cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Production of heparin related glycosaminoglycans by an established mammalian cell line

A sulfated glycosaminoglycan has been isolated from the acid-soluble fraction of an established line of Chinese hamster fibroblasts grown in suspension culture. This material has a molecular weight between 5000 and 10,000, contains equimolar amounts of hexosamine and uronic acid (orcinol method), and about 0.6 sulfate groups per hexosamine residue. About 80% of the sulfate groups are N-sulfates on the basis of lability of the sulfate and the formation of equivalent numbers of free amino groups upon mild acid hydrolysis. The material is completely resistant to testicular hyaluronidase but is degraded to reducing monosaccharides and small oligosaccharides upon treatment with lyophilized cells of Flavobacterium heparinum that were grown on heparin. It is thought, therefore, to be related to the known N-sulfated glycosaminoglycans heparin and heparitin sulfate.
Bio-inspired scheduling for dynamic job shops with flexible routing and sequence-dependent setups

Flexible routing requires scheduling to be responsive and robust. Multi-agent systems have the potential to achieve robustness and provide a means for real-time planning and scheduling. The objective of this paper is to propose a multi-agent scheduling system with a good solution quality and robustness. The proposed multi-agent approach is designed for dynamic job shops with routing flexibility and sequence-dependent setup. A bio-inspired strategy based on division of labour in insect societies is presented for coordination among agents. The strategy is accomplished using a computational model which is composed of response threshold, response intention, and machine-centred reinforcement learning. The bio-inspired scheduling is compared with an agent-based approach and a dispatching rule-based approach. The experiments were performed using simulation and statistical analysis. Results show that the proposed bio-inspired scheduling model performs better than the other two methods on all eight common scheduli...
Efficient Far-Field Radio Frequency Power Conversion System for Passively Powered Sensor Networks

An RF-DC power conversion system is designed in a 0.25mum CMOS technology to efficiently convert RF energy to DC voltages. The rectifier has 60% efficiency and can rectify input voltages as low as 50mV by using floating gate transistors as rectifying diodes. For distances of 15 meters, 1 volt DC is measured with 0.3muA load current at 906MHz. The system operates with 5.5muW (-22.6 dBm) received power, corresponding to 42 meters operating distance with a 4W source
A Living Systems Theory of Vocational Behavior and Development

Vocational psychology focuses on people thinking about careers, preparing for occupations, entering the world of work, pursuing and changing occupations, and leaving the world of work to devote what knowledge and energies they have to leisure activities that may resemble in content the work that they did for pay or which may involve quite different types of knowledge and skill (p. 6).
Intravesical suplatast tosilate (IPD-1151T) inhibits experimental bladder inflammation

Purpose: Interstitial cystitis is a painful bladder disease characterized by urgency, frequency and variable inflammation but there is no curative therapy. Suplatast tosilate (IPD-1151T) is an immunoregulatory compound that decreases interstitial cystitis symptoms but to our knowledge its mechanism of action is unknown. We investigated the effect of intravesical IPD-1151T on mediator release from bladder explants in experimental cystitis.Materials and Methods: A catheter was inserted into the bladder of female mice. After urine was emptied normal saline, carbachol (100 nM) or lipopolysaccharide (10 mg/ml) was introduced with or without 10-minute pretreatment with IPD-1151T. Urine was removed after 45 minutes for histamine and tumor necrosis factor-α assays. The bladder was removed after 4 hours, minced into 1 mm2 pieces and cultured with or without triggers overnight for mediator release. The effect of IPD-1151T was also tested on rat skin vascular permeability as well as on purified rat peritoneal mast c...
The Structural Determinants of Justifiable Homicide Assessing the Theoretical and Political Considerations

Although there is an abundance of research examining the influence of structural conditions on total homicides, less is known about the differential influence of structural conditions on homicides disaggregated by type. Justifiable homicide by civilians represents one type of homicide that has received little attention in the literature, particularly at the macro level. Given the debate about the role of guns in cases of self-defense, it is clear that this category of homicide is important to study for theoretical and practical reasons. The authors provide an empirical assessment of these issues using data from 188 U.S. cities with populations of more than 100,000. The findings indicate that cities with higher rates of violence, with more divorced men, and located in states with less restrictive gun laws on concealable firearms have higher rates of justifiable homicide. In addition, as cities increase the level of police per capita, justifiable homicide rates are significantly lowered. The implications of...
Efficient automated marshaling of C++ data structures for MPI applications

We present an automated approach for marshaling C++ data structures in high performance computing (HPC) applications. Our approach utilizes a graphical editor through which the user can express a subset of an object's state to be marshaled and sent across a network. Our tool, MPI serializer, then automatically generates efficient marshaling and unmarshaling code for use with the message passing interface (MPI), the predominant communication middleware for HPC systems. Our approach provides a more comprehensive level of support for C++ language features than the existing state of the art, and does so in full compliance with the C++ language standard. Specifically, we can marshal effectively and efficiently non-trivial language constructs such as polymorphic pointers, dynamically allocated arrays, non-public member fields, inherited members, and STL container classes. Additionally, our marshaling approach is also applicable to third party libraries, as it does not require any modifications to the existing C++ source code. We validate our approach through two case studies of applying our tool to automatically generate the marshaling functionality of two realistic HPC applications. The case studies demonstrate that the automatically generated code matches the performance of typical hand-written implementations and surpasses current state-of-the-art C++ marshaling libraries, in some cases by more than an order of magnitude. The results of our case studies indicate that our approach can be beneficial for both the initial construction of HPC applications as well as for the refactoring of sequential applications for parallel execution.
Classification of integrable one-component systems on associative algebras.

This paper is devoted to the complete classification of integrable one-component evolution equations whose field variable takes its values in an associative algebra. The proof that the list of non-commutative integrable homogeneous evolution equations is complete relies on the symbolic method. Each equation in the list has infinitely many local symmetries and these can be generated by its recursion (recursive) operator or master symmetry
Searching Algorithm of the Optimal Sensor Set in Wireless Sensor Network

This paper considers the problem of finding the optimal sensor set in an unknown environment with many redundant sensors. In this paper, an optimal searching algorithm based on genetic algorithm is proposed during the initial planning phase in sensor network. This algorithm can extend the network lifetime by maintaining the same coverage rate of the network with a necessary set of working sensors and turn off redundant ones. The simulation output shows that the algorithm can achieve optimal node selection in the target area and improve the sensor ability of the whole network at a low cost relatively
Rethinking Presidential Responsiveness: The Public Presidency and Rhetorical Congruency, 1953–2001

Several studies have examined the relationship between presidential action and public opinion; however, few explore a direct and continuous connection between presidential rhetoric and public opinion. To measure presidential rhetorical congruence with opinion, I construct a data set of matched opinion and policy statements from Presidents Eisenhower to Clinton. Confirming expectations (while contradicting others), I find no differences in congruent position taking between presidents who served earlier (Eisenhower to Ford) from those who served later (Carter to Clinton). Importantly, the election effect discovered in the president’s first term is repeated in the second term in advance of midterm or presidential elections. Methods of public communication present mixed results; statements made on television are less likely to be congruent with public opinion in the first term (but more likely in the second term) while statements made in public speeches are positive for second-term presidents, both points suggesting presidents do not “go quietly” into retirement.
Ambiguity and Non-uniqueness in Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics

The ambiguity and non-uniqueness of splitting fluxes and forces from the entropy generation equation raise confusion in nonequilibrium thermodynamics and misunderstanding of the Onsager reciprocal relationships. How- ever, they provide an opportunity to select different sets of fluxes and forces that represent a given nonequilibrium pro- cess. By symmetrization of the phenomenological coefficient matrix, one can always find a proper set of fluxes and forces. This paper shows how the implementation of the transformation theory can produce several different sets of fluxes and forces through many engineering examples such as ideal gas permeation through a membrane, reverse osmo- sis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, and simultaneous heat and mass transfer. Also, guidance is presented on how to study nonequilibrium thermodynamics for a given irreversible process together with a short summary of the principles of nonequilibrium thermodynamics. These contain the entropy generation equation, linear relations of fluxes and all gener- alized forces including the Curie theorem, and the Onsager reciprocal relationships.
LR RECURSIVE TRANSITION NETWORKS FOR EARLEY AND TOMITA PARSING

Efficient syntactic and semantic parsing for ambiguous context-free languages are generally characterized as complex, specialized, highly formal algorithms. In fact, they are readily constructed from straightforward recursive transition networks (RTNs). In this paper, we introduce LR-RTNs, and then computationally motivate a uniform progression from basic LR parsing, to Earley's (chart) parsing, concluding with Tomita's parser. These apparently disparate algorithms are unified into a single implementation, which was used to automatically generate all the figures in this paper.
Identification of N-terminal residues of Sonic hedgehog important for palmitoylation by Hedgehog Acyltransferase

Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) is a secreted morphogen that regulates embryonic development. After removal of the signal peptide, Shh is processed to the mature, active form through autocleavage and a series of lipid modifications, including the attachment of palmitate. Covalent attachment of palmitate to the N-terminal cysteine of Shh is catalyzed by Hedgehog acyltransferase (Hhat) and is critical for proper signaling. The sequences within Shh that are responsible for palmitoylation by Hhat are not known. Here we show that the first six amino acids of mature Shh (CGPGRG) are sufficient for Hhat-mediated palmitoylation. Alanine scanning mutagenesis was used to determine the role of each amino acid and the positional sequence requirement in a cell-based Shh palmitoylation assay. Mutation of residues in the GPGR sequence to Ala had no effect on palmitoylation, provided that a positively charged residue was present within the first seven residues. The N-terminal position exhibited a strong but not exclusive requirement for Cys. Constructs with an N-terminal Ala were not palmitoylated. However, an N-terminal Ser served as a substrate for Hhat, but not the Drosophila melanogaster ortholog Rasp, highlighting a critical difference between the mammalian and fly enzymes. These findings define residues and regions within Shh that are necessary for its recognition as a substrate for Hhat-mediated palmitoylation. Finally, we report the results of a bioinformatics screen to identify other potential Hhat substrates encoded in the human genome.
China’s Shoe Manufacturing and the Wenzhou Model: Perspectives on the World’s Leading Producer and Exporter of Footwear

A U.S.-based geographer and specialist on China advances his research on industrial districts and regional development by presenting a 2008 study of shoe manufacturing in Wenzhou (a major center in the world’s largest footwear producing and exporting country). More specifically, the author examines how the model of economic development pioneered in Wenzhou (the Wenzhou model) has been transformed in an effort to meet the challenges posed by the global economy. He argues that the scaling up of Wenzhou’s footwear industry, through the expansion of sales networks and factories across China and abroad, indicates that other adaptable city regions can overcome similar obstacles. The author challenges both the New Regionalism literature focused on local institutions and assets, as well as perspectives that overemphasize the benefits of globalization and global production networks.
Effects of Topology, Number and Location of Nodes, Population Density, and Stocking Duration on Hybrids’ Dispersal Across a Network

Hybridization between native cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki sp.) and introduced rainbow trout (O. mykiss) has been a topic of fisheries research for decades in the northern Rocky Mountains, USA. Several studies suggest that the likelihood of introgression at any location in a stream network is influenced by the distance between that location and the source of non-native genes, e.g., stocking locations or areas dominated by non-native or introgressed fish. The relationship between “distance to non-native source” and hybridization rates, however, is rarely quantified. Studies that attempt to quantify the relationship generally ignore the potential influence of stream network topology on gene movement. We have developed and applied an agent-based model that tracks the lineage and breeding location of individual fish over time, this simulating the movement of non-native genes among spawning locations within a stream network. The model considered both distances between spawning sites and network topology in determining non-natal spawning site selection by stocked and straying fish. Model results suggest that stream network topology has a strong influence on the relationship between “stream distance from genetic source” and “degree of hybridization” at spawning locations. However, the importance of topology varies depending on underlying model assumptions about, stocking duration, number and location of spawning grounds, population density, and spawning site fidelity, i.e., “straying rates,” within the river system.
Tissue-specific ecdysone responses: regulation of the Drosophila genes Eip28/29 and Eip40 during larval development.

The Drosophila genes Eip28/29 and Eip40 are expressed in Kc cells and are rapidly induced by the steroid hormone ecdysone. The molecular basis for Eip28/299s regulation in those cells has been studied in some detail. To determine how this regulation relates to normal development, we have examined the expression of both genes throughout Drosophila development, with special attention to Eip28/29 and the final larval instar. Eip28/29 expression is complex; there are tissues in which it is never expressed, others in which it is continuously expressed at a low level and tissues in which its expression is regulated without obvious relationship to endocrine events. However high-level Eip28/29 expression always correlates with the presence of ecdysone and there is good evidence that Eip28/29 is directly regulated by the hormone in some tissues and at some stages. Most striking are the induction of Eip28/29 transcripts in numerous tissues at the last larval molt, their induction in the epidermis at the time of the ‘late 3rd transition’, their extinction in the same tissue by the premetamorphic ecdysone peak, and their induction by that peak in the lymph gland, hemocytes and proventriculus. These contrasting regulatory behaviors provide a well-defined model for studying the developmental specificity of steroid responses. Eip40 appears to be ecdysone-inducible only in the lymph gland and there only at the premetamorphic peak. The similarities been Eip28/29 and Eip40 regulation in the lymph gland and Kc cells support the idea that Kc cells are derived from a hematopoietic ancestor.
Origins of the Prohibition of Pork Consumption: A Note

The Biblical prohibition of pork consumption has motivated archaeologists to look for clues in the pig fraction of the faunal remains of farm animals to identify the time and place of its inception so that corresponding socio-political events may be used to determine how and why this prohibition came about. Although significant advances have been made in the archeozoology of pigs in recent years (Sapir-Hen, 2013), the statistical analysis of pig fractions in faunal data still follows Caroline Grigson’s set of arbitrary heuristics (Grigson, 1982). These heuristics do not adequately address the uncertainty in the data. This note proposes an alternative analysis of pig fractions in faunal remains that improves statistical confidence in the conclusions.
Improving endoscopy completion: effectiveness of an interactive voice response system.

Objective To test whether an interactive voice response (IVR) system phone call was equally effective as a nurse-delivered phone call at educating and preparing patients for flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) and colonoscopy examinations. Study design Three-arm randomized controlled trial. Methods The trial included patients with upcoming FS or colonoscopy appointments to test the equivalence of an IVR system to nurse-delivered phone calls in reducing appointment nonattendance and inadequate preparation for an examination. Message timing and satisfaction with the intervention were assessed. The 3 study conditions included the following: nurse phone call 7 days before the procedure, IVR system call 7 days before the procedure, and IVR system call 3 days before the procedure. All calls included an appointment reminder, information about preparation for the examination, and encouragement to prepare for and attend the examination. Results A total of 3610 patients were eligible for the study; of these, 1229 (34%) were scheduled for FS and 2381 (66%) for colonoscopy. There were no statistically significant differences across the 3 study arms in appointment attendance or adherence to preparation instructions. Significantly more patients in IVR conditions reported neutral perceptions about the phone calls, and more patients receiving nurse calls reported very positive perceptions about the phone calls. Conclusion An IVR system call is as effective as a nurse phone call for ensuring that patients attend appointments and are adequately prepared for endoscopy examinations.
Now more than ever, this planet needs truly inclusive community development efforts that tolerate, embrace – even celebrate – difference

AbstractCommunity development scholars and practitioners need to direct more attention to diversity to address the challenges of our past, present, and future. The Community Development Society’s Principles of Good Practice should be used as a framework, but this approach needs to be continuously reviewed and reinvigorated. This essay was prepared as the Presidential Address for the 2015 conference of the Community Development Society held in Lexington, Kentucky.
Kinetics of D-aspartic acid release from rat cortical synaptosomes

A kinetic study has been made of the release ofd-aspartate from rat cortical synaptosomes following pre-loading with labelled D-aspartate, and the results compared to a previous study of the release of the acidic amino acids glutamate plus aspartate following pre-loading with labeledl-glutamate. Qualitatively, the results of the two studies are similar. The D-aspartate taken up during the preload period appears to be totally releasable. However, release is greatly increased by depolarizing media. The increased rate of release induced by increasing [K]o is independent of the [Ca]o, while veratrine-induced release is inhibited by [Ca]o. Release is from more than a single compartment, since plots of the log10 of the synaptosomal D-aspartate content (calculated from the label content) as a function of the incubation time are non-linear for all incubation solutions. In the previous study which utilizedl-glutamate pre-loading, the results were consistent with either a model consisting of two passive compartments (that is, synaptosomal content T as a function of time is given by Ae−Kat+Be−Kbt, in which A and B are compartment sizes, Ka and Kb are exchange constants, and t is incubation time) or a model consisting of one passive compartment (Ae−Kat) and one saturated carrier compartment (T-Kbt, in which T=total content at zero time and Kb=maximal velocity). The present results withd-aspartate also give excellent fits to these models. However, there are some quantitative differences in the estimates of the compartment sizes and exchange constants, which are obtained by optimizing the fit of the data to the equation for each model. Although most of these quantitative differences appear to be minor, one difference between the two studies is of potential significance in interpretation of the results. In the glutamate study, all depolarizing media were found to reduce the exchange constant for the carrier mechanism, while in the present study, depolarizing media were found to increase the exchange constant, with the exception of veratrine-containing medium without calcium.
Our Personal Relationships From Training to Practice: Defining True Success

A noted motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar often finished his talks on achieving one’s dreams with a story [(1)][1]. He told of a young boy trying to walk on the railroad tracks and falling off after a few steps. However, when the boy had a partner against whom to push off, the 2 could walk for
Diversification strategies for hospital pharmacies.

Several ways used by the pharmacy department of a large university hospital to generate revenue through diversification are described. The department offers its facilities and staff as a resource in training medical service representatives for several pharmaceutical manufacturers, which is projected to provide $85,000 in net income for fiscal year (FY) 1983-84. The pharmacy department also conducts a six-month program for training pharmacy technicians, which yields a small net profit. The pharmacy department actively participates in educational programs such as college courses and clerkships earning extra income. An apothecary-style outpatient pharmacy was set up under a for-profit corporation. Services have been expanded to include the preparation of i.v. solutions that support home care. A durable medical equipment (DME) business is planned. The ambulatory and home-care programs are expected to generate approximately $165,000 in net profit next year. Contract pharmaceutical services are provided to another hospital. The net income generated through diversification in this pharmacy department will exceed $250,000 in FY 1983-84.
Renovascular hypertension: Comparison of medical and surgical therapy

1. Results of medical and surgical therapy were compared in 28 patients with hypertension and unilateral renovascular ischaemia. 2. Renal function remained normal in both groups throughout the study period. After 6 months of follow-up systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly lower in the surgically treated patients. After 12 months of follow-up there was no significant difference between the two groups in diastolic blood pressure and after 24 months of follow-up there was no significant difference between the two groups in either systolic or diastolic blood pressure. 3. Sixty per cent of surgically treated patients were cured 6 months after operation, but only 40% remained cured after 24 months of follow-up. 4. All patients cured at 6 months who subsequently required antihypertensive medication had arteriosclerotic renovascular disease.
Pre-hospital assessment with ultrasound in emergencies: implementation in the field

Author(s): Rooney, Kevin P; Lahham, Sari; Lahham, Shadi; Anderson, Craig L; Bledsoe, Bryan; Sloane, Bryan; Joseph, Linda; Osborn, Megan B; Fox, John C | Abstract: BackgroundPoint-of-care ultrasound (US) is a proven diagnostic imaging tool in the emergency department (ED). Modern US devices are now more compact, affordable and portable, which has led to increased usage in austere environments. However, studies supporting the use of US in the prehospital setting are limited. The primary outcome of this pilot study was to determine if paramedics could perform cardiac ultrasound in the field and obtain images that were adequate for interpretation. A secondary outcome was whether paramedics could correctly identify cardiac activity or the lack thereof in cardiac arrest patients.MethodsWe performed a prospective educational study using a convenience sample of professional paramedics without ultrasound experience. Eligible paramedics participated in a 3-hour session on point-of-care US. The paramedics then used US during emergency calls and saved the scans for possible cardiac complaints including: chest pain, dyspnea, loss of consciousness, trauma, or cardiac arrest.ResultsFour paramedics from two distinct fire stations enrolled a total of 19 unique patients, of whom 17 were deemed adequate for clinical decision making (89%, 95%CI 67%-99%). Paramedics accurately recorded 17 cases of cardiac activity (100%, 95%CI 84%-100%) and 2 cases of cardiac standstill (100%, 95%CI 22%-100%).ConclusionOur pilot study suggests that with minimal training, paramedics can use US to obtain cardiac images that are adequate for interpretation and diagnose cardiac standstill. Further large-scale clinical trials are needed to determine if prehospital US can be used to guide care for patients with cardiac complaints.
Cooperation Between Supranational Regulators and Interlocutory Coalitions. Issues of Accountability and Legitimacy

This chapter sets out to review shortcomings of accountability and legitimacy in civil society actors operating at the supranational level, and to discuss the extent to which coalitions of such actors may be considered as a remedy to these problems. In order to do so, this chapter defines the concept of accountability by pointing at its diverse aspects, and makes a distinction between two forms of accountability, namely: functional and strategic. This chapter describes how supranational coalitions of civil society actors attempt to be perceived as functionally and strategically accountable, e.g. by limiting the exposure to donors’ influence, or by introducing self-monitoring mechanisms. The second part of this chapter discusses the issue of legitimacy. This chapter attempts to counter the opinion that the (presumed) illegitimacy of supranational regulators is due to the absence of democratic mandate by global civil society. In this respect, this chapter briefly introduces the “Global Reflexive Interactive Democracy” (GRID) model to understand how it may anticipate the role played by the supranational coalitions of civil society actors in supporting the legitimacy of supranational regulators. The conclusive remarks of this chapter recollect the issues that are left unresolved by the attempts to enhance accountability and legitimacy through cooperation between supranational regulators and the supranational coalitions of civil society actors. It is explained that the latter thus far provide the best, and perhaps the only, answer to the problems of accountability and legitimacy of the former.
Field-scale remote sensing of soil moisture based on polarimetric characterization of microwave reflections

A field-scale remote soil moisture sensing technique that exploits polarization mode dispersion (PMD) associated with radio frequency (RF) signal propagation is considered in this paper. Microwave polarization responses from rough surface scattering are quantified using a dual-polarized receiver system to estimate PMD responses. Changes in PMD response are elicited by changes in the dielectric properties due to soil moisture changes. The ability of PMD characterizations to remotely detect changes in soil moisture, with responses that exhibit good correlation to ground probe measurements, is demonstrated using a prototype with widely separated transmitter/receiver system deployed at the MATERHORN field experiments conducted at the US Army Dugway Proving Ground, Utah.
Upregulation of Glucose-Regulated Protein 78 in Metastatic Cancer Cells Is Necessary for Lung Metastasis Progression

Metastasis is the cause of more than 90% of all cancer deaths. Despite this fact, most anticancer therapeutics currently in clinical use have limited efficacy in treating established metastases. Here, we identify the endoplasmic reticulum chaperone protein, glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), as a metastatic dependency in several highly metastatic cancer cell models. We find that GRP78 is consistently upregulated when highly metastatic cancer cells colonize the lung microenvironment and that mitigation of GRP78 upregulation via short hairpin RNA or treatment with the small molecule IT-139, which is currently under clinical investigation for the treatment of primary tumors, inhibits metastatic growth in the lung microenvironment. Inhibition of GRP78 upregulation and an associated reduction in metastatic potential have been shown in four highly metastatic cell line models: three human osteosarcomas and one murine mammary adenocarcinoma. Lastly, we show that downmodulation of GRP78 in highly metastatic cancer cells significantly increases median survival times in our in vivo animal model of experimental metastasis. Collectively, our data indicate that GRP78 is an attractive target for the development of antimetastatic therapies.
Trends in the design, development, and use of digital curriculum materials

We explore questions around the design, development, and dissemination of digital curriculum materials, the perspectives in these areas, and how these perspectives align with broader discourses in education. We identify and briefly describe four perspectives: (1) designer perspective; (2) policy perspective; (3) private sector perspective (e.g., publishers and philanthropists); and (4) user (teachers and schools) perspective. We discuss how these perspectives converge and diverge by looking at the different features of curriculum materials emphasized by each perspective and the reasons for these emphases. The discussion and findings speak to the promise of digital programs as well as limitations related to the rationales related to the development, dissemination and use of digital curriculum resources. The emergence of a dominant perspective speaks to broader concerns about educational priorities being formulated according to a market-based rationality.
Selecting the selector: Comparison of update rules for discrete global optimization

We compare some well-known Bayesian global optimization methods in four distinct regimes, corresponding to high and low levels of measurement noise and to high and low levels of “quenched noise” (which term we use to describe the roughness of the function we are trying to optimize). We isolate the two stages of this optimization in terms of a “regressor,” which fits a model to the data measured so far, and a “selector,” which identifies the next point to be measured. The focus of this paper is to investigate the choice of selector when the regressor is well matched to the data.
Genotype and anesthetic determine mate choice in drosophila melanogaster

Genetic differences that influence mating preferences were studied in genetically defined lines ofDrosophila melanogaster. Initial results suggested substantial differences between two types of females with respect to the types of male preferred as mates, but further experimentation showed that the mating patterns were conditional on the mode of anethesia (CO2 versus ether). In a statistical test of independence, the major determinant of mating choice in these experiments was due to an interaction effect between genotypes and mode of anesthesia. The observations might be explained by the differential sensitivity of male genotypes to ether. Etherization at emergence has lasting effects on mating behavior; it alters not only the latency and frequency of mating 4 days later, but also the pattern of matings observed.
Prediabetes: An Emerging Risk Factor for Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract Prediabetes affects almost 40% of the United States, a significant proportion of the population. While most readily recognize the risks imposed by diabetes mellitus, fewer clinicians and patients recognize the potential risks associated with being diagnosed with prediabetes. Diabetes causes both micro- and macrovascular complications. The prevention of these complications serves as a significant target of evidence-based guidelines. Data continue to emerge that many of these classic complications associated with diabetes mellitus actually initiate and potentially manifest during the prediabetic state. Even marginally elevated blood glucose levels increase systemic inflammation and with atherosclerosis being a type of arterial injury and its inflammatory response, it should come as no surprise that prediabetics have a greater atherosclerotic burden than their normal glycemic counterparts. Furthermore, many patients who initially present with a myocardial infarction are found to be prediabetic, and prediabetics experience more cardiovascular events after having a myocardial infarction. In diabetics, silent myocardial infarctions represent the intersection of the recognizing macro- and microvascular complications. Emerging data indicate that prediabetics also develop silent myocardial infarctions. The most efficacious means available to prevent the risks imposed by prediabetes and prevent the progression to overt diabetes mellitus remains exercise and dietary changes. With a substantial segment of the population being prediabetic, public health measures should continue to reinforce the critical nature of a heart healthy lifestyle featuring exercise and prudent dietary choices to prevent the cardiovascular morbidity and mortality associated with an abnormal blood glucose level.
Understanding the Parent-Child Relationship during the Transition into College and Emerging Adulthood Using the Relational Turbulence Theory

Emerging adulthood presents individuals with increased levels of relational uncertainty, perceived interference, and feelings of conflict or turbulence, especially within the parent-child dyad as c...
Where Manhood Lies

This chapter surveys the academic literature on “black male feminism,” with a critical focus on the foundational work of literary critic and cultural historian Michael Awkward since the 1990s. Contrasting readings are presented of scholars David Marriott on “blackness and deathliness” and the late Aime Ellis on the pursuit of freedom through “death-dealing violence” and “death-discovering sex” between and among black men.
Erratum for George et al., "Interactions of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium and Pectobacterium carotovorum within a Tomato Soft Rot"

Volume 84, no. 5, e01913-17, 2018, [https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.01913-17][1]. Page 1: The article byline should read as given above. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1128/AEM.01913-17
Monoclonal Antibodies and Molecular Genetics

Two developing disciplines, recombinant DNA and monoclonal antibodies, have been at the forefront of the rapid expansion in biotechnology during the past few years. These techniques are, in fact, complementary with regard to the detailed information on the structure of biological macromolecules that they provide. The application of recombinant DNA techniques has given details of gene structure, including the existence of introns (intervening sequences), the recombination taking place during the rearrangement of genes in B-lymphocyte ontogeny, and the structure of specific transcription, RNA splicing, and translation signal sequences that were, for all practical purposes, previously unobtainable (Leder et al., 1982). On the other hand, monoclonal antibodies have made it possible to detect, isolate, and characterize new gene products as well as provide ways to study individual antigenic determinants (epitopes) on specific macromolecules in more detail (Kennett, 1981). It is evident that a more complete understanding of the relationships between gene structure and function will come more quickly as a combination of these technologies is applied to a variety of questions in cell and molecular biology. We will review applications in which monoclonal antibodies are being used to analyze details of molecular structure and how this technology interacts with recombinant DNA technology.
PHARMACOLOGY AND TOXICOLOGY OF OCTOPAMINE RECEPTORS IN INSECTS

Abstract The comparative pharmacology of octopamine-dependent adenylate cyclase was investigated in two insect preparations, the firefly ( Photinus pyralis ) light organ and the central nervous system of the larval tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta . The Ka values for octopamine in these two preparations were 2.5 M and 3.0 M, respectively while those for the formamidine, Ndemethyl chlordimeform, were 0.47 M and 0.033 M. This compound is therefore a potent octopaminergic agonist, particularly in the lepidopteran central nervous system. Structure-activity relations for a number of substituted-phenyl N-methyl formamidines were qualitatively similar in the two preparations and closely paralleled those for the behavioral and lethal effects caused by these, and related compounds, in insects and acarines. However, not only were there important differences between these two preparations in their sensitivities to formamidines, but they also responded differently to octopaminergic blocking agents and to another group of agonists, the phenyl imidazolines. Such differences have important implications in studying the toxicological significance of octopaminergic agonists in different invertebrate species.
Investigating the relationship between VEX robotics and student self-efficacy: an initial look

Millions of dollars and countless hours of effort have been invested by school leaders and other stakeholders worldwide seeking to increase students’ enthusiasm toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through educational robotics competitions. The largest of these competitions is the VEX Robotics Competition (VRC). Little research has been done on the relationship between participation in robotics competitions and educational impacts for participants. This paper presents an initial look at whether participation in VRCs is related to student self-efficacy and educational choices. Three research phases have been achieved toward this end. Phase 1 was to identify tasks necessary for students to successfully compete in VRCs. The researchers conducted an Occupational Task Analysis to identify these tasks. Phase 2 was the development of an instrument to measure student self-efficacy, utilizing task statements identified in Phase 1. An initial survey instrument was developed and piloted, and factor analysis was used to ensure high construct validity in the final self-efficacy instrument. The final instrument showed very high reliability for an instrument measuring the affective domain. The third and final phase was to collect initial data to explore the relationship between VRC participation and self-efficacy, and to determine what factors may be important for continuing investigation. The results obtained in Phase 3 supported further investigation of several important variables and appeared to show a correlation between longer VRC participation and improved selfefficacy. The researchers plan to continue collecting data and investigating VRC participants’ self-efficacy and its relationship to students’ educational choices and postsecondary success.
Abstract 4860: A novel class of small-molecule inhibitors of galectin-1 for prostate cancer therapy

Galectin-1 (Gal-1) is a multifunctional carbohydrate-binding protein and plays a key role in cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, tumor angiogenesis and evasion of immune responses. It is also directly involved in the process of angiogenesis and tumor immune escape. An elevated level of Gal-1 has been found in many cancers, including prostate cancer. We show by immunohistochemistry in human prostate tissue that Gal-1 expression level was very low in all non-tumor samples and highly expressed in prostate cancer tissues. In addition, Gal-1 was progressively upregulated from low- , intermediate- to high-grade prostate cancer. Taken together, Gal-1 is an excellent therapeutic target against cancer. Yet, no inhibitors against Gal-1 have been approved by the FDA for cancer treatment due to lack of potent, specific and in vivo effective molecules. We recently discovered a novel small-molecule inhibitor of Gal-1, named LLS2, through a high-throughput one-bead two-compound combinatorial library approach. LLS2 exhibits cytotoxic activity against prostate cancer and ovarian cancer cells. We synthesized a series of LLS2 analogs and performed structure-activity relationship studies, leading to a more potent inhibitor LLS30 that induced apoptosis in castration-resistant prostate cancer cells expressing high levels of Gal-1. Molecular modeling study showed LLS30 bound to the sugar-binding groove of Gal-1. In enzalutamide (ENZ)-resistant 22Rv1 prostate cancer cells expressing high levels of Gal-1 and androgen receptor (AR) splice variants, LLS30 could inhibit expression of AR splice variants and sensitize the cells to ENZ in a dose-dependent manner. Downregulation of Gal-1 by siRNA prevented the expression of alternatively spliced AR variants. More importantly, LLS30 showed potent in vivo antitumor efficacy and synergistic activities with docetaxel and ENZ against PC-3 and 22Rv1 prostate cancer models, respectively. Blood chemistry test from the treated animal showed minimum effect of LLS30 on the liver and kidney functions, implying low toxicity. LLS30 is an excellent drug candidate for preclinical development as a novel prostate cancer therapeutic. Citation Format: Ruiwu Liu, Tsung-Chieh Shih, Sophie Kiss, Xiaocen Li, Ting Wang, Jonathan S. Huynh, Chun-Te Wu, Yong Duan, Paramita M. Ghosh, Kit S. Lam. A novel class of small-molecule inhibitors of galectin-1 for prostate cancer therapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4860.
A prospective analysis of germline alterations (GA) in biliary tract cancer (BTC).

4085Background: The incidence of hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes in patients (pts) with BTC is unknown. Cholangiocarcinoma has been reported in pts with germline mutations in BAP1, BRCA1...
Plasma cytokeratin-18 concentrations as noninvasive biomarker of early gastrointestinal toxicosis in dogs receiving toceranib.

BACKGROUND No biomarkers for the early detection of gastrointestinal (GI) toxicosis secondary to antineoplastic treatment are recognized in veterinary medicine. Toceranib causes GI toxicosis in dogs. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVE To assess if changes in plasma cytokeratin 18 (CK18) concentration, measured in dogs being treated with toceranib phosphate, can predict the onset of GI toxicosis. We hypothesize that an increase in CK18 concentrations will be detected before the development of GI toxicosis in dogs treated with toceranib phosphate. ANIMALS Twenty healthy client-owned dogs and 25 client-owned dogs with surgically excised mast cell tumor (MCT). METHODS Prospective cohort study. Dogs were treated with toceranib (2.75 mg/kg PO q48h). Plasma was collected weekly for 4 weeks. Plasma CK18 concentration was measured on days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28. vascular endothelial growth factor was measured on days 0 and 28. RESULTS Mean plasma CK18 concentration on day 0 in dogs with MCT was not significantly different than healthy controls (313.5 ± 592.8 pg/mL, 119.7 ± 76.9 pg/mL, mean ± SD P = 0.27). Mean plasma CK18 concentration decreased by 98.69 pg/mL from day 0 to day 28 (P < 0.001). Plasma CK18 concentration was not a significant predictor of the development of signs of GI toxicosis. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE Plasma CK18 concentration was not a clinically useful biomarker for the early detection of GI toxicosis secondary to toceranib administration in dogs with MCTs.
How to see art through the eyes of an avatar: Cao Fei's progression to online immersion

Between 2004 and 2011, artist Cao Fei constructed an art-based theoretical framework that serves as a foyer into discussing online immersive environments. Spurred on by the colloquially reductive definitions of online worlds, and the lack of theoretical framework surrounding the experience of art through an avatar, this article aims to create a linguistic and theoretical framework for understanding these worlds and intersections. The following article divides the framework into three stages that subsequently become the three sections of this study: the World of fantasy, the World in flux, and the World as informational. In these three stages, Cao Fei utilises the theme of cosplay and its associated fantasy to uncover its function in determinant and material space, online immersive space, and a hybrid of both spaces. This paper makes a case for the significance of online immersive spaces as a technological evolution and shows the possibilities for creating meaning within.
Gene therapy with apoptosis-associated speck-like protein, a newly described schwannoma tumor suppressor, inhibits schwannoma growth in vivo.

Background We evaluated apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) as a schwannoma tumor suppressor and explored its utilization in a schwannoma gene therapy strategy that may be translated to clinical use. Methods ASC protein expression and mRNA level were assessed in human schwannoma by immunohistochemistry and quantitative PCR, respectively. Methylation- specific PCR was used to assess ASC promoter methylation. The effect of ASC overexpression in schwannoma cells was evaluated through ATP-based viability, lactate dehydrogenase release, and apoptosis staining. Western blotting and colorimetric assay were used to test the effect of ASC overexpression on endogenous pro-apoptotic pathways. Bioluminescence imaging, behavioral testing, and immunohistochemistry in human xenograft and murine allograft schwannoma models were used to examine the efficacy and toxicity of intratumoral injection of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector encoding ASC. Results ASC expression was suppressed via promoter methylation in over 80% of the human schwannomas tested. ASC overexpression in schwannoma cells results in cell death and is associated with activation of endogenous caspase-9, caspase-3, and upregulation of BH3 interacting-domain death agonist. In a human xenograft schwannoma model, AAV1-mediated ASC delivery reduced tumor growth and resolved tumor-associated pain without detectable toxicity, and tumor control was associated with reduced Ki67 mitotic index and increased tumor-cell apoptosis. Efficacy of this schwannoma gene therapy strategy was confirmed in a murine schwannoma model. Conclusion We have identified ASC as a putative schwannoma tumor suppressor with high potential clinical utility for schwannoma gene therapy and generated a vector that treats schwannomas via a novel mechanism that does not overlap with current treatments.