cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of density, stage, and sex of the potato leafhopper, Empoasca fabae (Homoptera: Cicadellidae), on seedling alfalfa growth

Potato leafhopper, Empoasca fabae (Harris), early-instar nymphs (1–2 instar), late-instar nymphs (3–5 instar), adult males and adult females were caged at various densities on seedling alfalfa cv. Vernal and allowed to feed for 6 days. Feeding by adult females, late-instar nymphs, and adult males retarded plant height, leaf number, and dry weight, about 20 to 50% more than did the early-instar nymphs at most of the leafhopper densities tested, over 6 days. Protein content was affected differently from the other plant parameters; it was reduced most by adult males. This was apparently due to premature death of the plants caused by late-instar nymphs and adult females. The percentage reduction for each of the plant parameters was highly correlated with leafhopper density and was nonlinear, except with the early-instar nymphs. Alfalfa plants exposed to two or four late-instar nymphs or two adult females, significantly increased in height and leaf number during a 7-day recovery period. Plants exposed to four adult females did not recover.
Spinach Chloroplast Membranes after Differential Lipid Extraction

Chloroplasts from spinach were fixed in glutaraldehyde and extracted with three different lipid solvents, after which the lipid composition was analyzed. Studies were also made with the electron microscope. In cold dry acetone, which removes 75 % of lipids, the basic structure of the membranes is unchanged. Acetone with 10 % water removes 89 % of the lipids and a mixture of chloroform with methanol removes 93 % of the lipids, both solvents leaving nearly unrecognizable membrane structures. The relationship between lipid composition and membrane structure is discussed.
Perspectives of General and Special Educators on Fostering Self-Determination in Elementary and Middle Schools

Recognizing that many youth with disabilities lack critical self-determination skills and that such deficits may be a contributing factor to disappointing postschool outcomes, educators and researchers have called for increased attention to promoting student self-determination in the early grades. The authors queried 891 elementary and middle school teachers regarding the extent to which they valued and provided instruction in seven self-determination skill domains. Educators generally perceived self-determination to be an important curricular priority, and the majority reported teaching self-determination skills at least sometimes in their classrooms. Special educators' ratings of overall importance were significantly higher than those of general educators. Middle school teachers reported providing self-determination instruction more frequently than elementary school teachers. These findings lend additional support to calls for promoting self-determination within the general curriculum in the earlier grades.
Maladaptive Peer Relationships and the Development of Relational and Physical Aggression During Middle Childhood

This study examined the unique roles of peer rejection and affiliation with aggressive peers in the development of relational and physical aggression in a sample of 979 2nd through 4th grade children. Information about target children and their best friends’ aggression and peer rejection was gathered via peer-nominations when the majority of children were in the 3rd grade, and again approximately one year later. Friendships were identified by having target children nominate their three best friends in their classroom. Path analyses conducted with children who had at least one reciprocated friendship revealed that peer rejection and friends’ aggression predicted changes in target children's aggression; however, the patterns of relations varied by gender and form of aggression. Higher initial levels of rejection and friends’ relational aggression predicted increases in relational aggression among girls only, whereas rejection and friends’ physical aggression predicted increases in physical aggression among boys and girls. The significance of these results for the application of peer influence theories to relational aggression, and to females, is discussed.
Do Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Differentiate to Macrophages in Atherosclerotic Lesions

The middle layer of the healthy vessel wall, the tunica media, contains an abundant population of vascular smooth muscle cells. During atherosclerosis, lipoproteins and cells accumulate in the tunica intima, which is the innermost layer that separates the media from the lumen. It is widely accepted that the dominant cell populating the atherosclerotic intima is the macrophage, a large myeloid leukocyte known for its proficiency at scavenging just about anything from bacteria to apoptotic cells to oxidized lipoproteins. The development of atherosclerosis, the theory goes, is a story of macrophages accumulating in the vessel wall, eating lipoproteins, becoming foam cells, and wreaking inflammatory and metabolic havoc.1 Article, see p 662 “Monocytes give rise to macrophages.” This statement, uttered just few years ago, would have been considered a truism. Today, somewhat dismantled, it is being reimagined. In 1968, while examining the relationship between circulating and “fixed” mononuclear phagocytes, van Furth and Cohn posited that “monocytes migrate randomly from the peripheral blood into the tissues, where they are called macrophages.”2 This insight has profoundly influenced our thinking; that lesional macrophages likewise derive from circulating monocytes is much rooted in this tradition. Perhaps then, the recent observations that tissue macrophages in the steady state do not require monocytes were surprising if not entirely unexpected.3–6 In the context of atherosclerosis, could it be that we were wrong all along? Are lesional macrophages derived from something other than monocytes? Enter the vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC): unlike other smooth muscle cells, VSMCs are …
A note on schooling and obesity.

Abstract The effect of schooling on the odds that an individual is obese is estimated. Particular attention is given to the possible endo-geneity effect of schooling. Empirical results show that schooling has a relatively substantial negative effect on the odds that an individual is obese. The simulations generally suggest that the odds of being obese significantly decreases after 12 years of schooling for various gender, age, and ethnic population groups.
"In this miserable spot called quarantine": the healthy and unhealthy in nineteenth century Australian and Pacific quarantine stations.

ArgumentBy examining sources created by people who were detained or employed at the quarantine stations of Australia and the Western Pacific, this article illuminates aspects of the history of disease control that cannot be observed in other source material. Most research examining the history of maritime quarantine has tended to rely on the records of official and government agencies. As a result, discussion has largely been confined to government policy and larger issues of the political, economic, and social consequences of maritime disease control. This article contributes to the historiography by examining personal sources that show how quarantine policy and practice were experienced from the perspective of its participants. They reveal the experiences of otherwise obscured healthy detainees and illuminate agency among quarantined individuals that cannot be observed without these sources.
Complete Boolean Ultraproducts

Throughout this paper, B will always be a Boolean algebra and Γ an ultrafilter on B . We use + and Σ for the Boolean join operation and · and Π for the Boolean meet. κ is always a regular cardinal. C ( κ ) is the full structure of κ , the structure with universe κ and whose functions and relations consist of all unitary functions and relations on κ . κ B is the collection of all B -valued names for elements of κ . We use symbols f, g, h for members of κ B . Formally an element f ∈ κ B is a mapping κ → B with the properties that Σ α ∈ κ f ( α ) = 1 B and that f ( α ) · f ( β ) = 0 B whenever α ≠ β . We view f ( α ) as the Boolean-truth value indicating the extent to which the name f is equal to α , and we will hereafter write ∥ f = α ∥ for f ( α ). For every α ∈ κ there is a canonical name f α ∈ κ B which has the property that ∥ f α = α ∥ = 1. Hereafter we identify α and f α . If B is a κ + -complete Boolean algebra and Γ is an ultrafilter on B , then we may define the Boolean ultraproduct C ( κ ) B / Γ in the following manner. If ϕ ( x 0 , x 1 , …, x n ) is a formula of L κ , the language for C ( κ ) (which has symbols for all finitary functions and relations on κ ), and f 0 , f 1 , …, f n −1 are elements of κ B then we define the Boolean-truth value of ϕ ( f 0 , f 1 , …, f n −1 ) as
Response of mechanosensory hair cells of the zebrafish lateral line to aminoglycosides reveals distinct cell death pathways.

Abstract We report a series of experiments investigating the kinetics of hair cell loss in lateral line neuromasts of zebrafish larvae following exposure to aminoglycoside antibiotics. Comparisons of the rate of hair cell loss and the differential effects of acute versus chronic exposure to gentamicin and neomycin revealed markedly different results. Neomycin induced rapid and dramatic concentration-dependent hair cell loss that is essentially complete within 90 min, regardless of concentration or exposure time. Gentamicin-induced loss of half of the hair cells within 90 min and substantial additional loss, which was prolonged and cumulative over exposure times up to at least 24 h. Small molecules and genetic mutations that inhibit neomycin-induced hair cell loss were ineffective against prolonged gentamicin exposure supporting the hypothesis that these two drugs are revealing at least two cellular pathways. The mechanosensory channel blocker amiloride blocked both neomycin and gentamicin-induced hair cell death acutely and chronically indicating that these aminoglycosides share a common entry route. Further tests with additional aminoglycosides revealed a spectrum of differential responses to acute and chronic exposure. The distinctions between the times of action of these aminoglycosides indicate that these drugs induce multiple cell death pathways.
Modulation of Hippocampus-Dependent Learning and Synaptic Plasticity by Nicotine

A long-standing relationship between nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and cognition exists. Drugs that act at nAChRs can have cognitive-enhancing effects and diseases that disrupt cognition such as Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia are associated with altered nAChR function. Specifically, hippocampus-dependent learning is particularly sensitive to the effects of nicotine. However, the effects of nicotine on hippocampus-dependent learning vary not only with the doses of nicotine used and whether nicotine is administered acutely, chronically, or withdrawn after chronic nicotine treatment but also vary across different hippocampus-dependent tasks such as the Morris water maze, the radial arm maze, and contextual fear conditioning. In addition, nicotine has variable effects across different types of hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP). Because different types of hippocampus-dependent learning and LTP involve different neural and molecular substrates, comparing the effects of nicotine across these paradigms can yield insights into the mechanisms that may underlie the effects of nicotine on learning and memory and aid in understanding the variable effects of nicotine on cognitive processes. This review compares and contrasts the effects of nicotine on hippocampus-dependent learning and LTP and briefly discusses how the effects of nicotine on learning could contribute to nicotine addiction.
That Which is Taught, That Which is Learned

There is a transcendent force at work in the world, and its design for learning and life is far too complex to be executed through lesson plans and textbooks. In this article, the author describes a phone call from a student he taught in a high school English class 16 years earlier and has not seen since. After the student reveals how his life was altered by a particular lesson the author taught on The Merchant of Venice, the author reflects on the nature of teaching and learning. The author concludes that despite the current focus on scientifically validated curricula and measurable learning outcomes, educators should remain open to mystery in classroom instruction and be aware that a teacher's impact on students can take highly unanticipated turns.
Semi-automatic task recognition for interactive narratives with EAT & RUN

Mining data from online games provides a potential alternative to programming behavior and dialogue for characters in interactive narratives by hand. Human annotation of course-grained tasks can provide explanations that make the data more useful to an AI system, however human labor is expensive. We describe a semi-automatic methodology for recognizing tasks in gameplay traces, including an annotation tool for non-experts, and a runtime algorithm. Our results show that this methodology works well with a large corpus from one game, and suggests the possibility of refactoring the development process for interactive narratives.
Concentrations, Viability, and Distribution of Cryptosporidium Genotypes in Lagoons of Swine Facilities in the Southern Piedmont and in Coastal Plain Watersheds of Georgia

Waste lagoons of swine operations are a source of Cryptosporidium oocysts. Few studies, however, have reported on oocyst concentrations in swine waste lagoons; none have reported on oocyst viability status, nor has there been a systematic assessment of species/genotype distributions across different types of swine facilities. Ten swine waste lagoons associated with farrowing, nursery, finishing, and gestation operations were each sampled once a month for a year. Oocysts were extracted from triplicate 900-ml effluent samples, enumerated by microscopy, and assessed for viability by dye exclusion/vital stain assay. DNA was extracted from processed samples, and 18S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) genes were amplified by PCR and sequenced for species and genotype identification. Oocysts were observed at each sampling time at each lagoon. Annual mean concentrations of total oocysts and viable oocysts ranged between 24 and 51 and between 0.6 and 12 oocysts ml−1 effluent, respectively. The species and genotype distributions were dominated (95 to 100%) by Cryptosporidium suis and Cryptosporidium pig genotype II, the latter of which was found at eight of the lagoons. The lagoon at the gestation facility was dominated by Cryptosporidium muris (90%), and one farrowing facility showed a mix of pig genotypes, Cryptosporidium muris, and various genotypes of C. parvum. The zoonotic C. parvum bovine genotype was observed five times out of 407 18S rDNA sequences analyzed. Our results indicate that pigs can have mixed Cryptosporidium infections, but infection with C. suis is likely to be dominant.
Understanding and mitigating the effects of count to infinity in Ethernet networks

Ethernet's high performance, low cost, and ubiquity have made it the dominant networking technology for many application domains. Unfortunately, its distributed forwarding topology computation protocol-the Rapid Spanning Tree Pro-tocol (RSTP)-is known to suffer from a classic count-to-infinity problem. However, the cause and implications of this problem are neither documented nor understood. This paper has three main contributions. First, we identify the exact conditions under which the count-to-infinity problem manifests itself, and we characterize its effect on forwarding topology convergence. Second, we have discovered that a forwarding loop can form during count to infinity, and we provide a detailed explanation. Third, we propose a simple and effective solution called RSTP with Epochs. This solution guarantees that the forwarding topology converges in at most one round-trip time across the network and eliminates the possibility of a count-to-infinity induced forwarding loop.
Identification of power system stabilizers locations

A methodology is presented for determining the number of power system stabilizers necessary to control a set of critical eigenvalues and to identify their optimal locations. The method is based on residues. A multimachine power system example is given to illustrate the proposed technique. >
Enhancing Expert Finding Using Organizational Hierarchies

The task in expert finding is to identify members of an organization with relevant expertise on a given topic. In existing expert finding systems, profiles are constructed from sources such as email or documents, and used as the basis for expert identification. In this paper, we leverage the organizational hierarchy (depicting relationships between managers, subordinates, and peers) to find members for whom we have little or no information. We propose an algorithm to improve expert finding performance by considering not only the expertise of the member, but also the expertise of his or her neighbors. We show that providing this additional information to an expert finding system improves its retrieval performance.
Developing detailed a priori 3D models of large environments to aid in robotic navigation tasks

In order to effectively navigate any environment, a robotic vehicle needs to understand the terrain and obstacles native to that environment. Knowledge of its own location and orientation, and knowledge of the region of operation, can greatly improve the robot’s performance. To this end, we have developed a mobile system for the fast digitization of large-scale environments to develop the a priori information needed for prediction and optimization of the robot’s performance. The system collects ground-level video and laser range information, fusing them together to develop accurate 3D models of the target environment. In addition, the system carries a differential Global Positioning System (GPS) as well as an Inertial Navigation System (INS) for determining the position and orientation of the various scanners as they acquire data. Issues involved in the fusion of these various data modalities include: Integration of the position and orientation (pose) sensors’ data at varying sampling rates and availability; Selection of “best” geometry in overlapping data cases; Efficient representation of large 3D datasets for real-time processing techniques. Once the models have been created, this data can be used to provide a priori information about negative obstacles, obstructed fields of view, navigation constraints, and focused feature detection.
Automatic Seizure Detection in Rats Using Laplacian EEG and Verification with Human Seizure Signals

Automated detection of seizures is still a challenging problem. This study presents an approach to detect seizure segments in Laplacian electroencephalography (tEEG) recorded from rats using the tripolar concentric ring electrode (TCRE) configuration. Three features, namely, median absolute deviation, approximate entropy, and maximum singular value were calculated and used as inputs into two different classifiers: support vector machines and adaptive boosting. The relative performance of the extracted features on TCRE tEEG was examined. Results are obtained with an overall accuracy between 84.81 and 96.51%. In addition to using TCRE tEEG data, the seizure detection algorithm was also applied to the recorded EEG signals from Andrzejak et al. database to show the efficiency of the proposed method for seizure detection.
The effect of depression and anxiety on the TOMM in community-dwelling older adults

Tests of possible malingering are in increasing demand among neuropsychologists. The Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) is resistant to many neurological conditions, including traumatic brain injury, dementia, and aphasia. Less clear is the impact of psychological conditions on TOMM performance. This study examined a sample of community-based older adults (55-75) to determine whether scores on the TOMM are influenced by the presence of symptoms of depression or anxiety, as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), respectively. The results indicate that, regardless of BDI or STAI scores, all subjects scored above 45 correct out of 50 on TOMM Trial 2. These findings demonstrate that depression and anxiety levels in an older community-dwelling sample do not negatively affect performance on the TOMM.
Inverted Meckel's diverticulum as a source of chronic gastrointestinal blood loss.

CASE REPORT A 60-year-old man came to his physician with fatigue, weakness, and dyspnea on exertion. He had a 3-year history of chronic gastrointestinal bleeding and a hematocrit of 17% at the time of initial evaluation. He received 4 units of packed red blood cells, and his hematocrit increased to 32%. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy were unrevealing. On referral to our clinic, the patient’s hematocrit had fallen 7% despite oral iron therapy. Physical examination was unremarkable. Enteroclysis demonstrated a 6-cm tubular filling defect in
Emerging Trends Toward Holistic Disaster Preparedness

Our research reflects an emerging shift in understandings of effective preparedness practices from siloed approaches toward more holistic views. We trace a shifting perspective emerging in literature and present in the early qualitative data of current preparedness experts’ interviews within an international humanitarian organization whose core mission is disaster preparedness and response. Designing effective information systems for disaster preparedness requires us to better understand the dynamic and implicit ways practitioners define effective work. Our pilot research begins to uncover preparedness experts’ perspectives, with plans for the study to investigate how preparedness practitioners view, conduct, and evaluate their work at the lowest-level1. Our long-term research goal is to realize implications for the more effective design of tools and systems to support disaster preparedness.
iPSC-Derived Retinal Pigment Epithelium Allografts Do Not Elicit Detrimental Effects in Rats: A Follow-Up Study

Phototransduction is accomplished in the retina by photoreceptor neurons and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. Photoreceptors rely heavily on the RPE, and death or dysfunction of RPE is characteristic of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a very common neurodegenerative disease for which no cure exists. RPE replacement is a promising therapeutic intervention for AMD, and large numbers of RPE cells can be generated from pluripotent stem cells. However, questions persist regarding iPSC-derived RPE (iPS-RPE) viability, immunogenicity, and tumorigenesis potential. We showed previously that iPS-RPE prevent photoreceptor atrophy in dystrophic rats up until 24 weeks after implantation. In this follow-up study, we longitudinally monitored the same implanted iPS-RPE, in the same animals. We observed no gross abnormalities in the eyes, livers, spleens, brains, and blood in aging rats with iPSC-RPE grafts. iPS-RPE cells that integrated into the subretinal space outlived the photoreceptors and survived for as long as 2 1/2 years while nonintegrating RPE cells were ingested by host macrophages. Both populations could be distinguished using immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. iPSC-RPE could be isolated from the grafts and maintained in culture; these cells also phagocytosed isolated photoreceptor outer segments. We conclude that iPS-RPE grafts remain viable and do not induce any obvious associated pathological changes.
A Dual Delay Timer Strategy for Optimizing Server Farm Energy

Server farms are becoming increasingly energy-hungry with the growing popularity of web-based applications and services. Servers consume nearly 60% of peak power even when operating at relatively low utilization levels of around 30%. Unfortunately, most server farms are generally provisioned to accommodate the peak load, and wasteful energy is often spent on unnecessarily keeping the servers active. Recent work on utilizing processor sleep states has mitigated the energy problem, but more opportunities to optimize energy remain to be explored. In this paper, we explore techniques that make smart use of processor deep sleep states through augmenting them with dual delay timers for more effective energy management in the multi-server environment. We find that our exploratory studies on smarter use of processor sleep states with dual delay timers show good promise in achieving higher energy savings on different kinds of synthetic and real workloads. Our experimental results show that our techniques achieve up to 71% savings in energy over naive energy management without the use of low-power sleep states, and up to 31% energy savings over a relatively smarter energy management mechanism with just a single delay timer to enter the sleep state. We also show that the normalized latency of jobs on a server farm with our dual delay timer strategy is almost similar to the one that is always ready to accept incoming jobs.
Mortality, Recurrence, and Hospital Course of Patients with Systemic Sclerosis-related Acute Intestinal Pseudo-obstruction

Objective. Acute intestinal pseudo-obstruction is a rare gastrointestinal manifestation of systemic sclerosis (SSc) with few data existing as to its demographics, clinical course, outcomes, and mortality. Methods. We undertook a case-control study to describe 64 cases in 37 unique patients, of whom 70% had spontaneous resolution with conservative measures of intravenous hydration and bowel rest, 9% underwent surgical resection, and 25% required prolonged total parenteral nutrition (TPN). Results. Hospital course was for a mean of 12 ± 12.5 days and there was a 16% patient mortality in our population. In a subgroup analysis, patients who had recurrent episodes of pseudo-obstruction were less likely to have esophageal involvement from SSc, and more likely to need prolonged TPN. Mortality tended to be higher in male patients and patients who did not have SSc-related esophageal involvement, and also in patients who had low hemoglobin and serum albumin at presentation. The need for a nasogastric tube for decompression and a surgical intervention correlated with a more prolonged hospital stay. Conclusion. To the best of our knowledge, ours is the largest study looking at this rare manifestation of SSc.
Strain-Compensation in InAsP/GaInP Multiple Quantum Wells for 1.3 μm Wavelength

We show that high-quality strain-compensated InAsxP1−x/GayIn1−yP multiple quantum wells (MQWs) can be grown by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy on InP substrates even though the InAsxP1−x quantum wells have a large lattice mismatch (∼ 1.3%) with respect to InP. Very sharp satellite peaks in double-crystal X-ray diffraction and narrow line width in low-temperature photoluminescence (FWHM of 4 meV at 9 K) are obtained from MQWs of up to 50 periods. Strain compensation allows a wide range of the net strain around the ideally compensated point, where the net strain equals zero, without degrading crystalline quality.
Classic image: peripheral blood smear in a case of Plasmodium falciparum cerebral malaria

A 29-year-old African-American woman presented with acute onset of altered mental status. She was obtunded with visible rigors and a fever of 102.8°F. Routine laboratory study showed platelet count of 59k/mm3. Urine toxicology screening, blood alcohol level and cerebrospinal fluid analysis were within normal limits. CT of the head was non-revealing. A Giemsa-stained peripheral blood smear (figure 1) was obtained which showed many red blood cells (RBCs) infected with classic, ring-shaped (arrow A) and headphone-shaped (arrow B) …
Massive fetal chylothorax successfully treated with postnatal talc pleurodesis: A case report and review of the literature

Abstract Despite the rapid advances in fetal medicine and pediatric surgery, congenital chylothoraces have an associated mortality of 22–65% and an increased morbidity resulting from pulmonary hypoplasia, severe infections secondary to immune globulin deficiencies, protein malnutrition, and coagulopathy. While the mainstay of therapy is medical management, large volume chylothoraces often require surgical management. In both the prenatal and postnatal periods, the recommended management of congenital chylothoraces is still controversial. We present a case of a prenatally diagnosed large chylothorax associated with a cervical lymphatic malformation. In our patient, the chylothorax persisted despite optimal postnatal medical management with drainage by tube thoracostomy, TPN, and octreotide. Adjuvant therapies included sirolimus and sclerotherapy directed toward the treatment of the macrocystic lymphatic malformation. We report the first case of a persistent congenital chylothorax associated with a lymphatic malformation successfully treated with thoracoscopic talc pleurodesis and sclerotherapy.
Abstract P3-08-03: Mobile phone multimedia messaging intervention for breast cancer screening

Background. Korean American women have one of the highest breast cancer mortality rates and lowest breast cancer screening rates among American women. In response to the need to enhance breast cancer screening, this study aims to develop and test a 7-day mobile phone application (app)-based Mammogram (mMammogram) intervention designed to promote breast cancer screening among Korean American women. To date, mobile app technology has not been used for mammogram promotion. Methods. Using FBM Model, we developed a mammogram intervention designed to increase knowledge of breast cancer screening, intent to receive mammogram, and the receipt of a mammogram. A series of focus groups were conducted to inform the development of the intervention. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with baseline, one week post-intervention, and 6-month follow-up testing among 120 Korean American women who were aged 40 and older and had not had mammograms within the last 2 years. The intervention group (60) received an individually and culturally tailored text messages via mobile app with health navigation services. The control group (60) received a brochure including information on breast cancer, screening guidelines, and a list of clinics that offer low-cost or free mammography without health navigation services. Results. At one week post-test, statistically significant between-group differences were found; intervention subjects reported higher scores of knowledge in breast cancer and screening guideline than subjects in control group (mean differences: 1.70, p Conclusions. This study provides evidence of the effectiveness and feasibility of the mammogram intervention with health navigation services in promoting breast cancer screening. Mobile application-based intervention is a promising tool to increase both knowledge and receipt of mammograms. Given the widespread usage of mobile phone among minority populations, a mobile phone-based health intervention could be an effective method of reaching hard-to-recruit populations with high breast cancer burden, using individually tailored messages that cover broad content areas and overcome restrictions to place and time of delivery. Citation Format: Lee HY, Le C, Ghebre R, Yee D. Mobile phone multimedia messaging intervention for breast cancer screening. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-08-03.
Low power and high performance 3-D multimedia platform

Traditional technology scaling of semiconductor chips followed Moore's Law. However, the transistor performance improvement will be limited, and designers will not see doubling of operating frequency every two years. Recently, 3-D integrated circuits that utilize through silicon via (TSV) for interconnection have been developed as an improved alternative to the Package-on-Package (PoP) and System-in-Package (SiP) packages. There are many benefits by using TSV-based 3-D integration technologies: (1) Circuit delay can be improved due to the shorter interconnect and reduced parasitic capacitance/inductance, (2) more functionality can be integrated into a small silicon space for form factor reduction and higher packing density due to the additional third dimension, (3) different components with incompatible manufacturing process (i.e. Logic, DRAM, Flash, etc) can be combined in a single 3-D IC for heterogeneous integration. The 3-D integration based on TSV technology enables stacking of multiple memory layers to obtain higher bandwidth for the recent multimedia applications at lower energy consumption. Intel has demonstrated through the teraflops microprocessor chip which is an 80-core design with memory-on-logic architecture. And, each core connects to a 256KB SRAM with 12GB/s bandwidth. Although 3-D IC overcomes many limitations and drawbacks on 2-D IC design, it still has many challenges and design issues that should be considered carefully. In general, the number of TSV is the most critical constraint while designing a 3-D architecture because it is highly related to system performance.
Spatial crowdsourcing: current state and future directions

Crowdsourcing relies on the contributions of a large number of workers to accomplish spatial tasks, and it has drawn more attention in recent years. Many crowdsourcing tasks are completed online due to its convenience and efficiency. However, sometimes this traditional method may not work due to special requirements involving actual physical locations. Thus, a new paradigm of data collection, called spatial crowdsourcing, has emerged in the past few years. Spatial crowdsourcing consists of location-specific tasks that require people to physically be at specific locations to complete them. In this article we discuss unique challenges of spatial crowdsourcing, provide a comprehensive view of this new paradigm by introducing the taxonomy, and give future directions.
Cytogenetics of bone tumors

Publisher Summary The mechanism of bone tumor development is complex and largely unknown. This chapter summarizes the current status of cytogenetic changes in bone tumors. However routine, traditional cytogenetics has its limitations in identifying chromosomal changes in bone tumors. As an adjunct tool, array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) technology should be used to identify subtle deletions and duplications that reveal gene(s) responsible for some of these bone tumors. Osteochondroma is the most common benign bone tumor, often found in patients under the age of 20 years. The majority of cases (85%) of osteochondroma present as sporadic, solitary, non-hereditary lesions. Osteoid osteoma is a benign bone-forming tumor characterized by small size, limited growth potential and disproportionate pain. Benign fibrous histiocytoma of bone is a benign lesion of bone composed of spindle-shaped fibroblasts, arranged in a storiform pattern. The giant cell tumor is a benign, locally aggressive neoplasm composed of sheets of neoplastic ovoid mononuclear cells interspersed with uniformly distributed osteoclast-like giant cells. Cytogenetics revealed telomeric association or telomeric fusion in more than 75% of patients with a giant cell tumor of bone.
Source attribution of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in surface waters from Rhode Island and the New York Metropolitan Area.

Exposure to poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) has been associated with adverse health effects in humans and wildlife. Understanding pollution sources is essential for environmental regulation, but source attribution for PFASs has been confounded by limited information about industrial releases and rapid changes in chemical production. Here we use principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical clustering, and geospatial analysis to understand source contributions to 14 PFASs measured across 37 sites in the northeastern United States in 2014. PFASs are significantly elevated in urban areas compared to rural sites except for perfluorobutanesulfonate, N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid, perfluoroundecanate, and perfluorododecanate. The highest PFAS concentrations across sites were those of perfluorooctanate (PFOA, 56 ng L−1) and perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS, 43 ng L−1), and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) levels are lower than earlier measurements of U.S. surface waters. PCA and clu...
Energy Functionals and Nonlinear Eigenvalue Problems

In this chapter we treat mathematical aspects of our studies which concern energy functionals, their critical points and corresponding nonlinear eigenvalue problems. We give a rigorous derivation of the Planck-Einstein formula relating the critical energy levels with the frequencies of multi-harmonic solutions. We also rigorously derive classical Hydrogen spectrum based on the mathematical analysis of the nonlinear eigenvalue problem for a balanced charge in the Coulomb field.
Intercomparison of the GOS approach, superposition T-matrix method, and laboratory measurements for black carbon optical properties during aging

Abstract We perform a comprehensive intercomparison of the geometric-optics surface-wave (GOS) approach, the superposition T-matrix method, and laboratory measurements for optical properties of fresh and coated/aged black carbon (BC) particles with complex structures. GOS and T-matrix calculations capture the measured optical (i.e., extinction, absorption, and scattering) cross sections of fresh BC aggregates, with 5–20% differences depending on particle size. We find that the T-matrix results tend to be lower than the measurements, due to uncertainty in theoretical approximations of realistic BC structures, particle property measurements, and numerical computations in the method. On the contrary, the GOS results are higher than the measurements (hence the T-matrix results) for BC radii 100 nm. We find good agreement (differences 100 nm. We find small deviations (≤10%) in asymmetry factors computed from the two methods for most BC coating structures and sizes, but several complex structures have 10–30% differences. This study provides the foundation for downstream application of the GOS approach in radiative transfer and climate studies.
Revaluing Low-Wage Work: Service-Sector Skills and the Fight for 15

Labor and community activists have organized around raising wages for low-wage workers, notably through the “Fight for 15” campaign among fast food workers. This study uses skills data together wit...
Revisiting the Daylit Area: Examining Daylighting Performance Using Subjective Human Evaluations and Simulated Compliance with the LEED Version 4 Daylight Credit

ABSTRACTThe IES Lighting Measurement 83-12 Approved Method: IES Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA) and Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE) (LM-83) codifies annual climate–based daylighting metrics and performance criteria, yet interpretation and application of the metrics and criteria are not fully substantiated. This article reports “daylit area” drawings prepared in the field by architecture students and compares these drawings to corresponding point-in-time and annual daylighting simulations. The point-in-time simulations without blinds showed less discrepancy between student daylit area evaluations than did annual simulations with blinds operated per LM-83. The daylit area drawings and point-in-time simulations together suggest a horizontal illuminance of 100 lx differentiating between non-daylit and partially daylit areas and 250 lx differentiating between partially and fully daylit areas. For 18 annual simulations that employed the LM-83 protocol, half were characterized similar to the field assessments. Th...
Atomic scale understanding of poly-Si/SiO 2 /c-Si passivated contacts: Passivation degradation due to metallization

We report on the application of analytical microscopy to identify material bottlenecks for silicon solar cell efficiency on an atomic scale, including contacts, interfaces, and passivating layer morphologies. With high lifetime bulk n-Cz wafers available on a mass production scale, the push for higher efficiency (> 20%) is focused on passivation and reduced recombination at the metal contacts. These stringent passivation requirements should be retained during the subsequent device processing. Our device structures involve n-Cz silicon wafers with passivated contacts (poly-Si/SiO 2 /n-Cz), and Al 2 O 3 /SiN x front surface passivation layers, designed for incorporation into IBC solar cells. Using analytical microscopy, we study failure modes from the macroscopic scale (blisters in the passivation layers, metal adhesion problems) thru the microscopic (micropyramids, microblisters, microcracks) down to the nanoscale (nanopinholes, precipitates, blister edges, grain boundary decoration by dopants, dopant distribution) and atomic scale (dopant aggregation on surfaces and interfaces, atomic bonding valence and character). Metallization degrades our passivated contacts by promoting blistering along the poly-Si/SiO 2 interface, which is shown in detail by dissecting blisters and mapping them from a micron-to atomic scale using aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. A fundamental materials understanding focused on the effects of device processing, especially metallization, on retaining high-efficiency passivated Si devices is therefore gained over these series of presented results, and high resolution analytical microscopy emerges as a powerful tool in guiding high performance Si cell research.
Abstract A44: Identification of new, biologically relevant, G-quadruplexes formed within the critical promoter of kRAS as promising molecular targets

kRAS is one of, if not the, most prevalent oncogenic aberrations identified to date, and has been well validated as a therapeutic target. It is either upregulated or mutationally activated in ∼30% of all cancers, including 60-90% of pancreatic cancer, and contributes to malignant transformation, tumorigenicity, and a corresponding poor prognosis. Our therapeutic approach to transcriptionally downregulate kRAS is innovate and promising because we are focused on ablating the oncogenic protein, rather than previously unsuccessful attempts focused on modulating its function. Numerous literature reports validate the downregulation of kRAS expression to as an anti-cancer approach, but there has yet to be a concerted effort in this area, primarily due to lack of a molecular target. This is where our findings are exceptionally pioneering, as we focus on globular higher order DNA (G4) formations within the core kRAS promoter as druggable targets with great promise. G4s occur in G/C-rich DNA and are made up of two or more stacked tetrads, formed by the Hoogsteen hydrogen bonding of four guanines, stabilized by monovalent cations. These G/C-rich regions preferentially cluster around the transcriptional start site throughout the genome peaking within 50 bp of the TSS, which is indicative of their regulatory role. Although not universally true, formation of G4s generally functions to silence transcription or translation and thus represents an attractive molecular target for kRAS. The proximal promoter of kRAS contains three separate putative G4-forming regions: near, mid, and far. We have revealed a previously undescribed within the “mid” region of the proximal kRAS promoter, which contains seven contiguous runs three or more continuous guanines. This region forms biologically functional, transcriptionally silencing, equilibrating G4s. This is in contrast to the previously described “near” G4, which we show to have little to no role in transcriptional regulation. These newly described mid-G4 structures have high potential as molecular targets for drug development. Citation Format: Jennifer Hockings, Tracy Ann Brooks. Identification of new, biologically relevant, G-quadruplexes formed within the critical promoter of kRAS as promising molecular targets. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on RAS Oncogenes: From Biology to Therapy; Feb 24-27, 2014; Lake Buena Vista, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2014;12(12 Suppl):Abstract nr A44. doi: 10.1158/1557-3125.RASONC14-A44
Fat Transplantation and Autologous Collagen: A Decade of Experience:

Introduction:Soft tissue has been augmented with adipose fat for many years. The more traditional approach has involved the placement of adipose tissue into the subcutis to correct cosmetic defects...
Regulation and function of MeCP2 Ser421 phosphorylation in U50488-induced conditioned place aversion in mice

Phosphorylation of the methyl DNA-binding protein MeCP2 at Ser421 (pMeCP2-S421) is induced in corticolimbic brain regions during exposure to drugs of abuse and modulates reward-driven behaviors. However, whether pMeCP2-S421 is also involved in behavioral adaptations to aversive drugs is unknown. Our goal was to establish the role and regulation of pMeCP2-S421 in corticolimbic brain regions of mice upon acute treatment with the kappa opioid receptor agonist U50488 and during the expression of U50488-induced conditioned place aversion (CPA). pMeCP2-S421 levels were measured in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), prelimbic cortex, infralimbic cortex (ILC), and basolateral amygdala (BLA) of male mice after intraperitoneal administration of U50488 and upon the expression of U50488-induced CPA. Fos was measured as marker of neural activity in the same brain regions. U50488-induced CPA and Fos levels were compared between knockin (KI) mice that lack pMeCP2-S421 and their wild-type (WT) littermates. U50488 administration acutely induced pMeCP2-S421 and Fos selectively in the NAc but did not alter MeCP2 levels in any brain region. U50488-induced CPA was associated with decreased pMeCP2-S421 in the ILC and BLA and induced Fos in the BLA. MeCP2 KI mice showed CPA indistinguishable from their WT littermates, but they also showed less BLA Fos induction upon CPA. These data are the first to show that pMeCP2-S421 is induced in the brain acutely after U50488 administration but not upon U50488-induced CPA. Although pMeCP2-S421 is not required for U50488-induced CPA, this phosphorylation event may contribute to molecular plasticities in brain regions that govern aversive behaviors.
G-Protein-coupled receptors: Decoding mixed signals.

A new mechanism of functional crosstalk between two distinct G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs)—the parathyroid hormone receptor (PTHR) and β2-adrenergic receptor (β2 Ar)—that occurs at the level of G protein βγ subunits and a specific adenylyl cyclase isoform is identified. This crosstalk augments cAMP signaling by the PTHR from endosomes, and thus promotes the actions of PTH ligands in bone target cells.
Second primary lung cancer in the United States: 1992–2008.

309Background: Tobacco smoke is a known risk factor for both bladder and lung cancer. We hypothesized that bladder cancer survivors are at high risk for second primary lung cancers (SPLC), and sought to describe the incidence and mortality attributable to SPLC among survivors of bladder cancer as well as other common cancers in the United States. Methods: We identified adult patients diagnosed with a localized primary malignancy from 8 of the most common non-pulmonary cancer sites in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data from 1992–2008. We explored factors associated with the incidence and mortality from SPLC using bivariable and multivariable models. Finally, we compared standardized incidence rates (SIRs) for SPLC in our cohort with the control arm of the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST), a large lung cancer screening trial in patients at high risk for lung cancer. Results: We identified 1,431,809 survivors of common non-pulmonary cancers, of whom 24,477 (1.7%) developed SPLC at a ...