cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Architectural variations of inducible eukaryotic promoters: Preset and remodeling chromatin structures

The DNA in a eukaryotic nucleus is packaged into a nucleosome array, punctuated by variations in the regular pattern. The local chromatin structure of inducible genes appears to fall into two categories: preset and remodeling. Preset genes are those in which the binding sites for trans-acting factors are accessible (;i.e. in a non-nucleosomal, DNase I hypersensitive configuration) prior to activation. In response to the activation signal, positive factors bind to cis-acting regulatory elements and trigger transcription with no major alterations in the chromatin structure of the promoter region. In contrast, remodeling genes are those in which some of the required cis-acting regulatory elements are packaged into nucleosomes. The nucleosomes must be perturbed in response to an activation signal in order for the trans-acting factors to gain access to cis-acting elements; a chromatin remodeling process which forms DNase I hypersensitive sites must occur. In both cases, precise positioning of nucleosomes along the promoter region of a gene appears to be critical for appropriate regulation of expression.
Cognitive approach to systems engineering and re-engineering: integrating new designs with old systems

Most MIS expense goes into the maintenance of existing software. Estimates vary from 50% to 60% at the low end up to 90%, even 95%, depending on responsibilities and the type of software. Coming up with better ways to maintain (i.e. understand, modify and update) existing software is unquestionably the most important challenge facing the software industry today. Saddled with obsolete but essential software, a growing number of organizations are faced with a series of unpalatable choices. One option is to simply continue with the same old software, patching it where possible to meet the most pressing needs. This approach has a number of limitations not the least of which are lost opportunity and reduced competitiveness. Moreover, owing to unforeseen and increasing interactions, time per unit of change (especially structural change) tends to increase exponentially throughout the maintenance life cycle. Eventually, old systems must either undergo a major overhaul or be replaced with new ones. Properly done, and implemented, either approach can add a measure of efficiency previously impossible—and cost recovery can often be accomplished over a reasonable period of time. The initial costs involved in such renewal, on the other hand, are often prohibitive. Faced with this dilemma, what are decision makers to do? In this paper, I propose a new approach to system maintenance which can both dramatically improve systems and minimize renewal costs. In turn, I describe a typical maintenance scenario, and consider the use of CASE restructuring tools. Then I show how the human or cognitive factor impinges on the maintenance issue, and how this implies the need for abstraction. Next, we note limitations of standard “bubble chart” and other notational schemes and introduce the FLOWform representation as a means of overcoming these limitations. Finally, with this background, I describe the Cognitive Approach to Systems Engineering and Re-Engineering (CogApp). In this context, I summarize capabilities of the PRODOC re/NuSys WorkbenchTM which has been used to implement the CogApp. I close with a short case history describing application of this approach, and the results obtained therefrom.
The Investment Market, 1870–1914: The Evolution of a National Market

It is necessary not only that capital be accumulated, but also that it be mobilized for productive use, if an economy is to benefit from an increase in capital per person. The classical model of resource allocation assumes that within any economy capital is perfectly mobile. It implies, therefore, that once allowance is made for uncertainty and risk, returns on investment are equal in all industries in all regions. Such a model, while logically consistent, is not very useful for analyzing the process of economic growth. In the early stages of development, because the uncertainty discounts are high, capital is not very mobile. As a result, rates of return vary widely between industries and between regions; and growth in high-interest regions is retarded. Development, in part then, takes the form of a reduction in uncertainty discounts—a reduction that makes it possible for capital to move more freely between regions and industries.
Blog or block: Detecting blog bots through behavioral biometrics

Blog bots are automated scripts or programs that post comments to blog sites, often including spam or other malicious links. An effective defense against the automatic form filling and posting from blog bots is to detect and validate the human presence. Conventional detection methods usually require direct participation of human users, such as recognizing a CAPTCHA image, which can be burdensome for users. In this paper, we present a new detection approach by using behavioral biometrics, primarily mouse and keystroke dynamics, to distinguish between human and bot. Based on passive monitoring, the proposed approach does not require any direct user participation. We collect real user input data from a very active online community and blog site, and use this data to characterize behavioral differences between human and bot. The most useful features for classification provide the basis for a detection system consisting of two main components: a webpage-embedded logger and a server-side classifier. The webpage-embedded logger records mouse movement and keystroke data while a user is filling out a form, and provides this data in batches to a server-side detector, which classifies the poster as human or bot. Our experimental results demonstrate an overall detection accuracy greater than 99%, with negligible overhead.
DAMPING FLEXURE MECHANISMS USING LOW-DENSITY, LOW-WAVE-SPEED MEDIA

Lightly damped poles and zeros in the response of flexure-based servomechanisms often limit their dynamic performance. In this paper, we measure the frequency response of a single-and a double-parallelogram flexure stage coupled to low-density, low-wave-speed foams in various configurations, and find that addition of the foam yields relatively high damping of in-plane, out-of-plane, and higher-order resonances. At frequencies high enough for waves to propagate into the foam, strong interactions between the foam and flexure structure occur, giving rise to a great deal of damping. This is a promising method for improvement of the dynamic performance of positioning and constraint systems that employ flexures.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
THEORIZING URBANISM IN ANCIENT MESOAMERICA

In this article I consider recent research on urbanism in ancient Mesoamerica, especially over the past twenty years. I focus on the theoretical perspectives that archaeologists use to address cities, urbanism, and urbanization. I argue that despite some significant advances in how we understand urbanism, most research continues to be embedded within cultural evolutionist, functionalist, and elitist theoretical frameworks. I highlight approaches drawn from poststructural theory that hold promise for developing a more dynamic, complex, and culturally compelling view of Mesoamerican urbanism. Using examples from pre-Hispanic Oaxaca, I discuss how a focus on practice, social negotiation, and materiality draws attention to the actions of people within their social, cultural, and material settings rather than on abstract high-level forces such as cultural evolutionary structures or the functioning of urban centers within broader societies.
The role of mirror neurons in processing vocal emotions: evidence from psychophysiological data.

Recent evidence suggests that the mirror neuron system may serve as a common neural substrate for processing motor, linguistic, emotional, and other higher-level cognitive information. The current study employed psychophysiological methods to elucidate the role of this system in processing vocal emotions. Skin conductance and heart rate were measured for 25 undergraduate students while they were both listening to emotional vocalizations and also thinking (internal production) about them. The results revealed changes in skin conductance response and heart rate during both “listening” and “thinking” conditions. This suggests an active role of the mirror neuron system in processing vocal emotions.
Neurocognitive performance among alcohol dependent men with and without physical violence toward their partners: a preliminary report.

Ojective: There are high rates of co-occurring alcohol dependence and intimate partner violence (IPV) among men seeking substance abuse treatment. The authors examined neurocognitive performance among treatment-seeking alcohol dependent men with (IPV +) and without reported physical violence (IPV −). Method: Twenty-five subjects participated in this pilot study. All participants underwent a neurocognitive battery including, Continuous Performance Test (CPT), California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT), Digit Span, Iowa Gambling Test (IGT), Wisconsin Card Sort (WCST), Trail Making Test, Parts A & B, a visuospatial memory (VSWM) task and the Stroop Color Word Test (SCWT). Result: Alcohol dependent participants with IPV (IPV + ; n = 9) had more severe deficits in attention, concentration, cognitive flexibility compared to controls (n = 7). Both the alcohol dependent (IPV − ; n = 9) and IPV + groups had significantly more impairments on tasks of impulsivity than the smoking controls. The IPV − group had significan...
Diagnostic Imaging of Vascular Anomalies

Medical imaging has become critically important in the diagnosis and treatment planning of vascular anomalies. The classification of lesions into fast-flow and slow-flow categories, the identification of a soft tissue mass, and the determination of the extent of the lesions are all facilitated by the use of magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasonography, catheter angiography, and other imaging studies. The use of these imaging techniques in the diagnosis and assessment of vascular tumors, malformations, and combined malformation syndromes is discussed in this article.
Dual die processor package design optimization and performance evaluation

The quest for higher performance in microprocessors has steered the industry towards multi-core architectures which has significantly increased the challenges in silicon-package integration. In the past, designers have exploited parallelism through hyper threading (HT) technology where the operating system sees one physical processor as two logical processors. Even though HT simulates dual processing, the performance gain from HT is limited to applications that don't utilize same processor resources. For example if an application generates two floating point intensive threads, the execution of these threads would need to alternate with the single floating point unit and in most cases this would result in performance slow down. To address this problem, an integration of multiple dies to increase processor resources namely level1/level2 cache, registers, floating point units etc., is warranted so the execution of the threads can be done in parallel. Although this configuration is scalable and improves performance, adds considerable package design challenges to generate optimized solutions.
The Regulatory T Cell Transcriptosome: E Pluribus Unum

The regulatory T (Treg) cell transcriptional program is formed of distinct genetic networks that respond to different activators. In this issue of Immunity, Hill et al. (2007) provide insights into the interactions among the different networks and the overall role of Foxp3 in shaping the Treg cell transcriptosome.
Pharmacological treatment of alcohol dependence: Target symptoms and target mechanisms

Alcoholism is a major public health problem and resembles, in many ways, other chronic relapsing medical conditions. At least 2 separate dimensions of its symptomatology offer targetable pathophysiological mechanisms. Systems that mediate positive reinforcement by alcohol are likely important targets in early stages of the disease, particularly in genetically susceptible individuals. In contrast, long term neuroadaptive changes caused by chronic alcohol use primarily appear to affect systems mediating negative affective states, and gain importance following a prolonged history of dependence. Feasibility of pharmacological treatment in alcoholism has been demonstrated by a first wave of drugs which consists of 3 currently approved medications, the aldehyde dehydrogenase blocker disulfiram, the opioid antagonist naltrexone (NTX) and the functional glutamate antagonist acamprosate (ACM). The treatment toolkit is likely to be expanded in the near future. This will improve overall efficacy and allow individualized treatment, ultimately taking in account the patient's genetic makeup. In a second wave, early human efficacy data are available for the 5HT3 antagonist ondansetron, the GABA-B agonist baclofen and the anticonvulsant topiramate. The third wave is comprised of compounds predicted to be effective based on a battery of animal models. Using such models, a short list of additional targets has accumulated sufficient preclinical validation to merit clinical development. These include the cannabinoid CB1 receptor, receptors modulating glutamatergic transmission (mGluR2, 3 and 5), and receptors for stress-related neuropeptides corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), neuropeptide Y (NPY) and nociceptin. Once novel treatments are developed, the field faces a major challenge to assure their delivery to patients.
Dopamine neurons projecting to the posterior striatum form an anatomically distinct subclass

Combining rabies-virus tracing, optical clearing (CLARITY), and whole-brain light-sheet imaging, we mapped the monosynaptic inputs to midbrain dopamine neurons projecting to different targets (different parts of the striatum, cortex, amygdala, etc) in mice. We found that most populations of dopamine neurons receive a similar set of inputs rather than forming strong reciprocal connections with their target areas. A common feature among most populations of dopamine neurons was the existence of dense 'clusters' of inputs within the ventral striatum. However, we found that dopamine neurons projecting to the posterior striatum were outliers, receiving relatively few inputs from the ventral striatum and instead receiving more inputs from the globus pallidus, subthalamic nucleus, and zona incerta. These results lay a foundation for understanding the input/output structure of the midbrain dopamine circuit and demonstrate that dopamine neurons projecting to the posterior striatum constitute a unique class of dopamine neurons regulated by different inputs.
Effect of Brackish Salinities on Oxygen Consumption of Bat Rays (Myliobatis californica)

Abstract We measured resting routine oxygen consumption rates (MO2, in mg O2 · h−1 · kg−0.67) of bat rays (Myliobatis californica) under two seawater (33, 35 ppt) and two brackish (15, 25 ppt) salinity conditions. A significant increase in MO2 was observed for rays in 15 and 25 ppt brackish water, compared with those in 33 or 35 ppt, presumably due to increased osmoregulatory costs. Our results suggest that energetic factors associated with seasonal decreases in salinity may influence the out-migration of bat rays from Tomales Bay (California) during the winter months.
Injury to Preflowering and Flowering Cotton by Brown Stink Bug and Southern Green Stink Bug

The impact of brown stink bug, Euschistus servus (Say), and southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.), injury was evaluated on preflowering and flowering cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., plants in no-choice tests. Vegetative stage cotton seedlings and reproductive structures, including flower buds (square) and bolls, were infested with adults and/or nymphs of both species. There were no significant differences in height, height to node ratio, square retention, and flower initiation for cotton seedlings or plants with a match-head square between southern green stink bug adult- or brown stink bug adult-infested and noninfested treatments. Abscission for individual large squares (precandle) and multiple squares (medium and small square on the same sympodial branch) was not significantly different among infested and noninfested treatments for the following species and developmental stages: brown stink bug adults, southern green stink bug adults, and third and fourth to fifth instar southern green stink bug nymphs. In boll infestation studies, the relationship between boll maturity, expressed as heat units beyond anthesis, and boll growth, abscission, hard locked carpels, seedcotton yield, and seed germination was measured. Brown stink bug induced abscission in bolls that had accumulated >0-350 heat units beyond anthesis. Boll growth and seedcotton yield was significantly lower for bolls infested with brown stink bug through 266.5 and 550 heat units beyond anthesis, respectively. The proportion of hard locked carpels per boll was significantly greater for the infested treatment in a cohort of bolls that accumulated from 51 to 400 heat units beyond anthesis. Seed germination in bolls infested with brown stink bug was significantly lower in bolls aged 101-600 heat units beyond anthesis.
Computational Modeling of Complex Enterprise Systems: A Multi-Level Approach

Enterprises are complex adaptive socio-technical systems. They exhibit nonlinear, dynamic characteristics, resulting in unpredictable system behavior. Enterprises tend to consist of many independent agents. The needs and desires of these agents are not homogenous; their goals and behaviors often conflict, requiring agents to dynamically adapt to external events. At the same time, agents are intelligent and learn. The overall enterprise system thus changes over time. Given that no single agent is in control, complex enterprise system behaviors are typically not directly controllable, but can be influenced and managed. Successful transformation of such systems is consequently quite challenging. Traditional modeling and analyses approaches fail to consider these complex issues and are therefore inadequate for supporting enterprise transformation efforts. New methods and tools are therefore needed. This chapter argues for the use of multi-level computational methods in pursuit of this endeavor. Enterprise components and behaviors can be conceptualized as consisting of multiple levels. We find using the levels of people, processes, organizations and eco-systems to be a useful framework. Within this framework, computational modeling augments and amplifies human decision-making and facilitates exploration of a wide range of possibilities, thereby enabling the early discarding of bad ideas and refinement of good ones. Also, decomposition of an enterprise into multiple levels allows stakeholders to interact with those phenomena of interest to them. The goal of this work is to enable decision makers to “drive the future” before “writing the check”.
Pulmonary-artery versus central venous catheter to guide treatment of acute lung injury.

Background The balance between the benefits and the risks of pulmonary-artery catheters (PACs) has not been established. Methods We evaluated the relationship of benefits and risks of PACs in 1000 patients with established acute lung injury in a randomized trial comparing hemodynamic management guided by a PAC with hemodynamic management guided by a central venous catheter (CVC) using an explicit management protocol. Mortality during the first 60 days before discharge home was the primary outcome. Results The groups had similar baseline characteristics. The rates of death during the first 60 days before discharge home were similar in the PAC and CVC groups (27.4 percent and 26.3 percent, respectively; P=0.69; absolute difference, 1.1 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, –4.4 to 6.6 percent), as were the mean (±SE) numbers of both ventilator-free days (13.2±0.5 and 13.5±0.5; P=0.58) and days not spent in the intensive care unit (12.0±0.4 and 12.5±0.5; P=0.40) to day 28. PAC-guided therapy did not impro...
The application of layer theory to design: the control layer

A theory of design layers proposed by Gibbons (An Architectural Approach to Instructional Design. Routledge, New York, 2014) asserts that each layer of an instructional design is related to a body of theory closely associated with the concerns of that particular layer. This study focuses on one layer, the control layer, examining potential candidates for layer-related theory to determine the validity of this claim. In the process of completing this study, the authors came to the realization that what they considered a relatively uncharismatic and uncomplicated layer actually holds the key to a better understanding of interactivity, interface design, and the design of more conversational instructional experiences.
Realism, rhetoric, and reliability

Ockham’s razor is the characteristic scientific penchant for simpler, more testable, and more unified theories. Glymour’s early work on confirmation theory (1980) eloquently stressed the rhetorical plausibility of Ockham’s razor in scientific arguments. His subsequent, seminal research on causal discovery (Spirtes et al. 2000) still concerns methods with a strong bias toward simpler causal models, and it also comes with a story about reliability—the methods are guaranteed to converge to true causal structure in the limit. However, there is a familiar gap between convergent reliability and scientific rhetoric: convergence in the long run is compatible with any conclusion in the short run. For that reason, Carnap (1945) suggested that the proper sense of reliability for scientific inference should lie somewhere between short-run reliability and mere convergence in the limit. One natural such concept is straightest possible convergence to the truth, where straightness is explicated in terms of minimizing reversals of opinion (drawing a conclusion and then replacing it with a logically incompatible one) and cycles of opinion (returning to an opinion previously rejected) prior to convergence. We close the gap between scientific rhetoric and scientific reliability by showing (1) that Ockham’s razor is necessary for cycle-optimal convergence to the truth, and (2) that patiently waiting for information to resolve conflicts among simplest hypotheses is necessary for reversal-optimal convergence to the truth.
Progress of Evaluation and Utilization of Wild Rice Resources Abroad

Wild rice of Oryza Linnaeus distributes widely in 77 countries of the Asia,Africa,Latin America and Australia.The multi-discipline research in recent years indicates that wild rice,as an important genetic resource of rice,exists a number of elite genes including resistance to diseases and insects,tolerance to cold,salt,drought,submerge and shade stresses,elongation ability,cyto-male sterility,huge stigma,big grain,good quality,early maturity,wide compatibility and high biomass yield etc.Wild rice is considered to be a rich gene pool and un-replaced basic material for rice genetic improvement.The evaluation and utilization of wild rice have been developed from individual into DNA level with significant achievement.The development of modern biotechnology such as embryo rescue,somatic cell fusion,molecular aid-marker selection,genomic in situ hybridization(GISH),construction of alien introgression line,gene mapping and Oryza map alignment construction etc,will provide strong support and opportunity for elite gene evaluation and transferring from wild rice to cultivars.Combining traditional crossing method with modern bio-technique will be a reliable way to overcome reproductive barriers between wild rice and cultivar,and utilize effectively useful genes of wild rice for rice genetic improvement.
Transient thermal dynamics of GaN HEMTs

Although GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) are one of the most promising semiconductor technologies for high power and high frequency applications, high device temperatures often lead to degraded performance and reliability. Most reports on the thermal characterization of GaN HEMTs have focused on the steady state temperature rise in spite of the prevalence of time-dependent power dissipation in aerospace, defense, and communications applications. In this work, we utilize analytical solutions to the transient heat conduction equation to investigate the thermal time constants associated with self-heating in GaN HEMTs. In contrast to previous reports and commonly held notions in the GaN device industry, we demonstrate that one or two thermal time constants does not adequately describe transient self-heating. Due to aggressive heat spreading from the small heat source in GaN HEMTs, a wide range of thermal time constants up to ≈10 ms are important for devices on sapphire substrates. These theoretical arguments are supported with transient temperature measurements obtained by time-resolved micro-Raman spectroscopy for a GaN-on-sapphire ungated HEMT.
The association between sensory processing styles and mindfulness

IntroductionMindfulness is associated with psychological wellbeing and quality of life. The focus on body awareness in definitions of mindfulness suggests that an individual’s sensory processing pa...
Forecasts of 21st Century Snowpack and Implications for Snowmobile and Snowcoach Use in Yellowstone National Park.

Climate models project a general decline in western US snowpack throughout the 21st century, but long-term, spatially fine-grained, management-relevant projections of snowpack are not available for Yellowstone National Park. We focus on the implications that future snow declines may have for oversnow vehicle (snowmobile and snowcoach) use because oversnow tourism is critical to the local economy and has been a contentious issue in the park for more than 30 years. Using temperature-indexed snow melt and accumulation equations with temperature and precipitation data from downscaled global climate models, we forecast the number of days that will be suitable for oversnow travel on each Yellowstone road segment during the mid- and late-21st century. The west entrance road was forecast to be the least suitable for oversnow use in the future while the south entrance road was forecast to remain at near historical levels of driveability. The greatest snow losses were forecast for the west entrance road where as little as 29% of the December–March oversnow season was forecast to be driveable by late century. The climatic conditions that allow oversnow vehicle use in Yellowstone are forecast by our methods to deteriorate significantly in the future. At some point it may be prudent to consider plowing the roads that experience the greatest snow losses.
The Toxicologist's Pocket Handbook

The third edition of the Toxicologist’s Pocket Handbook, like the first two editions, is a scaled-down version of the best-selling Handbook of Toxicology. It provides the most frequently used toxicology reference information in a convenient pocket-sized book. The format remains the same as the earlier editions to allow basic reference information to be located quickly, with the information placed in sections specific to subspecialties of toxicology. A detailed table of contents lists all tables and figures contained in the book by section. This expanded edition contains a number of tables not found in the second edition added to sections on lab animals, general toxicology, dermal and ocular toxicology, genetic toxicology/carcinogenesis, neurotoxicology, immunotoxicology, reproductive/developmental toxicology, industrial chemical, and pharmaceutical toxicology. New information is presented for additional laboratory animals such as swine and primates, infusion recommendations, newer methods such as the local lymph node assay, and reference safety pharmacology values for standard species. Additional information on typical genetic toxicology and immunotoxicology assays as well as in vitro assays for eye irritation are provided. Some tables from the second edition have been updated to include new information that has arisen since the earlier edition went to press. Information from the second edition, such as regulatory requirements that are no longer applicable, has been deleted.
Wideband High Frequency (HF) Skywave Channel Parameters from Narrowband Measurements

Currently, there is interest in developing both real-time and offline computer models of the geo-temporal wideband (1 MHz instantaneous bandwidth) high frequency (HF) skywave channel. The HF wideband channel will allow the use of spread spectrum techniques to provide covert communications with low probability of intercept (LPI) and antijam protection. The objective of this paper is to determine the extent to which oblique narrowband channel measurements can be used to infer effects in the wideband skywave channel. If oblique narrowband channel measurements can be used as a basis for developing wideband channel models, a large number of existing narrowband measurements can be made available for this task.
System Analysis of the Molecular Characteristics of the Adapted and Quiescent/Dormancy(QD) State in an in Vitro Model for Late Relapse of Metastatic Melanoma

It has long been known clinically that revitalized dormant cells lead to late tumor relapse and eath. Our unique in vitro cell model that evolved in response to three common clinical dosage approaches demonstrates that there are multiple cellular strategies leading to drug resistance that correspond to low but increasing doses, medium dose and high dose treatment and include respectively the induction of the phenomena of adaptive response, genetic selection, and dormancy. Publications of acquired drug resistance have shown that a few studies of genetic mutations and many of non-genetic kinase network rewiring underlie the basis for the first two phenomena. To our knowledge, the biological basis of dormancy and its role in drug resistance has not been characterized. Through RNA-Seq profiling and system biology analysis, we compared the gene expression in parental SK-Mel28 cells and adapted SK-Mel28A2-1b, and discovered a number of altered signal cascades: the TGF-β-SMAD9-FGF1, PDGF-MAPK-DUSP-HIF2α and EDNRB-GNAI2-PLCB4-PKA-MITF pathways. Induction of HIF2α was confirmed by qRT-PCR in adapted Mel28A2-1b and also in A375C2 cells. Up-regulation of HIF2α targets and the negative regulator EGLN1 and EGLN3 occurred. Induction of MiTF was not shown at the transcript level in the adapted cells. However in the dormant cells we observed melanin accumulation and hypothesize that both HIF2α and MITF are up-regulated in dormancy; both genes are subject to extensive redox regulation. The details of these novel findings suggest that Plx4032-induced dormant cells may be dependent on HIF2α/MiTF-mediated p21WAF1 up-regulation for maintaining the dormancy status.The study of dormancy using an appropriate in vitro model has the potential to understand clinical dormancy and late relapse mechanistically and may offer a novel translational runway to developing new therapies for melanoma and possibly other cancers.
Meta-analysis of Mobile Phone Reminders on HIV Patients' Retention to Care.

Aims This research aims to systematically review the current clinical evidence of the efficacy of mobile phone reminders on retention to care among HIV patients. This study also seeks to determine an effect size of the intervention and presents implications for future studies. Background Use of mobile technologies is an innovative and affordable approach to HIV prevention and care, particularly in resource limited settings. Approximately two-thirds of people who are initially diagnosed with HIV are lost to follow-up before starting HIV treatment in low and middle-income countries, posing serious global health concerns. While mobile text message reminders for HIV medication adherence have shown positive health outcomes, it is not well understood whether the reminders can also improve patients' retention to care. Methods The authors conducted a meta-analysis of literature in the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, ProQuest, and Web of Science. Of the 667 peer-reviewed research articles reviewed, nine studies were included in the final analysis. Stata version 13 was used for the analysis. Results Nine studies (5 randomized controlled and 4 before and after studies) from 7 countries included 3,004 HIV patients. Random-effect meta-analysis (I-squared = 94.1%) found that HIV patients who received mobile phone reminders for their follow-up appointments were two times more likely to return to care than those who didn't receive reminders (pooled odd ratio (OR)=2.04, 95% CI: 0.97-4.27). Our sub-group analysis of 5 randomized controlled studies showed a significant effect of mobile phone reminders (OR=2.04, 95% CI: 1.11-3.74). Six studies in Africa showed that HIV patients (mostly women) receiving mobile phone reminders were three times more likely to return to care than those who received no reminders (OR=2.92, 95% CI: 1.13-7.53). Conclusion Mobile phone reminders are an effective intervention to improve retention to HIV care. Women with HIV living in resource limited settings benefit significantly from the intervention. Also, mobile phone reminders using text messages are as effective as phone calls to improve retention to HIV care.
Carotid occlusion is associated with more frequent neurovascular events than moderately severe carotid stenosis

Abstract Objective Asymptomatic internal carotid artery occlusion (CO) presents a clinical dilemma, and presently, the natural history, stroke risk, and optimal management remain ill defined. This study compared outcomes, including neurovascular events (NVEs) and health care costs, between patients with CO and patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis (CS). Methods A prospectively maintained database was queried to identify patients with CO and CS with at least >50% carotid stenosis by duplex. We identified and reviewed 622 consecutive patients with asymptomatic carotid artery disease at one academic medical center between 2011 and 2013. Patients with CO (n = 97) were identified and propensity matched by age and gender in a 1:2 ratio with CS patients (n = 194) for further analyses. Univariate and multivariate models were used to analyze baseline characteristics, clinical variables, and 1-year follow-up data from the date of diagnosis. Multivariate analysis was performed by multiple linear regression modeling. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. Results Follow-up data were available for 99% of matched patients. CO patients were younger (72 vs 75 years; P P = .01) compared with CS patients. After propensity matching, baseline characteristics were similar between groups, with a trend toward higher use of statin therapy among patients with CO. Antiplatelet therapy was used in 79% of patients with CS and in 74% of patients with CO ( P = .45). The rate of NVE among CO patients was higher than among CS patients at 1 year of follow-up (14% vs 7%; P = .03). Among those with NVE, neither antiplatelet therapy (64% vs 77%; P = .49) nor statin therapy (86% vs 77%; P = .58) appeared to have a significant effect. Health care costs ($14,361 vs $12,142; P = .44) and hospital admission rate (63% vs 71%; P = .18) were similar between groups. Not surprisingly, the rate of vascular procedures was higher in the CS group (55% vs 27%; P = .04). Conclusions Patients with asymptomatic CO experience more NVEs compared with similar patients with moderately severe CS. Further study of preventative strategies, including intensity of medical therapy, is warranted.
Toll-like receptor 4 polymorphisms and aspergillosis.

However, there is another possible explana -tion for the findings that should be considered. During much of the period of the study, trans -plant recipients with febrile neutropenia that was unresponsive to antibiotics received amphotericin B. This is significant because conventional and lipid formulations of amphotericin B activate phagocytic cells by stimulating toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4 to release proinflammatory cy -tokines and chemokines.
Anxiety in the School Setting: A Framework for Evidence-Based Practice

Anxiety is a common emotional problem across development. Given that children spend approximately 50% of their waking-hours in school, it is important to consider how anxiety manifests within this setting and the unique difficulties that anxious children may experience while at school. The current paper reviews the impact of anxiety in children at the student, classroom, and district levels. Additionally, recommended treatment approaches at different developmental levels are discussed and secondary outcomes of treatments (i.e., social, emotional, and academic functioning, as well as attendance) are reviewed. Finally, recommendations for the school setting are offered at the universal, targeted, and indicated levels using a response to intervention framework.
Population and quantitative genomic properties of the USDA soybean germplasm collection

This study is the first assessment of the entire soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] collection of the United State Department of Agriculture National Plant Germplasm System (USDA) reporting quantitative and population genomic parameters. It also provides a new insight into soybean germplasm structure. Germplasm studies enable plant breeders to incorporate novel genetic resources into breeding pipelines to improve valuable agronomic traits. We conducted comprehensive analyses on the 19,652 soybean accessions in the USDA-ARS germplasm collection, genotyped with the SoySNP50 K iSelect BeadChip SNP array, to elucidate the quantitative properties of existing subpopulations inferred through hierarchical clustering performed with Ward's D agglomeration method and Nei's standard genetic distance. We found the effective population size to be approximately 106 individuals based on the linkage disequilibrium of unlinked loci. The cladogram indicated the existence of eight major clusters. Each cluster displays particular properties with regard to major quantitative traits. Among those, cluster 3 represents the tropical and semi-tropical genetic material, cluster 5 displays large seeds and may represent food-grade germplasm, and cluster 7 represents the undomesticated material in the germplasm collection. The average FST among clusters was 0.22 and a total of 914 SNPs were exclusive to specific clusters. Our classification and characterization of the germplasm collection into major clusters provides valuable information about the genetic resources available to soybean breeders and researchers.
Growth Responses of Preterm Pigs Fed Formulas with Different Protein Levels and Supplemented with Leucine or β-Hydroxyl β-Methylbutyrate

Growth after preterm birth is an important determinant of long-term outcomes. Yet, many preterm infants suffer ex utero growth retardation. We evaluated effects of leucine and the metabolite, β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate (HMB) on growth of preterm pigs, a previously-validated translational model for preterm infants. After 48 h of parenteral nutrition preterm pigs were fed for 6 to 7 days isocaloric formulas with different levels of protein (50 or 100 g/L) with leucine (10 g/L, 76 mM) or HMB (at 1.1 g/L, 4 mM) added to stimulate protein synthesis or with alanine (6.8 g/L; 76 mM) as the control. Rates of growth of pigs fed the low protein formula with alanine (3.4 ± 0.2% gain per day) or leucine (3.7 ± 0.2) exceeded that of pigs fed the high protein formula (2.8 ± 0.2, p = 0.02 for comparison with both low protein formulas; p = 0.01 compared with low protein + leucine). Supplementing the high protein formula with leucine or HMB did not increase growth relative to alanine (2.72 ± 0.20, 2.74 ± 0.27, and 2.52 ± 0.20, respectively). Small pigs (<700 g birth weight) grew slower during parenteral nutrition and had a more pronounced response to leucine. Females fed the high protein formulas grew faster than males, and particularly for small pigs (p < 0.05). Blood urea nitrogen values were lower for pigs fed the low versus the high protein formulas (p < 0.05). Leucine and HMB improved growth of preterm pigs fed low, but not high protein formulas, even after controlling for birth weight and sex, which independently correlated with growth rates. They offer an option to improve growth without increasing the amino acid load, with its attendant metabolic disadvantages.
Evolution of CLL treatment — from chemoimmunotherapy to targeted and individualized therapy

During the past 5 years, a number of highly active novel agents, including kinase inhibitors targeting BTK or PI3Kδ, an antagonist of the antiapoptotic protein BCL-2, and new anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies, have been added to the therapeutic armamentarium for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). In these exciting times, care is needed to optimally integrate these novel agents into the traditional treatment algorithm without overlooking or compromising the benefits of established treatments, especially chemoimmunotherapy. A more personalized approach to CLL therapy that takes into account individual risk factors, patient characteristics, and their treatment preferences is now possible. Herein, we discuss the biological basis for the novel therapeutic agents and outline not only the major advantages of these agents over traditional therapies but also their adverse effects and the rationale for continued use of older versus newer types of therapy for selected patients with CLL. We conclude by providing recommendations for an individualized therapy approach for different populations of patients with CLL.
The effects of a laser-guided postural reeducation program on pain, neck active range of motion, and functional improvement in a 75-year-old patient with cervical dystonia.

Background and Purpose: Limited research exists regarding physical therapy management for patients with cervical dystonia (CD). The purpose of this case report is to describe the clinical managemen...
PACS Image Acquisition: Film Scanners

The digitization of films for a PACS operation is described. This paper describes their operation, performance, PACS integration, and clinical operational concerns.
Gardner-Diamond syndrome: a systematic review of treatment options for a rare psychodermatological disorder

Gardner-Diamond syndrome (GDS) is a rare psychodermatological condition characterized by the formation of spontaneous, painful skin lesions that develop into ecchymosis following episodes of severe physiological or psychological stress. The majority of GDS cases occur in young adult females, and although the etiology of this rare disorder is unknown, there appears to be a psychological component correlated with the coexistence of previous psychiatric diagnoses. Due to the rare nature of this disorder, there exist few guidelines for prompt clinical diagnosis and optimal treatment. Here, a systematic review was conducted to include 45 cases of patients with GDS to better understand clinical presentation as well as current treatment options. Ultimately, GDS is a diagnosis of exclusion after other coagulopathies and causes of purpura are ruled out. High clinical suspicion following laboratory and clinical exclusion of known physiological causes is necessary for diagnosis. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and corticosteroids are cost effective first line treatments for GDS with proven efficacy in symptomatic relief. GDS refractory to initial treatment may require regular psychotherapy and titrated SSRI dosages to achieve long-term success. This review of available case studies serves to comprehensively describe the clinical presentation and available treatment approaches to this rare psychodermatological disorder.
Perspectivas para mensuração da inovação de startups no estado do Rio Grande do Sul

As startups representam um negocio inovador de alto risco de investimento, que somente apresentam resultados a longo prazo. Para mensurar a inovacao dentro de uma empresa e necessaria algumas perspectivas como: produtividade, resultado, processo e entrada e impacto. Diante disso este artigo tem como objetivo identificar quais as perspectivas sao utilizadas para medir a inovacao e seu impacto no desempenho de startups no estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Foi realizada uma pesquisa quantitativa de carater exploratorio, utilizando uma analise fatorial. Como principais resultados concluiu-se que as perspectivas utilizadas para mensurar a inovacao sao a de produtividade e processo em entrada e as outras perspectivas utilizadas na pesquisa sao consideradas consequencias resultantes das perspectivas que mensuram inovacao.
Robust Freeway Accident Detection: A Two–Stage Approach

In this paper, the problem of detecting freeway accidents in real–time based on speed readings from spatially distributed road sensors of variable accuracy is addressed. To ensure robust decision–making, a novel two–stage approach is proposed. Specifically, in the first stage, each sensor generates decisions using a Bayesian quickest change detection framework. In the second stage, individual sensor decisions are aggregated via an optimal stopping approach that optimizes the tradeoff between the costs of aggregation and misclassification. Evaluation of the proposed two–stage approach on a real–world traffic dataset collected from the I405 freeway that passes through the Los Angeles County demonstrates improvements up to 65.2% and 87.2% in average detection delay and probability of false alarm, respectively, as compared to the state–of–the–art.
Chapter 1: The Construct of Affect in Mathematical Modeling

In this chapter, affect, mathematical modeling, and to a lesser degree cognition, are discussed in an attempt to provide readers with a fundamental understanding for the remainder of the book. Affect is described as a multifaceted construct that relates to beliefs, attitudes, and emotions (McLeod and Adams 1989). DeBellis and Goldin (2006) refer to meta-affect, which is affect about affect, though they later added the tetrahedral model, which included values. Affect, once considered a subset of cognition (Binet and Simon 1916) may now be considered a co-equal constituent with cognition. Mathematical modeling is considered a process or act, in which problem solvers seek to generate understanding of mathematical information through mathematizing in an iterative process. In this chapter, a model is provided in which the relationship between affect, cognition, and mathematical modeling is elucidated.
On active learning methods for manifold data

Active learning is a major area of interest within the field of machine learning, especially when the labeled instances are very difficult, time-consuming or expensive to obtain. In this paper, we review various active learning methods for manifold data, where the intrinsic manifold structure of data is also incorporated into the active learning query strategies. In addition, we present a new manifold-based active learning algorithm for Gaussian process classification. This new method uses a data-dependent kernel derived from a semi-supervised model that considers both labeled and unlabeled data. The method performs a regularization on the smoothness of the fitted function with respect to both the ambient space and the manifold where the data lie. The regularization parameter is treated as an additional kernel (covariance) parameter and estimated from the data, permitting adaptation of the kernel to the given dataset manifold geometry. Comparisons with other AL methods for manifold data show faster learning performance in our empirical experiments. MATLAB code that reproduces all examples is provided as supplementary materials.
From equity to default correlation with taxes

For fixed income investment, the preponderant risk is the clustering of defaults in the portfolio. Accurate prediction of such clustering depends on the knowledge of default correlation. We develop...
Immunological changes with perception of cold in breast cancer (BC) patients.

e12559Background: Tumor-bearing mice “feel colder” than non-tumor bearing mice and prefer to be at thermoneutral temperatures. Cold stress results in immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment [decre...