cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Titanochondrodite and titanoclinohumite derived from the upper mantle in the Buell Park kimberlite, Arizona, USA

Titanoclinohumite, titanochondrodite, and associated Na-bearing tremolite occurring as crystal fragments in the Buell Park kimberlite are not likely crystallization products of a kimberlite magma. They more likely formed as phases in hydration assemblages of peridotite at temperatures below 700 ° C and pressures below 18 kbar. The crystals were dispersed in kimberlite as rock fragments were comminuted during transport to the surface.
Noninvasive Cardiac Monitoring: The Edwards Vigileo System

Cardiac output monitoring is indicated when trying to determine fluid responsiveness in patients. It assists in directing and assessing results of resuscitative efforts to ensure appropriate tissue perfusion. Although most catheters are systemically invasive, tools like the Vigileo (Edwards Lifesciences; Irvine, CA) are excellent noninvasive devices for determining values such as the stroke volume, stroke volume variation, stroke volume index, cardiac output, and cardiac index (Fig. 5.1).
The 5′ Flanking Region of the Human Granzyme H Gene Directs Expression to T/Natural Killer Cell Progenitors and Lymphokine-Activated Killer Cells in Transgenic Mice

Human granzyme H is a neutral serine protease that is expressed predominantly in the lymphokine-activated killer (LAK)/natural killer (NK) compartment of the immune system. The gene that encodes this granzyme is located between the granzyme B and cathepsin G genes on human chromosome 14q11.2. Although the murine orthologue of human granzyme H has not yet been identified, murine granzymes C, D, E, F, and G also lie between the murine granzyme B and cathepsin G genes on murine chromosome 14; murine granzymes C, D, and F are also highly expressed in LAK cells, but minimally in cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). We therefore tested whether the 5' flanking region of human granzyme H contains the cis-acting DNA sequences necessary to target a reporter gene to the LAK/NK compartment of transgenic mice. A 1.2-kb fragment of 5' flanking human granzyme H sequence was linked to an SV40 large T-antigen (TAg) reporter gene and used to create six transgenic founder lines. SV40 TAg was specifically expressed in the LAK cells of these mice, but not in resting T or NK cells, in CTL, or in any other tissues. Most mice eventually developed a fatal illness characterized by massive hepatosplenomegaly and disseminated organ infiltration by large malignant lymphocytes. Cell lines derived from splenic tumors were TAg+ and NK1.1(+) large granular lymphocytes and displayed variable expression of CD3, CD8, and CD16. Although these cell lines contained perforin and expressed granzymes A, B, C, D, and F, they did not exhibit direct cytotoxicity. Collectively, these results suggest that the 5' flanking sequences of the human granzyme H gene target expression to an NK/T progenitor compartment and to activated NK (LAK) cells. Mice and humans may therefore share a regulatory "program" for the transcription of NK/LAK specific granzyme genes.
Introduction to Molecular Diagnostic Testing in Dermatology and Dermatopathology

The complete sequencing of the human genome has ushered in an era of medical advances that was previously unimaginable. Scientists are continually discovering novel genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that are associated with human disease states and therapeutic responses. The ability to determine the underlying defect(s) in single-gene (Mendelian) diseases, many of which are rare, has improved both diagnosis in symptomatic patients and risk prediction of future disease in asymptomatic individuals. Potential applications of genomic discoveries include: (1) development of carrier, screening and diagnostic tests for single-gene disorders; (2) evaluation of several genetic loci in an effort to construct disease susceptibility profiles for non-Mendelian diseases, based on multiple gene and/or gene–environment relationships; and (3) pharmacogenomic testing to predict drug–genome interactions [1]. It has been estimated that ∼5% of the ∼25,000 genes in the human genome are of diagnostic significance; therefore, the potential exists to develop ∼1,500 gene-based tests [2]. With regard to dermatologic conditions, exciting research is emerging and new applications are now being incorporated into clinical practice. Molecular diagnostic tests are transforming laboratory medicine and patient care, and becoming indispensable for physicians involved in the management of skin diseases, including dermatologists and dermatopathologists. Nucleic acid-based testing is becoming a crucial diagnostic tool, not only in the setting of inherited disorders (i.e., genodermatoses), but also for a wide variety of cutaneous solid and hematopoietic tumors, inflammatory dermatoses, and infectious conditions. In view of the increasing numbers of molecular diagnostic articles published in the dermatology literature, and potential application of these methodologies in clinical practice, a basic knowledge of the principles of molecular diagnostics is now essential for the physician who specializes in the diagnosis and/or treatment of skin diseases. Figure 1.1 illustrates the integration of research and diagnostic strategies in the study of skin diseases.
Cloning and sequencing of rabbit leukocyte NADPH oxidase genes reveals a unique p67phox homolog

The NADPH oxidase plays an important role in immune and nonimmune cell functions. Because rabbits represent an established model for studying a number of important disease processes that involve NADPH oxidase activity, we carried out studies to clone and sequence all five rabbit leukocyte NADPH oxidase genes. Comparison of the rabbit sequences with those of other species showed that, with the exception of p67(phox), the rabbit phox proteins were highly conserved. In contrast, rabbit p67(phox) had a very divergent C-terminus and was 17 amino acids longer than any other known p67(phox) homolog. This was surprising, given the high degree of conservation among all of the phox proteins sequenced previously. To evaluate the functional consequences of this difference, wild-type rabbit p67(phox) and a mutated rabbit p67(phox) missing the C-terminal 17 amino acids were expressed and analyzed in a cell-free assay. Our results show that the full-length and truncated rabbit p67(phox) proteins were able to support oxidase activity, although the truncated form reproducibly supported a higher level of activity than full-length p67(phox). These studies contribute to our understanding of the nature of the leukocyte NADPH oxidase in different species and will be valuable in future research using the rabbit model.
An Enhanced Metropolis-Hastings Algorithm Based on Gaussian Processes

Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) has become the main computational workhorse in scientific computing for solving statistical inverse problems. It is difficult however to use MCMC algorithms when the likelihood function is computational expensive to evaluate. The status quo tackles this problem by emulating the computationally models upfront based on a number of forward simulations, and then the emulator is used in the MCMC simulation instead of the actual model. However, this strategy has an obvious drawback: how should one choose the initial number of forward simulations to capture the complexity of the model response? This is the main driver question that this paper tries to answer. Here, a novel Metropolis-Hastings algorithm is proposed to sample from posterior distributions corresponding to computationally expensive simulations. The main innovation is emulating the likelihood function using Gaussian processes. The proposed emulator is constructed on the fly as the MCMC simulation evolves and adapted based on the uncertainty in the acceptance rate. The algorithm is tested on a number of benchmark problems where it is shown that it significantly reduces the number of forward simulations.
Identity, Cultural Adaptation, and Accommodation of a Japanese Family Living in the United States

When our first son was born five years ago, we felt a great, concern about how he could retain a Japanese identity and still integrate within the main culture in the United States. Since then, we have added two daughters to our family. It has been a constant struggle, thinking and wondering whether we have made the right decision to maintain cultural ways and beliefs intact, inculcating them in our children. We have had to make a number of critical decisions about child raising and specific ways that our family should be designed to feel secure in America.From the first time we discussed child raising, we decided to make our home much like the way we knew it when we grew up in Japan. We felt that any type of unnatural pretension or artificial home atmosphere would affect our children negatively. We also decided to make our home a sanctuary, away from the strains of racism and socioeconomic inequality that permeate U.S. society. And the motto of our revered home was simple: be comfortable and act naturally.
Occlusion-Aware Coverage for Efficient Visual Sensing in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Networks

Networks of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), capable of providing flexible aerial views over large areas, are playing important roles in today's distributed sensing systems. Since camera sensors are sensitive to occlusions, it is more challenging to deploy UAVs for sensing in geometrically complex environments, such as dense urban areas and mountainous terrains. This paper proposes a new occlusion-aware UAV coverage technique with the objective of sensing a target area with satisfactory spatial resolution subject to the energy constraints of UAVs. An occlusion- aware waypoint generation algorithm is first designed to find the best set of waypoints for taking pictures in a target area. The selected waypoints are then assigned to multiple UAVs by solving a vehicle routing problem (VRP), which is formulated to minimize the maximum energy for the UAVs to travel through the waypoints. A genetic algorithm is designed to solve the VRP problem. Evaluation results show that the proposed coverage technique can reduce energy consumption by 16.1% while achieving better coverage than traditional coverage path planning techniques for UAVs.
Nighttime temperature and human sleep loss in a changing climate

Human sleep is highly regulated by temperature. Might climate change-through increases in nighttime heat-disrupt sleep in the future? We conduct the inaugural investigation of the relationship between climatic anomalies, reports of insufficient sleep, and projected climate change. Using data from 765,000 U.S. survey respondents from 2002 to 2011, coupled with nighttime temperature data, we show that increases in nighttime temperatures amplify self-reported nights of insufficient sleep. We observe the largest effects during the summer and among both lower-income and elderly respondents. We combine our historical estimates with climate model projections and detail the potential sleep impacts of future climatic changes. Our study represents the largest ever investigation of the relationship between sleep and ambient temperature and provides the first evidence that climate change may disrupt human sleep.
Coarse-Grained +/-Effect Word Sense Disambiguation for Implicit Sentiment Analysis

Recent work has addressed opinion inferences that arise when opinions are expressed toward +/-effect events, events that positively or negatively affect entities. Many words have mixtures of senses with different +/-effect labels, and therefore word sense disambiguation is needed to exploit +/-effect information for sentiment analysis. This paper presents a knowledge-based +/-effect coarse-grained sense disambiguation method based on selectional preferences modeled via topic models. The method achieves an overall accuracy of 0.83, which represents a significant improvement over three competitive baselines.
Adipose Derived Stromal Cells in Gynecologic Cancers

Adipose stem cells or adipose derived stromal cells (ASC) are a unique population of multipotent mesenchymal cells within adipose tissue which can be readily isolated, expanded and differentiated in culture. When injected systemically or regionally, ASC migrate into sites of injury, forming supportive mesenchymal tissues, which contribute to wound healing. The capacity for expansion and homing has made ASC a focus of investigation in regenerative medicine to repair injury to organs, including the heart, joints or nervous tissues. ASC tropism for sites of injury is driven by chemotactic cytokines, such as CXCL1 and SDF-1, which are also secreted by tumors, which can similarly drive ASC into tumor stroma. Once engrafted in tumors, ASC contribute to the formation of cancer stroma. ASC may be particularly relevant in gynecologic cancers, which are surrounded by adipose tissues, providing ample source of ASC to form tumor stroma.
Heterogeneous silicon light sources for datacom applications

Abstract Photonic interconnects are being quickly developed and adopted to be an indispensable large-bandwidth data transmission venue in high-performance computing (HPC) and datacenter, i.e., datacom, applications. The distinct emphasis on power, operational robustness, volume manufacturability and system cost posts a number of challenges in photonic material platform choice, device design, integration scheme, and packaging, etc. As the major roadblock to realize a fully integrated silicon (Si)-based photonic interconnect system, light sources have attracted significant research and development effort and driven great innovation in the past 12 years. We review our recent progresses towards building heterogeneous Si multi-wavelength lasers with exceptional tolerance to harsh application environment and novel controllability. Advanced quantum dot (QD) material is now successfully implemented in the heterogeneous platform to serve as the robust optical gain medium in a comb laser to deliver multiple low relative intensity noise (RIN) lasing wavelengths and seamlessly integrate with Si photonic circuits for dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) photonic interconnect architecture. A new heterogeneous metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor is also developed to introduce an independent carrier effect to this platform and enable essentially power-free device tunability and superior high-speed data modulation capability for both modulators and lasers. Finally the on-going effort to incorporate superior QD material, MOS capacitor and several previously developed functionalities into heterogeneous comb lasers and microring lasers for different datacom application scenarios is discussed.
Repellent and Larvicidal Activity of the Essential Oil From Eucalyptus nitens Against Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever are important vector-borne diseases transmitted by female mosquitoes when they feed on humans. The use of repellents based on natural products is an alternative for personal protection against these diseases. Application of chemicals with larvicidal activity is another strategy for controlling the mosquito population. The repellent and larvicidal activities of the essential oil from Eucalyptus nitens were tested against Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, the main vectors of these arboviruses. The essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation and then analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The main components of Eucalyptus nitens essential oil were found to be terpenes such as 1,8-cineole and p-cymene, followed by β-triketones and alkyl esters. The repellent activity of the essential oil against both species was significantly higher when compared with the main component, 1,8-cineole, alone. These results indicate that the repellent effect of E. nitens is not due only to the main component, 1,8-cineole, but also that other compounds may be responsible. Aedes aegypti was found to be more tolerant to the essential oil larvicidal effects than Ae. albopictus (Ae. aegypti LC50 = 52.83 ppm, Ae. albopictus LC 50 = 28.19 ppm). The repellent and larvicidal activity could be associated to the presence of cyclic β-triketones such as flavesone, leptospermone, and isoleptospermone.
Determinants of brand performance: the role of internal branding

The importance of internal branding is growing in both academia and practice. However, little attention has been directed toward identifying the organizational antecedents and consequences of internal branding. Thus, the current study examines the relationships of internal branding with the three brand management factors that have been discussed in the literature: brand orientation, strategic brand management, and brand performance. Internal branding is viewed as a facilitator for brand orientation and strategic brand management process, which ultimately impacts the brand performance. Survey data collected from brand/marketing managers reveal that while brand orientation, strategic brand management, and internal branding are directly associated with brand performance, internal branding partially mediates the relationship between brand orientation, strategic brand management, and brand performance. From a research standpoint, the current study addresses the call for better understanding the role of employees in improving a brand’s performance. In addition, the importance of developing internal branding along with brand orientation and strategic brand management is highlighted for marketing practitioners.
Geach and The Methodology of the Logical Study of Natural Language

In the many-splendored field of the logic and semantics of natural languages, Peter Geach occupies an interesting and unusual niche. Locating that niche and evaluating his achievements and shortcomings throws extremely revealing light on the methodological situation in contemporary Sprachlogik and logical semantics at large. In this note, I can only touch on some of the features of Geach’s thought and its methodological backdrop. I begin with a few general observations.
The role of alpha-4 integrin in the aetiology of multiple sclerosis: current knowledge and therapeutic implications.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) has been recognised as a disease since the mid-19th century. The delineation of its CNS pathology, revealing the presence of inflammatory demyelination and relative sparing of axons, was originally interpreted as evidence of infection. Despite many studies, a primary infectious aetiology of MS has not been found. However, the occurrence of acute demyelinating disease following a variety of infections and vaccinations, leading to MS in about a third of cases, provides evidence for the existence of an auto-allergic pathogenesis for the disease. Improved understanding of the role of the blood-brain barrier in protecting the CNS, and the mechanisms by which cells gain entry into the brain and spinal cord has advanced the understanding of MS. Evidence of the central role of the adhesion molecule α4β1-integrin (very late activation antigen-4 [VLA-4]) for lymphocytes in endothelial transmigration into the CNS specifically, has provided a major insight into the pathogenesis of human demyelinating disease and its experimental model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). This finding has led to a new window of therapeutic opportunity in MS. Monoclonal antibodies to VLA-4 abrogate the development of EAE in sensitised animals and may actually reverse its clinical and pathological findings in manifest disease. Natalizumab, one such monoclonal antibody, which is administered intravenously, has been found to be a promising agent in the treatment of MS. Although single doses produced no improvement in the speed or quality of recovery from acute exacerbations of MS in a phase II trial, long-term administration (in phase II and phase III trials) have produced significant benefits with results showing both a marked reduction in the risk of new magnetic resonance imaging lesions and a significant reduction in the risk of exacerbations within 2 months of the initiation of therapy. Phase III double-blinded controlled trials have provided additional evidence of safety and a favourable impact on exacerbation rates over the 1 year of administration. Unfortunately, the success of natalizumab has been curtailed by three cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, which have prompted the manufacturer to voluntary withdraw the drug from the market. An independent review board is currently investigating the safety of the drug to determine whether it should return to the market. The demonstration that selective modulation (blocking) of the adhesion molecule VLA-4 by natalizumab in MS, resembling that observed in experimental disease, represents a major advance in rational therapy.
Increasing temperature seasonality may overwhelm shifts in soil moisture to favor shrub over grass dominance in Colorado Plateau drylands

Ecosystems in the southwestern U.S. are predicted to experience continued warming and drying trends of the early twenty-first century. Climate change can shift the balance between grass and woody plant abundance in these water-limited systems, which has large implications for biodiversity and ecosystem processes. However, variability in topo-edaphic conditions, notably soil texture and depth, confound efforts to quantify specific climatic controls over grass vs. shrub dominance. Here, we utilized weather records and a mechanistic soil water model to identify the timing and depth at which soil moisture related most strongly to the balance between grass and shrub dominance in the southern Colorado Plateau. Shrubs dominate where there is high soil moisture availability during winter, and where temperature is more seasonally variable, while grasses are favored where moisture is available during summer. Climate change projections indicate consistent increases in mean temperature and seasonal temperature variability for all sites, but predictions for summer and winter soil moisture vary across sites. Together, these changes in temperature and soil moisture are expected to shift the balance towards increasing shrub dominance across the region. These patterns are strongly driven by changes in temperature, which either enhance or overwhelm effects of changes in soil moisture across sites. This approach, which incorporates local, edaphic factors at sites protected from disturbance, improves understanding of climate change impacts on grass vs. shrub abundance and may be useful in other dryland regions with high edaphic and climatic heterogeneity.
A 600-MS/s DAC With Over 87-dB SFDR and 77-dB Peak SNDR Enabled by Adaptive Cancellation of Static and Dynamic Mismatch Error

This paper presents a Nyquist-rate current-steering digital-to-analog converter that achieves a peak spurious-free dynamic range better than 87 dB and a peak signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio better than 77 dB over a 265-MHz signal band. It is enabled by a fully integrated digital calibration technique that measures and cancels both static and dynamic mismatch errors over the first Nyquist band, and various circuit-level techniques that mitigate the effects of jitter and inter-symbol interference.
The Lens, the Mirror and the Frame: Glasses, Good Taste and the Material Culture of Looking

This article explores the material culture of taste, examining the ways that artifacts we look with (the technologies of looking) can mediate and produce our understanding of taste. Taking a phenom...
Baseline Performance of Real-World Clinical Practice Within a Statewide Emergency Medicine Quality Network: The Michigan Emergency Department Improvement Collaborative (MEDIC).

Study objective Large-scale quality and performance measurement across unaffiliated hospitals is an important strategy to drive practice change. The Michigan Emergency Department Improvement Collaborative (MEDIC), established in 2015, has baseline performance data to identify practice variation across 15 diverse emergency departments (EDs) on key emergency care quality indicators. Methods MEDIC is a unique physician-led partnership supported by a major third-party payer. Member sites contribute electronic health record data and trained abstractors add supplementary data for eligible cases. Quality measures include computed tomography (CT) appropriateness for minor head injury, using the Canadian CT Head Rule for adults and Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Network rules for children; chest radiograph use for children with asthma, bronchiolitis, and croup; and diagnostic yield of CTs for suspected pulmonary embolism. Baseline performance was established with statistical process control charts. Results From June 1, 2016, to October 31, 2017, the MEDIC registry contained 1,124,227 ED visits, 23.2% for children ( Conclusion Performance varied greatly, with demonstrated opportunity for improvement. MEDIC provides a robust platform for emergency physician engagement across ED practice settings to improve care and is a model for other states.
Breast tumor tissue inflammation but not lobular involution is associated with survival among breast cancer patients in the Multiethnic Cohort.

Abstract Background This study investigated the association of breast lobular involution status and three inflammatory markers as predictors of survival among breast cancer patients in the Multiethnic Cohort. Methods Lobular involution was evaluated in tissue sections of normal breast tissue and COX-2, TNF-α, and TGF-β proteins were assessed by immunohistochemistry in tumor microarrays. A summary score added the expression levels of the three markers. Cox regression was applied to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) with age as the time metric and adjustment for factors known to affect mortality. Results Among 254 women (mean age = 61.7 ± 8.7 years) with pathologic blocks and follow-up information, 54 all-cause and 10 breast cancer-specific deaths were identified after a mean follow-up time of 16.0 ± 3.1 years. For 214 participants, an inflammatory score was available and 157 women had information on lobular involution. Lobular involution was not significantly associated with survival. Expression of both COX-2 and TNF-α were significant predictors of lower survival (p = 0.02 and 0.04), while the association for TGF-β was weaker (p = 0.09). When combined into one overall inflammation score, both intermediate (HR = 2.72; 95 % CI 0.90–8.28) and high (HR = 4.21; 95 % CI 1.51–11.8) scores were associated with higher mortality but only the latter was statistically significant. No significant association with breast cancer-specific mortality was detected. Conclusions These results suggest that strong expression of inflammatory markers in breast tissue predicts a poorer prognosis possibly due to a system-wide state of chronic inflammation.
A simulation model to evaluate the implications of genetic testing in cholesterol treatment plans

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is among the leading causes of death in the US. While it is known that ASCVD has familial and genetic components, understanding the role of genetic testing in the prevention and treatment of the cardiovascular disease has been limited. To this end, we develop a simulation framework to estimate the risk for ASCVD events due to clinical and genetic factors. One controllable risk factor for ASCVD events is the cholesterol level of patients. Cholesterol treatment plans are modeled using Markov decision processes. By simulating the health trajectory of patients, we determine the impact of genetic testing in optimal cholesterol treatment plans. As precision medicine and genetic testing become increasingly important, having such a simulation framework becomes essential.
Characterizing the geogenic background of the Midwest: a detailed mineralogical and geochemical investigation of a glacial till in southwestern Ohio

The state of Ohio has a long history of industrial pollution over numerous decades. Scientific investigations of the sources and impacts of this pollution are becoming increasingly common, particularly in the southwest region of the state, with a strong focus of recent studies being carried out within the context of air, urban soil and sediment quality, and aquatic environments. A key supporting issue in these, and future pollution investigations, is understanding the contribution from, and background concentrations of, natural geogenic materials. A glacial till sampled from Peffer Park, a publicly accessible site in Butler County southwest Ohio, was studied in detail to characterize its mineralogical and geochemical properties. The till sampled, a result of Wisconsin-aged glaciation, represents the regionally extensive glacial drift across the region and is the ideal candidate for targeting in efforts to quantify the background, geogenic environment. Samples were characterized for their elemental abundances using ICP-OES and ICP-MS, while mineralogy was investigated using powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray computed tomography, and reflective spectroscopy. Chemically, the till sampled is akin to the Earth’s bulk continental crust with characteristic light REE (LREE) enrichment and depleted middle/heavy REE signatures. Of the 39 minor and trace elements analyzed, 74% (n = 29) vary by less than 10 ppm between the 20 sites sampled, and of the ten major element oxides, there is a < 3 wt. % variation with a < 1 wt. % variation observed for seven of the major element oxides. All standard deviations (reported at 2σ) are < 1. Major minerals detected by powder XRD include illite, chlorite (ripidolite), quartz, calcite, dolomite and feldspar minerals with lesser amounts of amphibole, consistent with inferences from bulk chemistry. X-ray computed tomography on a selected sample highlights five orders of magnitude variation with respect to particle size, which is demonstrably skewed toward fine particle size. Accompanying reflective spectral features are dominated by signatures from the high clay mineral (e.g., illite) and carbonate contents, consistent with inferred source materials from the regionally extensive Ordovician stratigraphy associated with the Cincinnati Arch and the ancient crystalline continental basement of Canada. Through a wide variety of analytical techniques, it is demonstrated that the Peffer Park till of southwest Ohio has a remarkably low variation in composition and is highly representative of the geogenic background of this region of the USA. Its characteristics reported here therefore justify its use and application as a broad environmental reference material for the Midwest.
The Hidden Sentence: The Hierarchy of Knowledge in the Age of Mass Incarceration

Scholarship on the imprisonment binge has engaged in a binge of its own, writing furiously on mass incarceration to the detriment of overlooking less visible forms of punishment. Penology has thus become organized in a hierarchy of knowledge, leaving an assumption that epistemologically marginalized penal practices simply mirror the trends in imprisonment. Closer investigation of non-carceral punishments reveals inconsistencies in the dominant, mass incarceration discourse, especially when considering those penal forms that occupy the bottom of the hierarchy of knowledge: the hidden sentence. The hidden sentence is all punishment imposed by law as a direct result of criminal status, but not as part of any “official”, judicially enunciated sentence. It consists of both “offenders’ rights” and the so-called “collateral consequences of criminal convictions”, making it the deepest, longest, and most prevalent form of punishment in the U.S. system. Most importantly, reconceptualizing both sets of practices as the hidden sentence problematizes their academic and political opacity. The hidden sentence is neither collateral nor merely consequential; it is primary, purposive punishment — but it is hidden. Hiddenness is the feature for which the story of mass incarceration cannot account. The imprisonment binge is supposedly explained entirely as expressive retribution and fear-driven incapacitation — but thoughtlessly instituted punishments without any apparent purpose do not fit that depiction. This paper argues therefore that an in-depth, historical investigation of the hidden sentence is sorely needed, and it concludes by theoretically outlining a plausible, illegitimate function of the modern penal system: the reproduction of assumed difference.
Serial communication systems

Abstract This chapter looks at the basic serial communications that are found in real-time systems, including RS-232C, I2C, SPI, and CAN bus. It provides an overview of each protocol and the common sources of errors and how to find them.
A Novel Sand Dollar and Staves Technique for Unilateral Lambdoid Craniosynostosis.

Background Unilateral lambdoid synostosis (ULS) is the rarest form of craniosynostosis. Due to the associated cranio-caudal shift seen in ULS, surgical correction is technically challenging from a morphological standpoint. Herein, the authors present a novel "Sand-Dollar and Staves" technique for the repair of ULS. Methods A zigzag coronal incision is performed, and an anteriorly-based pericranial flaps are elevated. Prefabricated cutting guides are placed and the calvarium is marked. To treat the flattening on the ipsilateral side, a wedged suturectomy is performed with additional barrel staves. A large circle centered over the bulging on the contralateral side is cut out above the open lambdoid suture. This piece is barrel staved in a radial fashion, leaving the center intact and creating a Sand-Dollar appearance. This disk is then flattened and trimmed. The modified Sand-Dollar is fixed using an absorbable plating system. While gentle pressure is applied to the Sand-Dollar piece as it is being secured, the ipsilateral side demonstrates compensatory filling. Results are evaluated using the Whitaker Classification. Results Four patients underwent surgical correction with this technique. The procedure was performed at mean age of 11.7 months. The mean operative time was 2.5 hours. Intraoperative blood loss was 50 to 100 ml. Total hospitalization time was 2 to 3 days. No post-operative complications were encountered. Whitaker scores ranged from 1 to 1.5. The mean follow-up was 10 months. Conclusion The Sand-Dollar and Staves procedure is a novel, single-stage approach for the management of ULS with decreased operative time, blood loss, and hospital stay with satisfactory aesthetic outcomes.
Pneumothorax in COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Case Series

Objective The study aims to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) who developed pneumothorax Design and setting A retrospective chart review was performed of the electronic medical record Patients were included if they were identified as having confirmed COVID-19 as well as pneumothorax from March 16, 2020 to May 31, 2020 Patients' demographic and clinical characteristics, mechanical ventilator parameters, lung compliance measurements and outcomes during hospitalization were collected This case series was conducted in intensive care units at two large tertiary care centers within the Northwell Health System, located in New York State Patients A total of 75 patients were identified who were predominantly male (73 3%) with an average age of 62 8 years Thirty (40%) were Hispanic, 20 (26 7%) were White, 16 (21 3%) were Asian, and nine (12%) were Black Common comorbid conditions were hypertension (52%), diabetes mellitus (26 7%), hyperlipidemia (32 0%), and chronic pulmonary disease (8, 10 7%) Measurements and main results Most of the patients were diagnosed with pneumothorax while on mechanical ventilation (92%) despite overall adherence with lung-protective ventilation strategies Average tidal volume was 6 66 mL/kg) of ideal body weight The average positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) was 10 83 (cm) H2O Lung compliance was poor, with average peak and plateau pressures of 41 9 cm H2O and 35 2 crn H2O, respectively Inpatient mortality was high in these patients (76%) Conservative management with initial observation had a success rate (73 3%) with similar mortality and shorter length of stay (LOS) on average Significant factors in the conservatively managed group included lack of tension physiology, the smaller size of pneumothorax, lack of underlying diabetes, presence of pneumomediastinum, and not being on mechanical ventilation during diagnosis Conclusion Despite overall adherence to best practice ventilator management in ARDS, we observed a large number of pneumothoraces during the COVID-19 pandemic Conservative management may be appropriate if there are no clinical signs or symptoms of tension physiology and pneumothorax size is small
Amor Mundi: Reading Arendt Alongside Native American Philosophy

What is the significance of Arendt considering the title Amor Mundi for what we now are familiar with as The Human Condition? Read alongside Native American philosophers, it is clear that The Human Condition does not explain what it is like to love the world. Instead, it is a powerful genealogy of world alienation and earth alienation in the Western tradition. In other words, The Human Condition shows how Western thought lost and/or undermines amor mundi. By comparing and contrasting Arendt with Vine Deloria Jr. and Daniel Wildcat, we can better understand what Arendt means by the distinction between ‘world’ and ‘earth’ and see the (anthropocentric?) limitations of her concept of world. My claim is that reading these thinkers together enriches our understanding of world alienation, earth alienation, and amor mundi.
Abstract PO018: Restoring the tumor-suppressed immune response during chemotherapy by targeting Mer:PTP1b interactions

The development of adaptive immune checkpoint inhibitors, which prevent tumor-mediated inactivation of lymphocytes, has drastically improved outcomes for advanced cancer patients. However, only 20-30% of patients benefit from these treatments and those that do often present moderate toxicity and/or later relapse. After discovering a novel innate immune checkpoint, we have identified a therapeutic strategy to restore the tumor-suppressed immune response during chemotherapy. Here, we show that multiple tumor types (including melanoma, lung, breast and pancreatic cancers) co-cultured with murine primary macrophages suppress the expression of the essential Toll-like Receptor (TLR) signal-transducing adapter protein MyD88 by 57-81% +/- 2-5% (mean +/- SEM). In the absence of MyD88, macrophages are unable to respond to TLR stimulating Damage Associated Molecular Patterns (DAMPs) released by dying tumor cells after chemotherapy, leading to as much as 97% +/- 6% reduction in pro-inflammatory gene expression in our co-culture models. Tumors exert this suppression by activating the macrophage Mer receptor, inducing recruitment of a phosphatase, known as PTP1b, and Stat1 to Mer. Increasing association between PTP1b and Stat1 leads to reduced Stat1 phosphorylation and translocation to the nucleus as well as a downstream reduction in MyD88 expression. Treatment with a pharmacological inhibitor of PTP1b (BVT948) blocks the association of Mer, PTP1b and Stat1, restoring MyD88 expression and responsiveness to chemotherapy-released DAMPs. In chemotherapy-resistant murine syngeneic melanoma models, including B16F10 and GEMM6 (Braf V600E, Pten-/-), we show that combination therapy with BVT948 and Cisplatin or Vemurafenib, respectively, leads to a 47% reduction in tumor growth rates. Treating chemo- and immuno-therapy resistant Lewis Lung Cancer (LLC) tumor-bearing mice with combination BVT948/Cisplatin therapy leads to a similar reduction in tumor growth that is magnified with the addition of adaptive immune checkpoint blockade. In summary, we have described a novel mechanism of cancer-mediated immune suppression that dramatically reduces the immune response during chemotherapy. PTP1b inhibition could represent a novel therapeutic strategy to improve the effectiveness of conventional chemotherapy in patients with advanced malignancies. Citation Format: Nestor Prieto-Dominguez, Eric S. Ubil. Restoring the tumor-suppressed immune response during chemotherapy by targeting Mer:PTP1b interactions [abstract]. In: Abstracts: AACR Virtual Special Conference: Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2020 Oct 19-20. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2021;9(2 Suppl):Abstract nr PO018.
Development of Gamified, Interactive, Low-Cost, Flexible Virtual Microbiology Labs That Promote Higher-Order Thinking during Pandemic Instruction

The COVID-19 pandemic radically and without warning changed the laboratory learning environment for students and instructors Students were faced with having to be receptive to new learning methods;instructors scrambled to devise innovative ways of providing a realistic lab experience for students The demand for creative online teaching strategies and the expansion of gamified training platforms created an opportunity for the development of new and interactive lab experiences Current online labs offer some elements of a "real" lab experience, but a system that incorporates all the tools needed to create a realistic, immersive lab environment has yet to be developed This study examines using different gamification elements implemented in a PowerPoint-based platform There was no cost associated with the virtual lab and it could be easily downloaded, increasing accessibility In true gaming style, a student could "play" without restriction, without the limitations that accompany wet labs Students were challenged with various scenarios throughout the lab, making choices and receiving feedback through the process These features positively impacted student outcomes and improved engagement, as expressed in end-of-course evaluations The implementation also stressed the need for further development of embedded assessments, competitive and interactive opportunities for students, and access to detailed learning analytics for instructors
Unusual Specializations at Synapses with Comments on Functional Aspects

The present chapter will consider a number of cytological observations on certain unusual features which occur with some regularity at synapses in the dentate nucleus of the rhesus monkey and the rat. The fine structural features of these unusual specializations will be examined in detail, and wherever possible correlations will be made regarding their possible function. The reason for pursuing these topics is that which underlies the writing of this comprehensive volume—the desire to provide thorough treatment of significant subjects whether they be of a cytological, experimental, pharmacological, or physiological nature. Thus, this chapter is conveniently placed after the chapters on cytomorphometry, Golgi studies, electron microscopy, and before those on experiments with tracing of afferents and efferents, and experiments on biogenic amine and nonamine transmitters.
A Comparison of Two Total Fatigue Life Prediction Methods

A 2-D analytical model which is termed the PICC-RICC model combines the effects of plasticity-induced crack closure (PICC) and roughness-induced crack closure (RICC). The PICC-RICC model handles naturally the gradual transition from RICC to PICC dominated crack growth. In this study, the PICC-RICC model is combined with a crack nucleation model to predict the total fatigue life of a notched component. This modified PICC-RICC model will be used to examine several controversial aspects of an earlier, computationally simpler total-life model known as the IP model.
Experiments on dextrous manipulation without prior object models

In this paper we present a kinematic method for 6-degree-of-freedom manipulation of rigid objects using a dextrous robotic hand. Our method does not require prior models of the objects to be manipulated; all the information needed can be obtained directly from the hand's sensors. The method allows arbitrary (within the robot's physical limits) translations and rotations of the object, and its low computational cost makes real-time performance easy to achieve. We present experimental results of manipulation using the Utah/MIT hand, a 16-DOF dextrous manipulator, and show that with the addition of a Cartesian controller a high degree of accuracy can be attained.
Kinetics of Cell Fusion Induced by a Syncytia-Producing Mutant of Herpes Simplex Virus Type I

Abstract We have isolated a number of plaque-morphology mutants from a strain of herpes simplex virus type I which, unlike the wild type, cause extensive cell fusion during a productive viral infection. After the onset of fusion, there is an exponential decrease in the number of single cells as a function of time after infection. At a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 3.8 plaque-forming units per cell, fusion begins 5.3 h after infection with the number of single cells decreasing to 10% of the original number 10.2 h after infection. As the MOI is gradually increased from 0.4 to 8, the onset of fusion occurs earlier during infection. However, when the MOI is increased from 8 to 86, the onset of fusion does not occur any earlier. The rate of fusion is independent of the MOI for an MOI greater than 1. The rate of fusion varies linearly with initial cell density up to 3.5 × 104 cells/cm2 and is independent of initial cell density at higher cell concentrations. To assay cell fusion we have developed a simple quantitative assay using a Coulter counter to measure the number of single cells as a function of time after infection. Data obtained using a Coulter counter are similar to those obtained with a microscope assay.
Teacher Participation and Buy-in: Implications for School Reform Initiatives

The impetus for this study grew from assumptions about teacher participation in the implementation of comprehensive school reform initiatives and teacher buy-in. It is commonly believed that teachers who participate in reform implementation decisions will have increased buy-in, be more motivated to take action, and thus have greater impact on school reform. The purpose of this study was to explore these assumptions. Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM), a series of teacher participation variables were identified as possible predictors of buy-in. The model was run on three independent and longitudinal samples of teachers involved in New Jersey's whole school reform initiative over a two-year period (n = 671, n = 390, n = 454). Results indicated that teacher participation in program selection was not a strong predictor either of immediate or long-term buy-in. Training, support from program developers, support from staff members, administrator buy-in, and control over classroom implementation were stronger and more constant predictors of teacher buy-in to a school reform program. The findings of this study have implications for the implementation of comprehensive school reform initiatives.
A generalized slab-wise framework for parallel transmit multiband RF pulse design.

Purpose We propose a new slab-wise framework to design parallel transmit multiband pulses for volumetric simultaneous multislice imaging with a large field of view along the slice direction (FOVs). Theory and Methods The slab-wise framework divides FOVs into a few contiguous slabs and optimizes pulses for each slab. Effects of relevant design parameters including slab number and transmit B1 (B1+) mapping slice placement were investigated for human brain imaging by designing pulses with global or local SAR control based on electromagnetic simulations of a 7T head RF array. Pulse design using in vivo B1+ maps was demonstrated and evaluated with Bloch simulations. Results RF performance with respect to SAR reduction or B1+ homogenization across the entire human brain improved with increasing slabs; however, this improvement was nonlinear and leveled off at ∼12 slabs when the slab thickness reduced to ∼12 mm. The impact of using different slice placements for B1+ mapping was small. Conclusion Compared with slice-wise approaches where each of the many imaging slices requires both B1+ mapping and pulse optimization, the proposed slab-wise design framework attained comparable RF performance while drastically reducing the number of required pulses; therefore, it can be used to increase time efficiency for B1+ mapping, pulse calculation, and sequence preparation. Magn Reson Med, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.