cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of Allergic Inflammation in a Murine Model of Asthma Is Dependent on the Costimulatory Receptor Ox40

Asthma is thought to result from an abnormal expansion of CD4 T cells reactive with airborne allergens, and pathology is controlled by several cytokines of the T helper type 2 (Th2) family. The exact molecules which are involved in generating allergen-reactive T cells are not clear. Studies with blocking reagents or knockout animals have shown that the CD28/B7 interaction partially controls development of allergic asthma in mouse models, but may not be the sole molecule involved. In this report, we have investigated the role of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family member OX40 in allergic inflammation using OX40-deficient mice. OX40 has been shown to participate in regulating clonal expansion and memory development of CD4 T cells and may synergize with CD28. Our studies demonstrate that OX40−/− mice, primed with the model allergen ovalbumin and challenged through the airways with aerosolized antigen, are severely impaired in their ability to generate a Th2 response characterized by high levels of interleukin (IL)-5, IL-4, and immunoglobulin E. Moreover, OX40−/− mice exhibit diminished lung inflammation, including an 80–90% reduction in eosinophilia and mucus production, less goblet cell hyperplasia, and significantly attenuated airway hyperreactivity. These studies highlight the potential importance of OX40 in development of allergic asthma and suggest that targeting OX40 may prove useful therapeutically.
A SHAPE-BASED FINITE IMPULSE RESPONSE MODEL FOR FUNCTIONAL BRAIN IMAGES

We present a new finite impulse response (FIR) model for hemodynamics in functional brain images. Like other FIR models, our method permits a flexible formulation of the hemodynamic response. The distinctive feature of this model is that the shape information of the canonical HRF is imposed on the FIR, with little loss of flexibility. Model fitting involves minimizing quadratic error under linear constraints. Our model proves more robust to noise on both synthetic data and real data, in contrast to other FIR models.
Motives For Employee Profit Sharing Schemes In The U.S., U.K. And Canada

This paper discusses different motives for profit sharing adoption in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., and analyzes employment-based factors that could contribute to these differences. Motives for profit sharing are classified into two groups: motivational and non-motivational. A theoretical model is presented that suggests a firm’s ability to use profit sharing for non-motivational purposes is limited by the status of domestic employment-related factors. The analytical review indicates that the non-motivational use of profit sharing is limited by the status of employment-related factors in each of the studied countries. However, the non-motivational use of profit sharing is probable if higher labor productivity is expected through other means. Implication of the results is discussed for future studies in this area.
MICROTUBULE POLYMERIZATION DYNAMICS

The polymerization dynamics of microtubules are central to their biological functions. Polymerization dynamics allow microtubules to adopt spatial arrangements that can change rapidly in response to cellular needs and, in some cases, to perform mechanical work. Microtubules utilize the energy of GTP hydrolysis to fuel a unique polymerization mechanism termed dynamic instability. In this review, we first describe progress toward understanding the mechanism of dynamic instability of pure tubulin and then discuss the function and regulation of microtubule dynamic instability in living cells.
Segmentation in the perception and memory of events

People make sense of continuous streams of observed behavior in part by segmenting them into events. Event segmentation seems to be an ongoing component of everyday perception. Events are segmented simultaneously at multiple timescales, and are grouped hierarchically. Activity in brain regions including the posterior temporal and parietal cortex and lateral frontal cortex increases transiently at event boundaries. The parsing of ongoing activity into events is related to the updating of working memory, to the contents of long-term memory, and to the learning of new procedures. Event segmentation might arise as a side effect of an adaptive mechanism that integrates information over the recent past to improve predictions about the near future.
Targeting frequency for deletion vectors in embryonic stem cells.

Abstract We analyzed the gene targeting frequencies and recombination products generated by a series of replacement deletion vectors which target the hprt (hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase) locus in mouse embryonic stem cells. We found that the targeting frequency of a 19.2-kb deletion was comparable to that of a 3-kb deletion or a conventional replacement event in which a 1.7-kb fragment was inserted into the locus. We also observed different integration patterns for these deletion vectors. A result of this finding is that a wide range of genomic deletions in embryonic stem cells is feasible.
A retrospective evaluation Darwin comes to American psychiatry: Evolutionary biology and Adolf Meyer

Concepts derived from evolutionary biology revolutionized psychiatry just as they had overturned the foundations of every other scientific and intellectual discipline. Darwinism transformed American psychiatric thinking through the theories of Adolf Meyer. Between his arrival in America from Switzerland in 1892 and his appointment to the Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1908, Meyer established an approach that called for a shift from neuroanatomy and the laboratory to psychobiology—the developmental study of the patient and his environment. Darwin's influence can be found in the three principles of psychobiology: (1) the genetic or historical method, (2) the focus on the environmental context of behavior, and (3) the view of insanity as maladaptation. Meyer's ideas molded psychiatry into its current form but have become so solidly incorporated into theory and practice that the extent of their influence is often overlooked.
Extensive performance on the antisaccade task does not lead to negative transfer

Executive-control processes regulate thoughts, emotions, actions, and behaviors that are critical for everyday functioning. Recently, researchers have suggested that these processes can be flexibly modified by tasks that require executive control. Specifically, it has been argued that executive-control tasks can deplete these executive-control processes, which can in turn lead to negative transfer on subsequent task performance. Importantly, the degrees of malleability in executive-control processes and transfer to different tasks are of ongoing debate. The present study critically examined the hypothesis that executive-control processes can be exerted and whether or not this exertion would negatively transfer to performance on various subsequent tasks. Across a series of experiments, negative transfer effects from extensive performance on the antisaccade task were not found. Traditional hypothesis testing and Bayes factor computations were used to validate these findings. Collectively, the present results put in question the use of the antisaccade task to observe both near and far negative transfer from using executive-control processes.
Enhancing Web Caching Using Web Usage Mining Techniques

Performance and other service quality attributes are crucial to user satisfaction of web services. Web Mining provides the key to un- derstanding web traffic behavior, which in turn explain the increasing interest in this domain and its high number of its possible applications. In this paper, we apply Web Usage Mining techniques to propose an intelligent caching solution with the goal of improving the quality of ser- vice of web sites. We found that empowering caching with a prefetching engine that predicates the components of pages to be used in the near future by users can enhance web sites performances. This is allowed by analyzing the historical of navigation of a web site reported in log files and by determining the set of components to be sollicitated in the future using frequent closed itemsets.
Necessary Elements for Mediation

In the best of all circumstances, negotiation and mediation can enable disputants to resolve disputes by finding consensus. At other times, only difficult compromises may make a negotiated settlement possible. In either case, a mediation process may offer a particularly attractive and productive alternative to destructively adversarial modes of decision-making. Mediation and negotiation, however, cannot resolve all disputes. In the worst cases, failure to successfully conclude a negotiation or mediation effort can actually complicate the conflict situation or lead to higher levels of destructive interaction. In addition, the disputants may blame the mediator for both the escalation of conflict and the failure of negotiations.
Trophic Level Effects on Species Diversity in Arthropod Communities of Forest Canopies

Species diversity for arthropod communities inhabiting white pine and coppice canopies was measured using the Shannon Wiener information theory index, H(s), the Margalef index, D, and the Pielou evenness index, J'. The 2 insect orders Coleoptera and Hymenoptera were investigated. The general index H(s) was significantly higher for the more diverse coppice stand than for the white pine monoculture, and was significantly higher for Hymenoptera than for Coleoptera. The other 2 indices demonstrated that differences in diversity between watersheds were due to greater species richness in the coppice, while differences between insect orders were due to greater evenness of individuals in the Hymenoptera. Since the Coleoptera were principally herbivores and the Hymenoptera predator-parasites, results can be interpreted in a trophic level context. It is suggested that, in a plant monoculture, low diversity is not propagated along food chains but rather is recovered at higher trophic levels.
RF-Magnetron Sputtered Strontium Titanate: Structure, Processing and Property Relationships

The low frequency dielectric properties of epitaxial SrTiO3 thin films deposited on LaAlO3 are presented. The films were deposited using radio-frequency magnetron sputtering from stoichiometric targets in an Ar/O2 atmosphere. For the first time, the effects of in situ ozone annealing during the early stages of deposition were explored. X-ray diffraction results indicated that the ozone treatment resulted in more symmetric and sharper diffraction peaks (2 Θ- FWHM decreased from 0.17° to 0.10°). In addition, the peaks for the ozone treated samples were shifted in 2 Θ towards values approaching the bulk value. Rutherford backscattering measurements showed Sr/Ti ratios of 1:1 for these samples, indicating these peak shifts are not due to compositional variations. The dielectric constant of the ozone treated samples increased from 275 at room temperature to 1175 at 22 K (measured at 100 kHz). The effective loss tangent of the device remained between 1 × 10−4 and 1 × 10−3 down to 100 K, where it began to increase. The tunability was also measured. The ozone treated sample showed tunability of 46%, 43% and 38% at 22 K, 40 K and 60 K, respectively. Finally, similar measurements were completed at 1 MHz, indicating a minimal dependence of these properties on frequencies in this range.
Biological Studies on Ceratina dallatorreana, an Alien Bee in California Which Reproduces by Parthenogenesis (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)

Ceratina dallatorreana , Friese is native to the Mediterranean region, where both sexes are present. The first bees appeared in the upper Sacramento Valley of California in 1949 and the species has since spread southward to the lower San Joaquin and Santa Clara Valleys. The life history in California is reconstructed by using the structure and contents of the nests, the immature stages, and certain anatomical features of the females, including the amount of wing wear, contents of the gut and spermatheca, development of the ovaries, presence of follicular relics, and the condition of the fat body. The species reproduces primarily by thelytokous parthenogenesis, but rare instances of insemination are detected and 1 male has been collected. Considerable variation in color is present and may be the result of automixis. At least 2 generations a year occur and the adults overwinter in solitary burrows. The nests of the bee are small and have a water-repellent lining which is apparently derived from glands on the second and third sterna. Preference for weedy plants as sources of food and nesting media has contributed to the success of the bee in an area of intense agricultural activity.
How National Cultures Influence National Rate of Innovation

The ability of a country to develop, adapt and exploit its innovative potential is essential for its long run economic performance in today’s global economy (Krammer, 2009). It has been believed that culture either fosters or inhibits innovation. Certain cultural profiles have a greater propensity to support varied innovatory activities (Jones & Davis, 2000). However, there is limited knowledge about how culture influences national rate of innovation. The objective of this study is to address the research question: How does national culture influence national rate of innovation in the long run? Building from the previous study, we aim to update the relationship between national culture and national rate of innovation with current data and contemporary measurements. We will focus on the most important economic factor of national rate of innovation –research and development (R&D) investment to evaluate how national culture impacts the effect of R&D investment on innovation over the time. To our knowledge, this study is not only the first to employ the four major contemporary cultural value dimensions of Hofstede (1980), Schwartz (1994), GLOBE (2004) and Gelfand (2011) to study national rate of innovation, but also to utilize the longitudinal data from 1995-2010 in order to understand how culture impacts innovation outcome over the time. The contribution of this study is three-fold. First, we will examine how cultures influence the effectiveness of R&D investment and impact national rate of innovation in the long run. Second, by applying all contemporary cultural value dimensions to explain national rate of innovation, we may then evaluate the reliability and congruence of various culture value dimensions. Third, as we find that culture moderates the effect of economic factor on innovation, we provide a dynamic perspective to consider innovation in the complex social and cultural contexts. This study will demonstrate how culture-level values can be broadly utilized to lead future international business and cross-culture studies, providing further theoretical and managerial applications.
The use and abuse of the vascular laboratory.

Noninvasive testing methods for evaluation of arteriosclerosis obliterans, extracranial arterial disease, and acute venous thrombosis may be performed in the office with a pocket-sized Doppler instrument. For plethysmography and ultrasonic imaging, however, a hospital laboratory with well trained personnel is a necessity.
Queering fat bodies, regulating teen desire in ABC Family’s Huge

ABSTRACTThis essay examines the intersections of fatness, youth, and sexuality in ABC Family’s Huge, a sitcom about teens at “fat camp.” The series departs from common “fat kid” tropes of the past because it consciously presents fat teens as sexual subjects and some fat bodies as objects of desire. Public bodily displays and chosen names, however, mark Willamena and Alistair, campers who resist either the camp’s ideology of weight loss or the gender binary upon which it is constructed, as queer. Moreover, Huge uses metaphors of (un)cleanliness and of the closet to simultaneously regulate these characters’ fatness and queerness. Although Huge initially promises to destabilize the hegemony, the series ultimately falls short in its challenge to fat stigmatization and the gender/sexual regime.
Vesicoureteral reflux, proteinuria and renal failure.

AbstractWe report 3 cases of proteinuria, progressive renal insufficiency and vesicoureteral reflux with no history of urinary tract infection. Renal histology showed focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. These associations are unusual during childhood but they are common in adults.Generally, vesicoureteral reflux is discovered during radiological evaluation of children with recurrent urinary tract infections. Renal parenchymal damage in children typically results from recurrent infection or progressive hydronephrosis. Development of proteinuria with vesicoureteral reflux usually indicates an irreversible glomerular lesion. Antireflux surgery in patients with vesicoureteral reflux and decreased renal function may be beneficial if performed before the onset of proteinuria. We recommend antireflux surgery or decreased renal function.
Discretization of Mixed Formulations of Elliptic Problems on Polyhedral Meshes

We review basic design principles underpinning the construction of the mimetic finite difference and a few finite volume and finite element schemes for mixed formulations of elliptic problems. For a class of low-order mixed-hybrid schemes, we show connections between these principles and prove that the consistency and stability conditions must lead to a member of the mimetic family of schemes regardless of the selected discretization framework. Finally, we give two examples of using flexibility of the mimetic framework: derivation of arbitrary-order schemes and inexpensive convergent schemes for nonlinear problems with small diffusion coefficients.
PLASTICITY | Axon Sprouting in Epilepsy

Most cases of temporal lobe epilepsy are believed to develop after a brain lesion. Reactive growth triggered by seizure-induced injuries strengthens monosynaptic recurrent excitatory circuitry in several brain regions, including the dentate gyrus. Studies of the dentate gyrus in animal models demonstrated the formation of a novel granule-cell network in epileptic brain: granule cells, either having or not having a basal dendrite, and newly-generated hilar ectopic granule cells are synaptically interconnected by recurrent mossy fibers. Formation of this recurrent excitatory circuit is associated with a reduced threshold for granule-cell synchronization, and properties of hilar ectopic granule cells suggest this population could serve as the trigger for this synchronized discharge. However, homeostatic changes in the residual GABA innervation reduce excitability. Important, still to be elucidated, issues include: the circumstances under which reverberating excitation overcomes homeostatic restraints to synchronize population bursts, the mechanisms by which dentate gyrus inhibition recovers from the seizure-induced loss of GABA interneurons, the precise role of hilar ectopic granule cells in seizure propagation, and the extent to which reorganization of brain circuitry accounts for cognitive/behavioral dysfunction in persons with lesional epilepsy.
Security-constrained unit commitment considering voltage stability: A parallel solution

Security-constrained unit commitment (SCUC) is being executed every day to find the optimal hourly schedule over the next horizon of the time. In order to have a reliable and secure operation condition, it is desirable to include the AC networks constraints and the system's stability indices into the day-ahead generating scheduling problem of power systems. However, including such a non-convex set of constraints in the problem formulation, the complexity and size of the SCUC problem would increase; thus, the convexity of the mathematics model and the computational burden of the SCUC problem increases significantly. To avoid this issue, in this paper, we present a decentralized solution methodology where the voltage stability constrained SCUC (VSC-SCUC) problem is divided into multiple smaller subproblems; then, using the auxiliary problem principle (APP), the operating points of the subproblems are coordinated with each other iteratively in a parallel manner. In order to justify the effectiveness of the proposed method, several case studies are presented and discussed.
A Pedagogical Paradigm for Musical Robotics

paper describes the making of a class to teach the history and art of musical robotics. The details of the curriculum are described as well as designs for our custom schematics for robotic solenoid driven percussion. This paper also introduces four new robotic instruments that were built during the term of this course. This paper also introduces the Machine Orchestra, a laptop orchestra with ten human performers and our five robotic instruments.
Machines, Memory and the Markov Property in Stock Returns: Deus Ex Machina?

This study seeks to understand whether and to what extent High Frequency Trading (HFT) affects the probabilistic properties of the stock returns in five markets. More specifically, it focuses on the impact of HFT/machine trading on five major stock indices, DAX, Nikkei 225, S&P 500, Russell 2000, and TOPIX. The empirical analysis demonstrates that while the introduction of machine trading and/or HFT appears to make the return series more “predictable” by reducing their Multiscale Entropy, it does not affect the Markov property, which does not hold for the return series under study.
The Ethics of Anti-aging Clinical Trials

Interventions aiming to slow, stop, or reverse the aging process are starting to enter clinical trials. Though this line of research is nascent, it has the potential to not only prevent prolonged human suffering, but also to extend human well-being. As this line of research develops, it is important to understand the ethical constraints of conducting such research. This paper discusses some of these constraints. In particular, it discusses the ethical difficulties of conducting this research in a way that would produce reliable data regarding the effectiveness of an anti-aging intervention. Clinical trials of such interventions, I argue, will be faced with a dilemma between two confounding variables. Eliminating the variables requires introducing ethically problematic research practices. Thus, researchers must either perform research in ethically problematic ways, or forego the conduct of high-impact clinical research on anti-aging interventions.
Radiologic Imaging of the Spine

Imaging is an essential tool in diagnosis and management of spine pathology. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the different diagnostic imaging techniques and an imaging-based approach to common spine pathologies.
Application of Highway Safety Manual Method for Ramp Crash Prediction to Loop and Diamond Ramps

The AASHTO Highway Safety Manual (HSM) now includes crash prediction procedures for ramps. Research was undertaken to assess how well these new crash prediction methods represented the safety performance of two ramp types with distinctly different geometrics: loop ramps and diamond ramps. The HSM crash prediction procedures were applied to 235 loop ramps and 243 diamond ramps in two states—California and Washington—and the results were compared with 5 years of actual crash data for the same ramps. The results indicate that the HSM crash prediction method can be applied to both loop and diamond ramps, but to compare the safety performance of these two ramp types properly, separate calibration of loop and diamond ramps is needed.
Homoleptic U(III) and U(IV) amidate complexes

The syntheses of the first homoleptic U(iii) and U(iv) amidate complexes are described. These can be interconverted by chemical reduction/oxidation, showing an unusual change in coordination number from four in the U(iii) complex to eight in the U(iv) complex in the solid state structures.
The Culture and Youth.

One thing I know deep out of my time; youth when lighted and given a sporting chance is strong for struggle and not afraid of any toils or punishments or dangers or deaths. What shall be the course of society and civilization across the next hundred years? For the answers, read if you can, the strange and baffling eyes of youth. Yes, for the answers, read, if you can, the strange and baffling eyes of youth.
Evaluating Effects of EPO in Rodent Behavioral Assays Related to Depression

The cytokine erythropoietin (EPO) is an important regulator of hematopoesis and has well-known tissue protective properties. Neurotrophic action is implicated as mechanistically important in the treatment of depression, and neurotrophic actions of EPO suggest potential therapeutic utility of an EPO-like mechanism in depressive disorder. Rodent behavioral models that are responsive to clinically used antidepressants as well as to neurotrophic compounds can be used to assess potential antidepressant properties of EPO and EPO-like compounds. Rodent models described here are the forced-swim test (FST), a hyponeophagia test and the novel object recognition test. Each of these models provides different information and relevance to depression and each can be tested with EPO and similar compounds.
Globalización, ciudadanía y educación : auge y expansión de los marcos de referencia cosmopolitas, multiculturales y de empoderamiento individual

Since World War II, cultural, political, and economic globalization have undercut an earlier educational model that only emphasizes the nation state and national citizenship. Increasingly, the student is to be prepared to function as a responsible rights-bearing human person in a global society, relating to people regardless of national citizenship status. This global society is seen as legitimately very diverse and multicultural in character. Diversity within national society is also recognized as legitimate and central. At the individual level students are to learn to express and to respect all sorts of unique values and cultural materials. In this paper, we raise questions surrounding two relevant core changes. The first is the degree to which national curricula in the social sciences move in the broad direction of globalization and multiculturalism, as opposed to retaining their more nationally oriented postures. Second, we consider the ways in which national curricula resolve the tensions between building the nation and its citizenry and preparing students as individual human participants in a diverse national and global society. We propose future studies to code and analyze social science textbooks from about sixty countries around the world through the last half-century. These studies will trace worldwide, regional, and national trends in textbook emphases. These studies will examine national and transnational factors that influence the likelihood of the rise and spread of cosmopolitan, multicultural, and individual empowerment frames. These studies will also examine ways in which social studies curricula seek to resolve tensions between national unity and both supra-national and sub-national legitimated diversity.
Locating the “Digital” in Digital Journalism Studies: Transformations in Research

This essay applies six commitments for journalism studies to research involving digital technologies, namely: contextual sensitivity, holistic relationality, comparative inclination, normative awar...
Practical Image Obfuscation with Provable Privacy

An increasing amount of image data is being generated nowadays, thanks to the popularity of surveillance cameras and camera-equipped personal devices. While such image data can be shared widely to enable research studies, it often contains sensitive information, such as individual identities, location indications, etc. Therefore, the image data must be sanitized before sharing with untrusted parties. Current image privacy-enhancing solutions do not offer provable privacy guarantees, or sacrifice utility to achieve the standard e-differential privacy. In this study, we propose a novel image obfuscation solution based on metric privacy, a rigorous privacy notion generalized from differential privacy. The key advantage of our solution is that our privacy model allows for higher utility by providing indistinguishability based on image visual similarity, compared to the current method with standard differential privacy. Empirical evaluation with real-world datasets demonstrates that our method provides high utility while providing provable privacy guarantees.
Optimists or optimistic: Replication of a taxometric study on optimism

Abstract Hope and optimism are variants of individual differences regarding positive expectancies for the future. Previous literature describes the relationship of hope and optimism to various outcomes such as psychological adjustment, achievement, problem solving, and health-related concerns; however, few studies investigate its latent structure. Eichner, Kwon, and Marcus (2014) explore optimism’s latent structure through taxometric procedures and provide support for a dimensional construct. In light of recent debate over the replicability of scientific findings, the present study aimed to replicate these findings in an independent sample. Taxometric analyses are consistent with the original study, providing further support for the dimensional latent structure of optimism.
Clinical utility of routine proteinuria evaluation in the treatment decisions of patients receiving bevacizumab for metastatic solid tumors: A retrospective study

6599 Background: Bevacizumab is an anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody approved for use in metastatic breast, colorectal, and non-small cell lung cancer patients. In the pivotal Phase III clinical trials...
Abstract P1-19-42: Evaluation of mean corpuscular volume (MCV) as a pharmacodynamic predictive biomarker in patients receiving CDK4/6 inhibitors for metastatic breast cancer (MBC)

Introduction: CDK 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) are FDA approved for treatment of hormone receptor (HR) positive, HER2 negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Recent work demonstrated that a rise in MCV was correlated with longer median progression free survival (Anampa et al, Haemoatologica 2018). We performed a single-institution retrospective analysis to evaluate whether palbociclib induced early changes in MCV serve as a pharmacodynamic biomarker to predict response to CDK4/6i. Methods: We identified a retrospective cohort of 81 patients with HR+, HER2- MBC treated with CDK4/6i as first line metastatic treatment at Mayo Clinic, Rochester. Hematologic indices were abstracted pretreatment and at the start of each cycle through the start of cycle 4 (C4). Wilcoxon signed test was used to examine the changes in MCV (ΔMCV) comparing pretreatment up to C4 and ΔMCV between cycles. Optimal cut points for ΔMCV were determined using Cutoff finder (Budczies et al., PLOS One 2012). Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was performed to evaluate associations of MCV and time to treatment failure (TTF), which was defined as the time from the start of the analyzed cycle to treatment discontinuation for any reason(in months). As eight comparisons were made, a Bonferroni correction established p-value Results: 60/81 patients had pretreatment and at least one subsequent lab data point that included MCV. The pretreatment mean hemoglobin (Hgb) was 12.8 [standard deviation (SD) 1.37 g/dL] and 6/60 (10.2%) patients with Hgb 100 fl) was observed. At C4, the mean Hgb was 12.1 g/dL (SD 1.11) with 4/49 (8.2%) with Hgb Discussion: We observed an increase in MCV in all patients receiving CDK4/6i by start of C4. The rise in MCV during CDK4/6i treatment may reflect drug induced cell-cycle arrest in hematopoietic cells. Evaluation in larger studies is needed to validate dynamic changes in MCV as a predictive biomarker of response to CDK4/6i therapy. Citation Format: Grace Mei Yee Choong, Roberto A Leon-Ferre, Ciara C O9Sullivan, Kathyrn J Ruddy, Tufia C Haddad, Timothy J Hobday, Prema P Peethambaram, Charles L Loprinizi, Minetta C Liu, Vera J Suman, Matthew P Goetz, Karthik V Giridhar. Evaluation of mean corpuscular volume (MCV) as a pharmacodynamic predictive biomarker in patients receiving CDK4/6 inhibitors for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-19-42.
Chapter 16 – Biological Effects of Radiation

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the biological effect of radiation on cells, tissues, organs, and individuals. It identifies the units of measurement of radiation and its effect and reviews the philosophy and practice of setting limits on exposure. When radiation interacts with biological tissue, energy is deposited and ionization takes place that causes damage to cells. The effect on organisms is somatic, related to body health, and genetic, related to inherited characteristics. Radiation dose equivalent as a biologically effective energy deposition per gram is usually expressed in rems, with natural background giving approximately 0.36 rem/y in the United States. Exposure limits are set by use of data on radiation effects at high dosages with a conservative linear hypothesis applied to predict effects at low dose rates. Such assumptions have been questioned. The terrorist use of a radiological dispersal device (dirty bomb) is of concern.
Embedding-Driven Multi-Dimensional Topic Mining and Text Analysis

People nowadays are immersed in a wealth of text data, ranging from news articles, to social media, academic publications, advertisements, and economic reports. A grand challenge of data mining is to develop effective, scalable and weakly-supervised methods for extracting actionable structures and knowledge from massive text data. Without requiring extensive and corpus-specific human annotations, these methods will satisfy people's diverse applications and needs for comprehending and making good use of large-scale corpora. In this tutorial, we will introduce recent advances in text embeddings and their applications to a wide range of text mining tasks that facilitate multi-dimensional analysis of massive text corpora. Specifically, we first overview a set of recently developed unsupervised and weakly-supervised text embedding methods including state-of-the-art context-free embeddings and pre-trained language models that serve as the fundamentals for downstream tasks. We then present several embedding-driven text mining techniques that are weakly-supervised, domain-independent, language-agnostic, effective and scalable for mining and discovering structured knowledge, in the form of multi-dimensional topics and multi-faceted taxonomies, from large-scale text corpora. We finally show that the topics and taxonomies so discovered will naturally form a multi-dimensional TextCube structure, which greatly enhances text exploration and analysis for various important applications, including text classification, retrieval and summarization. We will demonstrate on the most recent real-world datasets (including political news articles as well as scientific publications related to the coronavirus) how multi-dimensional analysis of massive text corpora can be conducted with the introduced embedding-driven text mining techniques.
Iron-catalysed enantioconvergent Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling to afford enantioenriched 1,1-diarylalkanes.

The first stereoconvergent Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction was developed to afford enantioenriched 1,1-diarylalkanes. An iron-based complex containing a chiral cyanobis(oxazoline) ligand framework was best to obtain enantioenriched 1,1-diarylalkanes from cross-coupling reactions between unactivated aryl boronic esters and benzylic chlorides. Enhanced yields were obtained when 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene was used as an additive, which is hypothesized to extend the lifetime of the iron-based catalyst. Exceptional enantioselectivities were obtained with challenging ortho-substituted benzylic chlorides.
The many meanings of aborto: pregnancy termination and the instability of a medical category over time

This article sheds light on an important facet of the history of abortion in Mexico: that is, moments in which doctors and priests reconciled the termination of pregnancy with religious ideologies,...
Compositional analysis of organosolv poplar lignin by using high-performance liquid chromatography/high-resolution multi-stage tandem mass spectrometry

Organosolv treatment is an efficient and environmentally friendly process to degrade lignin into small compounds. The capability of characterizing the individual compounds in the complex mixtures formed upon organosolv treatment is essential for the optimization of the further lignin conversion processes and for the rational genetic engineering of plants used to produce lignin in order to improve lignin properties. In this study, an organosolv poplar lignin sample was initially analyzed by high-resolution mass spectrometry coupled with negative-ion mode electrospray ionization ((−)ESI HRMS). Lignin monomers and dimers were found to constitute the majority of the compounds in the organosolv lignin sample. Larger lignin oligomers, such as trimers and tetramers, and some not lignin-related compounds, were also detected. A high-performance liquid chromatograph/linear quadrupole ion trap/orbitrap mass spectrometer capable of multi-stage high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry experiments (HRMSn), equipped with an (−)ESI source (HPLC/(−)ESI HRMSn), was employed to separate the unknown compounds in the organosolv mixture and to obtain structural information for the deprotonated compounds via collision-activated dissociation (CAD) HRMSn experiments. To improve the understanding of the CAD behavior of deprotonated lignin-related compounds, 16 deprotonated model compounds with different functionalities and linkage types were examined. This approach enabled the assignment of likely structures for several lignin monomers, dimers, trimers, and tetramers, and some not lignin-related compounds, most likely fatty acids. Based on the proposed structures, compounds in the organosolv lignin sample contain β-O-4, 5–5, β-5, and possibly also 4-O-5 linkages. Most compounds contain G- and S-monomeric units although a small amount of H-units were also detected.
Multimodal sub-THz radar and LiDAR imaging for NDE Applications

We introduce a sub-THz FMCW radar combined with a LiDAR unit as a multimodal 3D imaging system for nondestructive evaluation applications in industry and security. A demonstration of this system is presented for a straight forward imaging scenario of targets concealed behind cardboard obscurants for manufacturing quality control. The radar imaging system operates near 100 GHz by raster scanning a confocal mirror. The 2D LiDAR sensor is mounted to the raster scanning mirror of the radar unit to capture a 3D point cloud. The LiDAR unit can serve to identify the external features that will provide parameters to optimize the radar performance and to assist in the deconvolution of the obscurant clutter from the target signatures that include image intensity, coherent detection of motion, and micro-Doppler signatures.
Developing a Superior Strategic Marketing Plan

While both management and marketing courses detail the importance of having a strategy, there is a dearth of tools available that can help students understand how to create a strategic plan—as well as some of the attributes that make for stronger strategic plans. This technical note describes a tool that can be used to construct a strategic marketing plan. The note helps walk students through the process of constructing a strategic marketing plan and provides examples. This is appropriate for strategy, marketing strategy, brand management, and marketing capstone courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Excerpt UVA-M-0890 Rev. Aug. 13, 2018 Developing a Superior Strategic Marketing Plan Strategy can seem mystical and mysterious. It isn't. It is easily defined. It is a set of choices about winning. Again, it is an integrated set of choices that uniquely positions the firm in its industry so as to create sustainable advantage and superior value relative to the competition. —A.G. Lafley, CEO of Procter and Gamble Strategy is a term thrown around in meeting after meeting, boardroom after boardroom. “The strategy is…” It is as if just saying the words ensures that there is a strategy and that it is one that will enable a brand (i.e., business) to create a sustainable competitive advantage. And yet, from organizations to CEOs to even government officials, there is a failure to have clear, coherent, and winnable strategies. It is rumored that on the day of Kmart's bankruptcy, there were 100 priorities on the CEO's whiteboard. As you'll see throughout the balance of this note, having 100 priorities is an example of a company that has failed to identify the few strategic choices needed to win. . . .
Financial Reporting Choices, Governance Structures, and Strategic Assets: A Transaction Cost Perspective.

We integrate the governance and measurement branches in transaction cost economics to highlight how differences in performance measurement choices influence the governance of strategic assets, thereby affecting transaction costs. We develop our theory in the context of corporate governance in firms. Financiers of debt and equity employ market and hierarchical governance to safeguard generic and specific assets, respectively. Financial reporting choices constitute credible commitments to generate performance reports that are used by financiers in exercising governance. We explain why conservatism (more timely information about potential losses) bolsters the market governance of debt to reduce transaction costs for generic assets, while smoothing (informative reports about future earnings) strengthens the hierarchical governance of equity to reduce transaction costs for specific assets. We outline a research agenda incorporating the implications of performance measurement from financial reporting choices for the governance of strategic investments.
Non-atherosclerotic Vascular Disease: Vasculitis, Popliteal Entrapment, Hypercoagulable

Vascular disease usually involves arterial stenosis, aneurysms, and dissections caused by atherosclerosis. The high prevalence of atherosclerosis ensures that most general surgeons have experience managing patients with traditional vascular disease. In contrast, non-atheroslcerotic disorders affecting the arteries and veins occur less frequently and may not be familiar to most clinicians. Left untreated, non-atherosclerotic vascular conditions can have serious and potentially fatal consequences. This chapter reviews clinically relevant non-atherosclerotic vascular diseases including hypercoagulable states, popliteal entrapment syndrome, Buerger’s disease, vasculitis, and fibromuscular dysplasia. Patients with these disorders differ from traditional vascular patients by age, comorbidities, presentation, and treatment. A basic understanding of non-atherosclerotic vascular disease can help general surgeons recognize and appropriately manage patients with these rare conditions.
A web-based architecture for a medical vocabulary server.

Abstract For health care providers to share computing resources and medical application programs across different sites, those applications must share a common medical vocabulary. To construct a common vocabulary, researchers must have an architecture that supports collaborative, networked development. In this paper, we present a web-based server architecture for the collaborative development of a medical vocabulary: a system that provides network services in support of medical applications that need a common, controlled medical terminology. The server supports vocabulary browsing and editing and can respond to direct programmatic queries about vocabulary terms. We have tested the programmatic query-response capability of the vocabulary server with a medical application that determines when patients who have HIV infection may be eligible for certain clinical trials. Our emphasis in this paper is not on the content of the vocabulary, but rather on the communication protocol and the tools that enable collaborative improvement of the vocabulary by any network-connected user.
Cannabinoid Receptor Modulation of Synapses Received by Cerebellar Purkinje Cells

The high density of cannabinoid receptors in the cerebellum and the degradation of motor coordination produced by cannabinoid intoxication suggest that synaptic transmission in the cerebellum may be strongly regulated by cannabinoid receptors. Therefore the effects of exogenous cannabinoids on synapses received by Purkinje cells were investigated in rat cerebellar slices. Parallel fiber-evoked (PF) excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were strongly inhibited by bath application of the cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55212-2 (5 microM, 12% of baseline EPSC amplitude). This effect was completely blocked by the cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist SR 141716. It is unlikely that this was the result of alterations in axonal excitability because fiber volley velocity and kinetics were unchanged and a cannabinoid-induced decrease in fiber volley amplitude was very minor (93% of baseline). WIN 55212-2 had no effect on the amplitude or frequency of spontaneously occurring miniature EPSCs (mEPSCs), suggesting that the effect of CB1 receptor activation on PF EPSCs was presynaptically expressed, but giving no evidence for modulation of release processes after Ca(2+) influx. EPSCs evoked by climbing fiber (CF) stimulation were less powerfully attenuated by WIN 55212-2 (5 microM, 74% of baseline). Large, action potential-dependent, spontaneously occurring inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) were either severely reduced in amplitude (<25% of baseline) or eliminated. Miniature IPSCs (mIPSCs) were reduced in frequency (52% of baseline) but not in amplitude, demonstrating suppression of presynaptic vesicle release processes after Ca(2+) influx and suggesting an absence of postsynaptic modulation. The decrease in mIPSC frequency was not large enough to account for the decrease in sIPSC amplitude, suggesting that presynaptic voltage-gated channel modulation was also involved. Thus, while CB1 receptor activation reduced neurotransmitter release at all major classes of Purkinje cell synapses, this was not accomplished by a single molecular mechanism. At excitatory synapses, cannabinoid suppression of neurotransmitter release was mediated by modulation of voltage-gated channels in the presynaptic axon terminal. At inhibitory synapses, in addition to modulation of presynaptic voltage-gated channels, suppression of the downstream vesicle release machinery also played a large role.