cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Podium: Ranking Data Using Mixed-Initiative Visual Analytics

People often rank and order data points as a vital part of making decisions. Multi-attribute ranking systems are a common tool used to make these data-driven decisions. Such systems often take the form of a table-based visualization in which users assign weights to the attributes representing the quantifiable importance of each attribute to a decision, which the system then uses to compute a ranking of the data. However, these systems assume that users are able to quantify their conceptual understanding of how important particular attributes are to a decision. This is not always easy or even possible for users to do. Rather, people often have a more holistic understanding of the data. They form opinions that data point A is better than data point B but do not necessarily know which attributes are important. To address these challenges, we present a visual analytic application to help people rank multi-variate data points. We developed a prototype system, Podium, that allows users to drag rows in the table to rank order data points based on their perception of the relative value of the data. Podium then infers a weighting model using Ranking SVM that satisfies the user's data preferences as closely as possible. Whereas past systems help users understand the relationships between data points based on changes to attribute weights, our approach helps users to understand the attributes that might inform their understanding of the data. We present two usage scenarios to describe some of the potential uses of our proposed technique: (1) understanding which attributes contribute to a user's subjective preferences for data, and (2) deconstructing attributes of importance for existing rankings. Our proposed approach makes powerful machine learning techniques more usable to those who may not have expertise in these areas.
An Automated Multidose Synthesis of the Potentiometric PET Probe 4-[ 18 F]Fluorobenzyl-Triphenylphosphonium ([ 18 F]FBnTP)

The aim of this study was the automated synthesis of the mitochondrial membrane potential sensor 4-[18F]fluorobenzyl-triphenylphosphonium ([18F]FBnTP) on a commercially available synthesizer in activity yields (AY) that allow for imaging of multiple patients. A three-pot, four-step synthesis was implemented on the ELIXYS FLEX/CHEM radiosynthesizer (Sofie Biosciences) and optimized for radiochemical yield (RCY), radiochemical purity (RCP) as well as chemical purity during several production runs (n = 24). The compound was purified by solid-phase extraction (SPE) with a Sep-Pak Plus Accell CM cartridge, thereby avoiding HPLC purification. Under optimized conditions, AY of 1.4–2.2 GBq of [18F]FBnTP were obtained from 9.4 to 12.0 GBq [18F]fluoride in 90–92 min (RCY = 28.6 ± 5.1 % with n = 3). Molar activities ranged from 80 to 99 GBq/μmol at the end of synthesis. RCP of final formulations was > 99 % at the end of synthesis and > 95 % after 8 h. With starting activities of 23.2–33.0 GBq, RCY decreased to 16.1 ± 0.4 % (n = 3). The main cause of the decline in RCY when high amounts of [18F]fluoride are used is radiolytic decomposition of [18F]FBnTP during SPE purification. In initial attempts, the probe was synthesized with RCY < 0.6 % when starting activities up to 44.6 GBq were used. Rapid radiolysis of the intermediate 4-[18F]fluorobenzaldehyde and the final product [18F]FBnTP during purification was identified as the main cause for low yields in high-activity runs. Radiolytic decomposition was hindered by the addition of radical scavengers during synthesis, purification, and formulation, thereby improving AY and RCP. The formulated probe in injectable form was synthesized without the use of HPLC and passed all applicable quality control tests.
Use of fluorescein diacetate (FDA) to determine ploidy of in vitro watermelon shoots

Ploidy of watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai shoots and plantlets was estimated by painting the lower epidermis of intact in vitro-derived leaves with fluorescein diacetate (FDA) and observing fluorescence of guard cell chloroplasts with a microscope and UV light. Leaves from in vitro shoot-tip cultures of known diploid cultivars and tetraploid breeding lines were used to establish the mean number of chloroplasts per guard cell pair. Leaves from diploid and tetraploid shoot cultures had 9.7 and 17.8 chloroplasts per guard cell pair, respectively. This method then was used to estimate the ploidy of shoots regenerated from cotyledon explants of the diploid cultivar Minilee. Approximately 11% of the 188 regenerated shoots were classified as tetraploid during in vitro culture. Putative tetraploids were transplanted to the field and self-pollinated. About 45% of tetraploids identified in vitro produced fruit and viable seed. Chloroplast counts of R1 progeny were used to confirm their ploidy. All of the putative diploids were confirmed diploid and all putative tetraploids proved to be non-chimeric true breeding tetraploids.
Quantitative Determination of Aluminum in Deodorant Brands: A Guided Inquiry Learning Experience in Quantitative Analysis Laboratory

The monitoring of metals in commercial products is essential for protecting public health against the hazards of metal toxicity. This article presents a guided inquiry (GI) experimental lab approach in a quantitative analysis lab class that enabled students’ to determine the levels of aluminum in deodorant brands. The utility of a GI experimental lab introduced in the quantitative analysis lab class as part of an active learning hands-on-experience approach enhances student learning, improves students’ critical thinking and problem solving skills, and motivates underrepresented students to work independently in solving a real-world scenario-type problem. Students were required to develop certain lab skills at the start of the semester and apply these skills toward the end of the semester to investigate the GI project. The GI project that analyzes for aluminum improves the overall student engagement, enthusiasm for the quantitative analysis laboratory course, and even the overall success rate in scientific...
Conifer radial growth response to recent seasonal warming and drought from the southwestern USA

Abstract Future droughts are expected to become more severe and frequent under future climate change scenarios, likely causing widespread tree mortality in the western USA. Coping with an uncertain future requires an understanding of long-term ecosystem responses in areas where prolonged drought is projected to increase. Tree-ring records are ideally suited for this task. We developed 24 tree-ring chronologies from 20 U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plots in the southwestern USA. Climate variables were derived from the PRISM climate dataset (800-m grid cells) to capture the bimodal precipitation regime of winter snow and summer monsoonal rainfall, as well as warm-season vapor-pressure deficit (VPD) and winter minimum temperature. Based on mixed linear models, radial growth from 1948 to 2013 for four conifer species (Pinus edulis, Juniperus osteosperma, Pinus ponderosa, and Picea engelmannii) responded negatively to warm-season VPD and positively to cold-season precipitation. Pinus spp. benefited from warm-season precipitation linked to the North American monsoon, and Pinus spp. and J. osteosperma radial growth increased with warmer cold-season minimum temperature. However, warmer cold-season minimum temperatures countered the beneficial influence of cold-season precipitation for radial growth in Pinus spp. and J. osteosperma, while P. engelmannii was unaffected. Also, enhanced drying effects of warm-season VPD associated with decreased cold-season precipitation negatively affected radial growth of Pinus spp. and P. engelmannii. Of the four conifer species studied, Pinus spp. are most affected by droughts since 1948, while P. engelmannii and J. osteosperma appear to be more resilient. Investigating seasonal climate responses and interaction effects on radial growth in areas impacted by severe drought helps identify species that may be particularly at risk from climate change impacts in the Anthropocene.
Prediction Errors in Neural Processing: Imaging in Humans

In the mid-1990s it was suggested that a model of reinforcement learning, temporal difference learning, could explain recordings from single dopamine neurons in monkeys engaged in a Pavlovian conditioning task. Since then, similar experiments verifying and exploring the temporal difference model have been repeated in nonhuman primates. Recently, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been used to investigate the model and variants in humans engaged in a variety of reward-learning tasks. In this article we review these models and fMRI experiments and point to further directions of research.
Assessing LOAC Compliance and Discourse As New Technologies Emerge: From Effects-Driven Analysis to 'What Effects?'

This chapter explores the consequences for effective discourse about LOAC compliance of new technologies that intentionally or effectively mask the effects of an attack, the location or identify of the attackers, or even the very existence of an attack at all during armed conflict. As new weapons technologies are developed and put into use, increasingly basic questions about whether an attack even occurred or who or what was attacked may well accompany these advancements in technological capacity and introduce new twists into the legal discourse and future development of the law. The potential for such developments triggers the need to examine what this lack of information and attribution will mean not only for the actual application of the law but also for the discourse about the law. As new weapons and technologies emerge that hinder or eliminate our ability to see the effects of attacks, to make the necessary connections between cause and effect, or to even identify the existence of an attack, however, these developments may well erode the current trend towards an effects-driven, outcome-based analysis — which, although incorrect as a matter of law, nonetheless has captured the attention of media, advocacy groups and others. Examining how legal compliance can or would be assessed in such situations of new technologies is therefore useful to help enhance both implementation and analysis of the law. For example, advocacy groups and other commentators may seek to identify other markers of effects, which could raise new questions about legal analysis and methodologies. Similarly, the lack of visible or otherwise identifiable actions and consequences may compound the already challenging task that militaries and governments face in explaining military operations and the nature of their compliance with the law. The first section frames the problem that new technologies may pose for assessing LOAC compliance, highlighting what may be, in essence, a new “effects problem.” These problems include situations where the effects of an attack are unclear or cannot be seen at all, where the connection between the weapon or attacker and the effects cannot be identified, and where a harm may occur but it is unclear or impossible to tell that there was an attack. The second section then addresses the consequences of this potential new “effects problem,” examining the challenges of legal analysis in the absence of externally identifiable information about what happened, who suffered what effects, or who launched what type of weapon or attack. In addition, this section seeks to identify pressure points for LOAC analysis in the context of new technologies that place stressors on the traditional tools and touchstones of legal analysis.
Proteomic Profile of Circulating Inflammatory Proteins Associated with 10-Year Risk of ESRD in T1 and T2 Diabetes—Enrichment for TNF Receptor Superfamily Members

We conducted an untargeted proteomic profiling of circulating inflammatory proteins using SOMASCAN platform to find those that predicted 10-year ESRD risk in two cohort study. Subjects with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) served as a discovery cohort and a T2D cohort was used in validation. We identified a kidney risk inflammatory signature (KRIS) that robustly predicted progression to ESRD. The signature comprised 17 proteins out of 194 examined. KRIS was enriched for members of TNFR Superfamily (p=0.007) including TNFR1, TNFR2, TNFRSF19, TNFRSF19L, TNFRSF21 and TNFRSF27. Other KRIS proteins included IL15RA, IL17F, DAF, CLM6, TNFSF15, CCL14, CCL15, CSF1, TIMD3, IL1R1 and IL18R1. Hazard ratio (95% CI) for the top KRIS protein, TNFR1 was 3.6 (2.8, 4.6), p -25 . KRIS was neither enriched in receptors for other cytokines nor in cytokine ligands. Pathway analyses pointed to candidate therapeutic targets and aligned them by ranks. Eight proteins are currently targeted with compounds used for other clinical indications. Kidney tissue expression analysis and urinary proteomics suggested a systemic source of KRIS proteins. In summary, our study identifies and validates a powerful protein signature enriched in TNFRSF members associated with 10-year ESRD risk in diabetes. These findings should inform future drug development strategies. Disclosure M. Niewczas: None. J.K. Skupien: None. V. Nair: None. A. Smiles: None. J. Park: None. E. Satake: None. C.A. Simeone: None. J. Tsay: None. W. Ju: None. M. Kretzler: Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Eli Lilly and Company, Gilead Sciences, Inc. K. Susztak: Research Support; Self; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc., Merck & Co., Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.. A. Krolewski: None.
Mammalian Biologic and Toxic Effects of PCBs

This review outlines the mammalian toxicology of PCBs and several classes of related halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons that are persistent environmental contaminants. PCBs comprise 209 chlorinated derivatives of biphenyl, and the toxicology of the individual PCB isomers and congeners is emphasized. Structure-activity relationships for many of the toxic and biochemical effects of PCBs are described. The qualitative aspects of the toxic and biologic effects of PCBs are highly dependent both on the degree of chlorination of the biphenyl nucleus, and the position of the chlorine atoms (i.e., whether they are ortho, meta or para to the phenyl-phenyl bridge). For example, certain PCB isomers and congeners resemble phenobarbital in their ability to induce rat liver microsomal cytochrome P-450b, whereas others resemble 3-methylcholanthrene in their ability to induce cytochrome P-450c. Furthermore, several PCB isomers and congeners exhibit properties of both these chemicals, and can induce both forms of cytochrome P-450. The ability of certain PCBs to induce cytochrome P-450c is apparently mediated by a high affinity, low capacity cytosolic receptor protein. The affinity with which individual PCBs bind to this receptor follows the same rank order as the potency with which they induce cytochrome P-450c. Furthermore, the affinity with which PCBs and other halogenated hydrocarbons bind to the cytosolic receptor correlates well with their toxic potency. However, a detailed mechanism of toxicity of PCBs and related compounds has not emerged.
Logic programming and parallelism

The paper surveys the recent work done in attempting to parallelize logic programs. Topics covered include the basic types of parallelism and their variants, the Prolog-like languages that have been proposed to explore parallelism, a brief review of current parallel computers, implementation issues, results of benchmarks, and a discussion of the research directions worth pursuing. Although not exhaustive, a state-of-the-art bibliography is also included.
Microevolutionary processes impact macroevolutionary patterns

Macroevolutionary modeling of species diversification plays important roles in inferring large-scale biodiversity patterns. It allows estimation of speciation and extinction rates and statistically testing their relationships with different ecological factors. However, macroevolutionary patterns are ultimately generated by microevolutionary processes acting at population levels, especially when speciation and extinction are considered protracted instead of point events. Neglecting the connection between micro- and macroevolution may hinder our ability to fully understand the underlying mechanisms that drive the observed patterns. In this simulation study, we used the protracted speciation framework to demonstrate that distinct microevolutionary scenarios can generate very similar biodiversity patterns (e.g., latitudinal diversity gradient). We also showed that current macroevolutionary models may not be able to distinguish these different scenarios. Given the compounded nature of speciation and extinction rates, one needs to be cautious when inferring causal relationships between ecological factors and macroevolutioanry rates. Future studies that incorporate microevolutionary processes into current modeling approaches are in need.
Context Aware Machine Learning.

We propose a principle for exploring context in machine learning models. Starting with a simple assumption that each observation may or may not depend on its context, a conditional probability distribution is decomposed into two parts: context-free and context-sensitive. Then by employing the log-linear word production model for relating random variables to their embedding space representation and making use of the convexity of natural exponential function, we show that the embedding of an observation can also be decomposed into a weighted sum of two vectors, representing its context-free and context-sensitive parts, respectively. This simple treatment of context provides a unified view of many existing deep learning models, leading to revisions of these models able to achieve significant performance boost. Specifically, our upgraded version of a recent sentence embedding model not only outperforms the original one by a large margin, but also leads to a new, principled approach for compositing the embeddings of bag-of-words features, as well as a new architecture for modeling attention in deep neural networks. More surprisingly, our new principle provides a novel understanding of the gates and equations defined by the long short term memory model, which also leads to a new model that is able to converge significantly faster and achieve much lower prediction errors. Furthermore, our principle also inspires a new type of generic neural network layer that better resembles real biological neurons than the traditional linear mapping plus nonlinear activation based architecture. Its multi-layer extension provides a new principle for deep neural networks which subsumes residual network (ResNet) as its special case, and its extension to convolutional neutral network model accounts for irrelevant input (e.g., background in an image) in addition to filtering.
So At One With You: An Anthology of Modern Poetry in Somali

*With the history of Somali-inhabited lands marred by devastation, drought, and internal strife, this Anthology of Modern Somali Poetry offers useful insights into the past half-century, from 1960 ...
Applied Art and Industrial Design: A Suggested Approach to Copyright in Useful Articles

The inclusion of "applied art" within the scope of copyright has forced both Congress and the courts to seek standards that can stand fast against the deluge of mass-produced commercial products. Congress, borrowing heavily from prior administrative and judicial formulations, has constructed an elaborate mechanism to differentiate protectable "applied art" from unprotectable "industrial design." The Copyright Act thus rejects both the wholesale inclusion and exclusion of utilitarian objects, leaving it to the courts to define and defend this middle ground. The distinction between "applied art" and "industrial design" is both defensible and desirable. Industrial design differs in important respects from the traditional subject matters of copyright and presents a less compelling claim to the statutory monopoly. But it would be unwise, if not in fact impossible, to exclude from the scope of copyright all works capable of serving a utilitarian function. A good portion of the difficulty arises from the judicial tendency to focus exclusively on the results of creative effort. This Article suggests that it is the process of creation that distinguishes industrial design from applied art. The exclusion of industrial design from the scope of copyright is best understood as an attempt to bar forms influenced in significant measure by utilitarian concerns. Thus, copyright is reserved to product features and shapes that reflect even in their utilitarian environment the unconstrained aesthetic perspective of the artist.
Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs - Friend or Folly in Addressing the Opioid-Overdose Crisis?

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs Virtually every U.S. state has implemented a PDMP to address high-risk opioid-prescribing and opioid-seeking behaviors. Many stakeholders, however, have expres...
Multifunctional, heterometallic ruthenium-platinum complexes with medicinal applications

Abstract The heterometallic ruthenium-platinum complexes display multifunctional interactions with nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA, RNA, and proteins via different metal centers and are applicable as anticancer agents, photodynamic therapy agents, anti-diabetic agents, and molecular sensors for thiol containing peptides. These multimetallic ruthenium-platinum complexes display synergistic effects between the metal centers, making them more efficient compared to their monometallic precursors. A significant number of reported ruthenium-platinum complexes exhibit enhanced cytotoxicity as well as tumor selectivity compared to cisplatin and their Ru-based monometallic precursors. For example, photoactive Ru(II)Pt(II) complexes were designed to prelocalize a photodynamic therapy agent at the site of action due to the covalent binding of cis-PtIICl2 moiety to DNA. Recent advancement in the development of ruthenium-platinum-based heterometallic complexes provide new directions for more effective drug development. This article presents a comprehensive review of the development of ruthenium and platinum-based mixed-metal complexes including, Ru(III)Pt(II), Ru(II)Pt(IV), photoactive Ru(II)Pt(II) and nonphotoactive Ru(II)Pt(II) complexes, with therapeutic and biomedical applications. Finally, a general outlook on future directions in the field of development of multimetallic ruthenium-platinum complexes for therapeutic use is discussed.
The Gollum Problem: Empathy and Digital Characters in Cinema:

In her article ‘The soul factor: Deception in intimations of life in computer-generated characters’ (2009), Kathryn S Egan argues that digital characters in cinema have no soul and are incapable of...
Student Perceptions of Engagement in an Introductory Statistics Course.

This article presents the results of a case study from one professor’s experience teaching an introductory statistics course. The goal of this study was to better understand student perceptions of ...
Advances and considerations in AD tau-targeted immunotherapy.

The multifactorial and complex nature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has made it difficult to identify therapeutic targets that are causally involved in the disease process. However, accumulating evidence from experimental and clinical studies that investigate the early disease process point towards the required role of tau in AD etiology. Importantly, a large number of studies investigate and characterize the plethora of pathological forms of tau protein involved in disease onset and propagation. Immunotherapy is one of the most clinical approaches anticipated to make a difference in the field of AD therapeutics. Tau -targeted immunotherapy is the new direction after the failure of amyloid beta (As)-targeted immunotherapy and the growing number of studies that highlight the As-independent disease process. It is now well established that immunotherapy alone will most likely be insufficient as a monotherapy. Therefore, this review discusses updates on tau-targeted immunotherapy studies, AD-relevant tau species, updates on promising biomarkers and a prospect on combination therapies to surround the disease propagation in an efficient and timely manner.
Intersections on an Arithmetic Surface

The purpose of this chapter is to recall briefly the intersection theory that we shall need. This first arose in Shafarevich [Sh], and also Lichtenbaum [Li], which is a useful reference for other types of theorems than those in Shafarevich, for instance, the projective imbedding of certain schemes, which we shall use if and when necessary.
Strategies to increase efficiency in protocol development.

e16508 Background: In 2010, the NCI’s Operational Efficiency Working Group recommended changes aimed at compressing the timeline for cancer clinical trial activation. SWOG implemented multiple chan...
Ractopamine Influences Muscle Proteome Profile of Postmortem Beef Longissimus Lumborum

ObjectivesRactopamine is a β-adrenergic agonist approved for use in cattle and pigs as a repartitioning agent to increase muscle deposition and potentially limit fat deposition. While the effects of ractopamine on proteome profile of postmortem pork muscles have been examined recently, its influence on beef muscle proteome has not been evaluated. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the effects of ractopamine on muscle proteome of postmortem longissimus lumborum (LL) from beef cattle.Materials and MethodsCrossbred steers housed in pens were fed either a corn-based basal diet (CON) or a diet top-dressed with Optaflexx 45 (Elanco Animal Health) to provide 400 mg of ractopamine hydrochloride/steer per day (RAC). Ractopamine was fed the last 28 d before slaughter. Steers were harvested, and carcasses were chilled. The LL muscle samples were obtained from the carcasses of 9 (n = 9) RAC and CON steers 24 h postmortem. The muscle samples were individually vacuum-packaged and frozen at –80°C for proteome analysis. Whole-muscle proteome was analyzed using 2-dimensional electrophoresis, and the digital gel images were analyzed. The protein spots exhibiting more than 1.5-fold intensity differences (P < 0.10) between RAC and CON were subjected to in-gel tryptic digestion and were identified by tandem mass spectrometry.ResultsFive differentially abundant protein spots identified were of greater (P < 0.10) abundance in LL samples from RAC compared to those from CON. The proteins identified were F-actin-capping protein subunit β2, PDZ and Lim domain protein-3, heat shock protein β-1, myoglobin, and L-lactate dehydrogenase A chain. The differentially abundant proteins belong to 4 functional groups; i.e., skeletal muscle organization (F-actin-capping protein subunit β2, and PDZ and LIM domain protein-3), chaperone activity (heat shock protein β-1), oxygen transportation (myoglobin), and energy metabolism (L-lactate dehydrogenase A chain).The over-abundance of F-actin-capping protein subunit β2 as well as PDZ and LIM domain protein-3 in RAC may be attributed to the increase in myofibrillar protein synthesis and increase in muscle mass as a result of ractopamine feeding. Heat shock protein β-1 is a chaperone that protects muscle proteins, and its increased abundance in RAC compared to CON may be due to the increased muscle protein synthesis. The over-abundance of myoglobin could possibly result from the increased oxygen consumption due to additional muscle mass accretion in RAC compared to CON, whereas the increased levels of L-lactate dehydrogenase A chain in RAC could potentially be due to the shift of muscle fiber type.ConclusionThe findings indicated that feeding ractopamine to steers influences the abundance of proteins involved in skeletal muscle organization, chaperone activity, oxygen transportation, and energy metabolism in postmortem beef LL muscle.
Sexual Dimorphism in Stress‐induced Hyperthermia in SNAP25Δ3 mice, a mouse model with disabled Gβγ regulation of the exocytotic fusion apparatus

Behavioral assays in the mouse can show marked differences between male and female animals of a given genotype. These differences identified in such preclinical studies may have important clinical implications. We recently made a mouse model with impaired presynaptic inhibition through Gβγ-SNARE signaling. Here, we examine the role of sexual dimorphism in the severity of the phenotypes of this model, the SNAP25Δ3 mouse. In males, we already reported that SNAP25Δ3 homozygotes demonstrated phenotypes in motor coordination, nociception, spatial memory and stress processing. We now report that while minimal sexually dimorphic effects were observed for the nociceptive, motor or memory phenotypes, large differences were observed in the stress-induced hyperthermia paradigm, with male SNAP25Δ3 homozygotes exhibiting an increase in body temperature subsequent to handling relative to wild-type littermates, while no such genotype-dependent effect was observed in females. This suggests sexually dimorphic mechanisms of Gβγ-SNARE signaling for stress processing or thermoregulation within the mouse. Second, we examined the effects of heterozygosity with respect to the SNAP25Δ3 mutation. Heterozygote SNAP25Δ3 animals were tested alongside homozygote and wild-type littermates in all of the aforementioned paradigms and displayed phenotypes similar to wild-type animals or an intermediate state. From this, we conclude that the SNAP25Δ3 mutation does not behave in an autosomal dominant manner, but rather displays incomplete dominance for many phenotypes.
The Stained-Glass Partition: Cross-Sex Collegial Relationships in Christian Academia.

This study focused on the glass partition, a term used to describe the challenges that exist in forming and maintaining cross-sex collegial relationships in the workplace. Women may be limited in t...
The Ethics of Rhetoric is the Rhetoric of Ethics: Refusing the Call to Codification

Recent calls for a statement of ethics for RHM research claim that a statement is needed in order to have a “place at the table” for collaborative medical research. I argue two problems exist with this call. First, the motive for creating a statement reflects criticism of rhetoric’s epistemic and ethical virtues raised by Dilip Gaonkar and Plato, respectively. Second, ethics statements do not adequately address the range of research practices found in transdisciplines like RHM. Drawing from RHM scholarship and my own experiences, I argue that these criticisms are unfounded and that RHM’s ethical value is found in our analysis and criticism.
Imbalance of laminar-specific excitatory and inhibitory circuits of the orbitofrontal cortex in autism

The human orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is involved in assessing the emotional significance of events and stimuli, emotion-based learning, allocation of attentional resources, and social cognition. Little is known about the structure, connectivity and excitatory/inhibitory circuit interactions underlying these diverse functions in human OFC, as well as how the circuit is disrupted in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We used post-mortem brain tissue from neurotypical adults and individuals with ASD. We examined the morphology and distribution of myelinated axons across cortical layers in OFC, at the single axon level, as a proxy of excitatory pathways. In the same regions, we also examined the laminar distribution of all neurons and neurochemically- and functionally-distinct inhibitory neurons that express the calcium-binding proteins parvalbumin (PV), calbindin (CB), and calretinin (CR). We found that the density of myelinated axons increased consistently towards layer 6, while the average axon diameter did not change significantly across layers in both groups. However, both the density and diameter of myelinated axons were significantly lower in the ASD group compared with the Control group. The distribution pattern and density of the three major types of inhibitory neurons was comparable between groups, but there was a significant reduction in the density of excitatory neurons across OFC layers in ASD. This study is limited by the availability of human post-mortem tissue optimally processed for high-resolution microscopy and immunolabeling, especially from individuals with ASD. The balance between excitation and inhibition in OFC is at the core of its function, assessing and integrating emotional and social cues with internal states and external inputs. Our preliminary results provide evidence for laminar-specific changes in the ratio of excitation/inhibition in OFC of adults with ASD, with an overall weakening and likely disorganization of excitatory signals and a relative strengthening of local inhibition. These changes likely underlie pathology of major OFC communications with limbic or other cortices and the amygdala in individuals with ASD, and may provide the anatomic basis for disrupted transmission of signals for social interactions and emotions in autism.
Bio-inspired Design of Modular Multi-domain Polymers for Advanced Biomaterials

Native load-bearing proteins, such as the muscle protein titin, exhibit a remarkable degree of combined toughness, strength, and elasticity which have yet to be matched by synthetic materials.Single molecule nanomechanical studies on titin and other modular proteins suggest that these exceptional properties arise from a modular elongation mechanism. The sequential unfolding allows modular biopolymers to sustain a large force over the whole extension of the chain, which makes the polymer strong, along with a large area under the force-extension curve, making it tough as well. In addition, when the external force is removed, the unfolded domains of modular proteins will refold automatically, making them elastic. Inspired by nature, one research effort in my group is aimed at designing synthetic macromolecules that form high order structures by programming non-covalent interactions into polymer chain. The goal is to achieve synthetic biomaterials with combined strength, toughness and elasticity. Three classes of well-defined modular polymers have been synthesized in our laboratory: (1) using quadruple hydrogen-bonding motif 2-ureidon-4-pyrimidone (Upy) to direct the formation loops along a polymer chain (J. Am. Chem. Soc.2004, 126, 2058); (2) using a peptidomimetic beta-sheet based double-closed loop (DCL) as module (J. Am. Chem. Soc.2004, 126, 14328); and (3) an engineered protein G domain III as module. Single molecule force-extension experiments revealed the sequential unfolding of the loops or domains as these modular polymers are stretched, resulting in sawtooth-patterned curves similar to those seen in titin and other biopolymers. In this paper, we will discuss our designs, syntheses and single-molecule studies of polymers having modular domain structures.
Not a Good Association: Diary Intake and Cardiovascular Disease in the PURE Study

In this comment, I argue that a recent study on dairy food intake and cardiovascular disease published in The Lancet is misleading because the authors fail to account for an important confounder.
Characterizing distant metastases and survival in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Author(s): Saiyed, Faiez K; Guo, Theresa; Johnson, Faye; Myers, Jeffrey N | Abstract: BackgroundOutcomes of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) after development of distant metastases (DM) in the context of human papillomavirus (HPV) tumor status remain controversial in the literature.MethodsOPSCC patients with DM treated between June 2015 and March 2019 were included from a prospectively enrolled database. Characteristics of DM including sites, episodes, and timing of disease were analyzed in addition to survival after DM.ResultsSixty-nine HPV-positive and 18 HPV-negative OPSCC patients with DM were included. The 2-year survival after DM was higher for HPV-positive patients (54.0% vs. 11.3%, pnl 0.001). HPV-positive patients did not demonstrate greater episodes or sites of DM. Multiple sites of DM, early development of DM, and Charlson comorbidity Index were independently associated with worse survival after DM.ConclusionsWhile multiple sites, early DM, and comorbidities were poor prognostic factors, OPSCC patients with distant progression can have substantial survival after DM, including M1 patients.
Magnetic resonance-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy: Correlations with seizure outcome.

Objective This study was undertaken to identify clinical factors associated with seizure freedom after magnetic resonance-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MRgLiTT) in temporal lobe epilepsy patients with unilateral mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS). Methods We identified 56 patients with magnetic resonance imaging-defined MTS who underwent MRgLiTT with at least 1 year of follow-up. Primary outcome was seizure freedom at 1 year. We examined the association of seizure freedom and the following clinical factors: age at surgery, gender, history of febrile seizures, history of focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures, duration of epilepsy at the time of surgery, frequency of interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs), seizure frequency, and presence of bilateral IEDs. Results Thirty-five (62.5%) patients were seizure-free at 1 year. The presence of bilateral IEDs and age at surgery were associated with 1-year seizure freedom after MRgLiTT. The presence of bilateral IEDS was associated with lower odds of seizure freedom (odds ratio [OR] = .05, 95% confidence interval [CI] = .01-.46, p = .008), whereas increasing age at surgery was associated with increased odds of seizure freedom (OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.03-1.19, p = .009). Significance This study demonstrates associations between presence of bilateral IEDs and age at surgery and seizure freedom at 1 year after MRgLiTT.
Fusion gain from cylindrical liner-driven implosions of field reversed configurations

MagLIF experiments [M.R. Gomez et al., Phys. Plasmas 22, 056306 (2015)] on Z have demonstrated the basic principles of Magneto-Inertial Fusion (MIF) for wall confined plasmas. Other MIF schemes have been proposed based on the liner implosion of closed field magnetically confined plasmas such as Field Reversed Configurations (FRCs) [T. P. Intrator et al., Phys. Plasmas 15, 042505 (2008)]. We present a semi-analytical model of liner driven FRC implosions that predicts the fusion gain of such systems. The model predicts a fusion gain near unity for an FRC imploded by a liner driven by the Z Machine. We show that FRCs could be formed and imploded at the Z facility using the AutoMag liner concept [S. A. Slutz et al., Phys. Plasmas 24, 012704 (2017)]. An initial bias magnetic field can be supplied by the external magnets used in MagLIF experiments. The reverse field is then supplied by an AutoMag liner, which has helical conducting paths imbedded in an insulating substance. Experiments [Shipley et al., Phys. Plasmas 26, 052705 (2019)] have demonstrated that AutoMag can generate magnetic fields greater than 30 Tesla inside of the liner. We have performed 2D Radiation MHD simulations of the formation and implosion of an FRC, which are in good agreement with the analytical model. The FRC formation process could be studied on small pulsed power machines delivering about 1 MA.
Engineering targeted chromosomal amplifications in human breast epithelial cells.

Chromosomal amplifications are among the most common genetic alterations found in human cancers. However, experimental systems to study the processes that lead to specific, recurrent amplification events in human cancers are lacking. Moreover, some common amplifications, such as that at 8p11-12 in breast cancer, harbor multiple driver oncogenes, which are poorly modeled by conventional overexpression approaches. We sought to develop an experimental system to model recurrent chromosomal amplification events in human cell lines. Our strategy is to use homologous-recombination-mediated gene targeting to deliver a dominantly selectable, amplifiable marker to a specified chromosomal location. We used adeno-associated virus vectors to target human MCF-7 breast cancer cells at the ZNF703 locus, in the recurrent 8p11-12 amplicon, using the E. coli inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) enzyme as a marker. We applied selective pressure using IMPDH inhibitors. Surviving clones were found to have increased copy number of ZNF703 (average 2.5-fold increase) by droplet digital PCR and FISH. Genome-wide array comparative genomic hybridization confirmed that amplifications had occurred on the short arm of chromosome 8, without changes on 8q or other chromosomes. Patterns of amplification were variable and similar to those seen in primary human breast cancers, including “sawtooth” patterns, distal copy number loss, and large continuous regions of copy number gain. This system will allow study of the cis- and trans-acting factors that are permissive for chromosomal amplification and provide a model to analyze oncogene cooperativity in amplifications harboring multiple candidate driver genes. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10549-015-3468-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
In the Shadow of the Queen: The Early English Epithalamium and the Female Monarch

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the sixteenth-century English epithalamium is its scarcity. The form was prevalent elsewhere in Europe, and evidence drawn from ballads, prose works, and drama suggests a wide-spread awareness of epithalamic elements in popular English culture. Additionally, two influential poetics manuals from the period, J. C. Scaliger’s Poetices Libri Septem (1561) and George Puttenham’s Arte of English Poesie (1589), contain detailed sections on the form and instructions for its production. In spite of this, very few English poets, with the prominent exception of Edmund Spenser, tried their hand at wedding poetry until after Elizabeth’s death in 1603, when a veritable explosion in the genre occurred. In fact, some Elizabethan writers almost seem to deliberately avoid epithalamic material. John Studley, a student at Trinity College in Cambridge who published translations of Seneca’s Agamemnon and Medea in 1566, actually replaces the choral epithalamium in the first act of Medea with a verse he wrote himself. By way of explanation, Studley offers this:“ . . . I chaunged the fyrste Chorus, because in it I sawe nothyng but an heape of prophane storyes, and names of prophane Idoles: therfore I have altered the whole matter of it” (125-26). Studley’s reaction to Seneca’s epithalamium seems oddly overblown, especially considering that much of Seneca’s play (which is about a murderous woman with supernatural powers) could be considered “prophane.” Whatever his motive, Studley’s response points to a curious cultural unease about the form. It is possible that tensions surrounding the epithalamium in Elizabethan England stem from the ideological patterns carried by the form itself. Examples of epithalamia written prior to Elizabeth’s reign, including those written for the marriages of Mary Tudor and Mary Stuart, indicate a variety of responses to the situation of female rule, particularly in the way they depict the sexual negotiation of power between the bride and groom; the few non-Spenserian texts written during Elizabeth’s reign tend to obscure this aspect of the form. I propose that poets who chose to write epithalamic poetry during Elizabeth’s reign inserted themselves into a complicated web of cultural debates that surrounded the Queen: impatience for marriage and succession, assumptions about gender and authority, anxieties about female rule. As Elizabeth aged and her subjects and courtiers gradually realized that she would never marry, wedding poetry could be seen to counter to the ideology surrounding the “cult of virginity ” propagated by Elizabeth and her court. The decision by a prominent poet—particularly one with political ambitions--to write an epithalamium in the political climate of the later sixteenth-century England was, I therefore suggest, a daring one.
Petri Net Model for Subjective Views in Collaborative Virtual Environments

Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) use a shared virtual world for interactions and collaboration among users. Most current CVEs provide a highly objective virtual environment. Some degree of subjectivity is necessary to support collaboration in virtual environments. Subjective views can provide benefits to users but they can also pose problems. The current generation of event-based software, languages, methods, and tools cannot serve virtual reality (VR) interfaces well. We propose a new approach to describe and implement multi-user VR interfaces that support subjective views. Petri net theory is the formalism selected to model a virtual world and to support subjectivity while providing consistent collaboration and interactions among users.
A framework for fast-feedback opinion mining on Twitter data streams

This paper focuses on the computational infrastructure for fast-feedback opinion mining. This calls for a versatile platform to handle all the possible problems arisen from mining data streams of a social networking site. In particular, we consider the difficulty of getting customer feedbacks faced by companies that produce free software. This is especially challenging since, when encountering buggy software, customers would just switch to another free software with similar functionality without providing any feedback. Our framework makes use of real-time Twitter data stream. These data streams are filtered and analyzed and fast feedback is obtained through opinion mining. The framework is built upon Apache Hadoop to deal with huge volume of data streamed from Twitter. The experiments have shown an 84% accuracy in the sentimental analysis. Our framework is therefore able to provide fast, valuable feedbacks to companies.
Scientific exploration with an out-of-ecliptic spacecraft.

Specific aspects of space exploration with an out-of-ecliptic spacecraft are considered. Various solar regions are examined as a function of latitude in terms of sunspots, active regions, flares, and other solar activity. Particular attention is given to the latitude interval from about 35 deg to about 65 deg, a less known area where projection effects begin to hamper earth-based observations, and to the polar regions above 65 deg, the least known areas. A possible orbit of an out-of-ecliptic spacecraft is plotted.
Maximum occupation time of a transient excited random walk on Z

AbstractWe consider a transient excited random walk on Zand studythe asymptotic be-havioroftheoccupationtimeofacurrentlymostvisitedsite. Inparticular,ourresultsimply that, in contrast to the random walks in random environment, a transient ex-cited random walk does not spend an asymptotically positive fraction of time at itsfavorite(mostvisiteduptoadate)sites. MSC2000: 60K35, 60K37, 60J80. Keywords: excited random walk, occupation times, branching process, limit theorems. 1 Introductionandstatementofresults Excited random walks or random walks in a cookie environment on Z d is a modiﬁcationof the nearest neighbor simple random walk such that in several ﬁrst visits to each siteof the integer lattice, the walk’s jump kernel gives a preference to a certain direction andassigns equal probabilities to the remaining (2d−1) directions. If the current location of therandom walk has been already visited more than a certain number of times, then the walkmoves to one of its nearest neighbors with equal probabilities. The model was introducedby Benjamini and Wilson in [3] and extended by Zerner in [12].In this paper we focus on the excited random walks in dimension one. To deﬁne thetransition mechanism of the random walk, ﬁx an integer M∈ Nand letΩ
The Motorola Mc68020 and Mc68030 Microprocessors: Assembly Language, Interfacing, and Design

The Motorola MC68020 and MC68030 microprocessors: assembly language, interfacing, and design , The Motorola MC68020 and MC68030 microprocessors: assembly language, interfacing, and design , مرکز فناوری اطلاعات و اطلاع رسانی کشاورزی