or followed a hybrid IT integration approach. This case bycase IT M&A integration approach has been pivotal in EMC’s profitable growth through acquisitions. As of early 2011, EMC was facing an unprecedented profitable growth opportunity. However, as the company’s size and scope of products and operations grew, different levels of IT integration across various acquired businesses and product lines started to create some challenges. Business and IT leaders were contemplating how to address these challenges and how to architect the company to seize the profitable growth opportunities ahead. This case study examines how EMC has organized for and governed M&A integrations with a particular focus on IT M&A integrations.
Gecko Feet: Natural Hairy Attachment Systems for Smart Adhesion

leg attachment pad gecko foot smart adhesion The leg attachment pads of several creatures, including many insects, spiders, and lizards, are capable of attaching to a variety of surfaces and are used for locomotion. Geckoes, in particular, have hairy attachment the largest mass and have developed the most complex hairy attachment structures capable of smart smart adhesion adhesion – the ability to cling to different smooth and rough surfaces and detach at will. These microscale hair animals make use of about three million microscale hairs (setae) (about 14,000 mm−2) that nanoscale spatula branch off into hundreds of nanoscale spatulae (about three billion spatula on two feet). This so-called division of contacts provides high dry adhesion. This multiple-level hierarchically structured surface construction provides the gecko with the compliance and adaptability to create a large real area of contact with a variety of surfaces. Modeling of the gecko attachment system as a hierarchical hierarchical spring model spring model has provided insight into the adhesion enhancement generated by this system. van der Waals forces are the primary mechanism utilized to adhere to surfaces, and capillary forces are a secondary effect that can further increase the adhesion force. Preload applied to the setae increases adhesive force. Although a gecko is capable of producing of the order of 20 N of adhesive force, it retains the ability to remove its feet from an attachment surface at will. The adhesive strength of gecko setae is dependent on orientation; maximum adhesion occurs at 30°. During walking, a gecko is able to peel its foot from surfaces by changing the angle at fibrillar structure which its setae contact the surface. Manmade fibrillar structures capable of replicating gecko adhesion superadhesive tape wall-climbing robot have the potential for use in dry superadhesive tapes and treads for wall-climbing robots for various applications. These structures can be created using micro/nanofabrication techniques or self-assembly.
On interfacing model predictive controllers with a real-time optimizer

Abstract In this paper, we develop a real-time optimization strategy based on dynamic optimization using a reduced-order model to maximize profitability of an integrated plant. The steady-state assumption in conventional real-time optimizers severely limits the frequency of optimization and precludes the use of dynamic degrees of freedom in the plant ( e.g. storage capacities), resulting in suboptimal solutions. Other approaches that synchronize the frequency of the higher-level optimization with that of the local model predictive controllers can be sensitive to local disturbances and model uncertainty in the high-frequency dynamics. We reason that a logical middle ground is to perform a dynamic optimization at a rate lower than the model predictive controllers in order to keep the modeling and computational requirements at a reasonable level. We discuss the obtaining of the reduced-order model valid up to a chosen optimization frequency and the interfacing of the real-time optimizer with the unit controllers. An example is given to compare the various approaches.
The temperature-determined growing season of a submerged hydrophyte

SUMMARY. Temperature determines the growing season of Utricularia purpurea, a common rootless, carnivorous plant at depths of 0–6.5 m in a dimictic oligotrophic lake (Mirror Lake, New Hampshire, U.S.A.). The dynamics of thermal stratification limit the growing season to 8 weeks at a depth of 6 m compared to 17 weeks at 2 m. Light may limit growth at 6 m during the short growing season, but is not limiting in midsummer at 2 m or 4 m. Plants of equivalent size produce 60–75% less biomass annually at 6 m than at 2 or 4 m. The seasonally maximal biomass (in mid-August) is equivalent to the annual net production as calculated from periodic inventories of new, old and senescent tissue (thus P/B= 1.0). Uptake of nutrient elements (N, P, Ca, Mg, Na, K) is synchronous with biomass production. Nutrients do not become enriched in the overwintering tissue (52% of the maximum biomass). This species is unusually rich in Zn (1000 μg g dry wt−1), relatively rich in N (2.9% dry wt). but quite poor in P (0.084%).
Permeability and Consolidation of Normally Consolidated Soils

This paper first presents a unique relationship between permeability and void ratio. This relationship is then used for deriving the governing differential equation of consolidation for normally consolidated soils where void ratio vs. logarithm of effective stress can be approximated by a straight line. The derivation shows that the coefficient of consolidation can be related directly to the applied effective stress.
Transumbilical laparoscopically assisted appendectomy in children: high-tech low-budget surgery.

Background Two different laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) techniques, one performed with staplers (LAS) and the other using loops (LAL), were compared with transumbilical laparoscopically assisted appendectomy (TULAA).