cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 1435: Myeloid TGF-β signaling regulates Platelet factor 4 expression that is important in host immune suppression and tumor metastasis.

Myeloid cells are the most abundant hematopoietic cells in the human body and play a crucial role in tumor angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. Here we found that deletion of the gene encoding TGFβ receptor 2 (Tgfbr2) specifically in myeloid cells reduced the level of platelet factor-4 (PF4) in the myeloid cells of 4T1 tumor bearing mice. This is accompanied by decreased lung metastasis of 4T1 mammary carcinoma. Interestingly, deletion of Cxcr3, encoding the receptor for PF4, significantly decreased the lung metastasis of 4T1 mammary carcinoma. The decreased metastasis may attribute to augmented anti-immunity. First, myeloid cells with Cxcr3 deletion showed decreased expression of IL-10, IL-4, iNOs, and arginase. In addition, there was an increased number of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell in Cxcr3-/- mice compared to the wilt type controls. Our results suggest that TGFβ regulation of PF4 may modulate cancer metastasis through suppressing host anti-tumor immunity. Citation Format: Yanli Pang, Guiquan Zhu, Li Yang. Myeloid TGF-β signaling regulates Platelet factor 4 expression that is important in host immune suppression and tumor metastasis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1435. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1435
Rise of the Charge Transfer Plasmon: Programmable Concatenation of Conductively Linked Gold Nanorod Dimers

The ability to tune the resonant frequency in plasmonic nanostructures is fundamental to developing novel optical properties and ensuing materials. Recent theoretical insights have shown through the conductive concatenation of plasmonic nanoparticles that the effective depolarization factor of the nanostructure, and subsequent charge transfer plasmon (CTP) resonance, can be intricately controlled [Fontana, J.; Ratna, B. R. Appl. Phys. Lett. 2014, 105, 011107]. However, translating these charge transfer properties from proof-of-principle experiments to high-quality, macroscale quantities for material applications remains challenging. Here, we experimentally demonstrate by using an electrostatic-based molecular assembly approach how to controllably concatenate gold nanorods end-to-end into discrete dimers, preventing unwanted longer structures and forming a capacitively coupled plasmon (CCP) resonance along the long axis of the dimer. Irradiating these suspensions with femtosecond laser pulses at the CCP di...
Promoting Access Through Integrated Mental Health Care Education

Mental disorders are the leading cause of non-communicable disability worldwide. Insufficient numbers of psychiatrically trained providers and geographic inequities impair access. To close this treatment gap, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for the integration of mental health services with primary care. A new innovative online program is presented that increases access to mental health education for primary care nurse practitioners in designated mental health professional shortage areas. To create successful and sustainable change, an overlapping three-phase strategy is being implemented. Phase I is recruiting and educating primary care nurse practitioners to become competent and certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners. Phase II is developing partnerships with state and local agencies to identify and support the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner education and clinical training. Phase III is sustaining integrated mental health care services through the development of nurse leaders who will participate in interdisciplinary coalitions and educate future students.
Customers'understanding on risk of terrorist attacks by means of open-shelf food in supermarkets

Objective To remind of the supermarket and the customers to establish precautionary measures and early warning mechanisms against terrorist attacks.Methods The number of open-shelf food purchasers,and total and sub-periods passenger number(based on POS machines)were monitored in 3 randomly selected days.Some customers were surveyed with questionnaire relating to the risk of terrorist attacks and precaution.Results The customer number was larger at the weekends than working days.The distribution of customer number at weekends showed a bimodal distribution(at 10:30 and 15:30).The number of open-shelf food purchasers was linearly related with the total customer number(regression equation:Y = 0.091 X-90.145).The questionnaire survey showed that 83.43% of subjects often buy open-shelf food,and up to 67.23% of them didn't think that terrorists would attack supermarkets.Conclusion Current security management in the supermarkets is weak against terrorism attacks,it is necessary to strengthen precaution to reduce the risk of terrorist attacks.
Four new recurring translocations in non-Hodgkin lymphoma

The identification of recurring chromosomal translocations has provided clues to the gene regions important in lymphoma development. Among 157 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma studied by cytogenetic analysis, four new recurring translocations have been identified--t(8;9) (q24;p13), t(11;18)(q21;q21), t(14,15)(q32;q15), and an unbalanced translocation giving rise to der(22)t(17;22) (q11;p11). Each translocation appeared twice. The t(11;18) was the only karyotypic abnormality in the two patients with it, and the t(14;15) was the sole karyotypic abnormality in one patient. All translocations were found in B-cell malignancies and were associated with both nodal and extranodal disease. Among the regions affected, only the immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene MYC, and BCL2, have thus far been associated with lymphoma. The breakpoint sites identified by these translocations warrant further investigation at the molecular level.
Balancing the policy with appropriate patient care

Major changes are underway at CMS that may affect practices among health plans and providers. If implemented, these changes could alter the delivery of cancer care.
Amphetamine-induced release of dopamine from the substantia nigra in vitro.

Incubation of chopped tissue from the substantia nigra of the rat brain with d-amphetamine resulted in a significant release of [3H]dopamine into the incubation medium. This effect was observed with both exogenous [3H]dopamine previously taken up by the tissue and [3H]dopamine endogenously synthesized from L-[3,5-3H]tyrosine. The observed release was greater in magnitude when the apparent conversion of released dopamine to 3-methoxytyramine was taken into account. The relevance of the present results to the previously postulated self-inhibition by dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta is discussed. The present data also provide support for the concept that catechol-O-methyltransferase (E.C.2.1.1.6.) is located primarily extraneuronally in brain.
The evolution of office notes and the electronic medical record: The CAPS note

The advent of the electronic medical record (EMR) combined with an expansion of information required by medicolegal and billing departments has transformed the progress note from a succinct note into an often unwieldy data-dump unable to concisely convey the physician's medical reasoning. We describe a new note format--CAPS, which stands for concern, assessment, plan, and supporting data--to streamline the communication of the patient's problem, the practitioner's assessment and plan, and the medical reasoning to support the plan.
Advisor Skill and Acquisition Performance: Do Investment Bankers Make a Difference?

Using a hand-collected dataset of investment banker turnovers between 1996 and 2006, we analyze the relationship between individual investment bankers and acquisition outcomes. We find that investment bankers have a statistically and economically significant association with announcement period returns, operating performance, and the long-horizon stock returns of the acquirer. Investment bankers also have a significant association with deal completion time. We find that there is persistence in the performance of deals associated with investment bankers across the different banks they are employed at. Further, deal performance of acquisitions advised by investment banks deteriorates after high performance fixed effects bankers leave the bank. Similarly, the deal performance of acquisitions advised by investment banks improves after high performance fixed effects bankers join the bank. Bankers with Ivy League graduate degrees and MBA degrees are associated with better long-run acquirer performance. However, the effect of MBA degree on deal peformance disappears when we control for education-based connections between the bankers and the acquiring firm’s senior management and directors. MBA degree connections are positively associated with performance. Further, the association between Ivy League non-MBA degrees of bankers and performance continues to exist even after controlling for educational connections. Our results suggest that the investment banker skill and connections may be important channels through which bankers are associated with deal performance.
Indoor air quality interventions with American Indian populations: Community capacity building towards public health intervention development for indigenous communities

I air quality and biomass smoke within indigenous communites is an emerging topic of significant public health concern. Wood stove use is highly prevalent within many reservation communities and biomass smoke associated with cooking and heating has been associated with chronic health problems. Studies conducted in rural and Native American communities examining indoor levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) have frequently found levels that exceeded current health-based air quality standards. Native elderly populations are particularly susceptible to reduced lung function or chronic conditions such as asthma, COPD, and bronchitis. Research conducted by our team has demonstrated that improving the efficacy of household level interventions (e.g., air filtration units) can reduce indoor exposures to biomass smoke and therefore lead to improved health outcomes. The findings from these interventions and qualitative input from wood stove experts, suggests that education interventions related to demonstrated best-practices in wood stove operation and fuel efficiency can translate to low-cost and sustainable strategies for reducing indoor biomass combustion exposures. This recently funded project is guided by community-based participatory research principles in order to create more effective and culturally centered intervention methods to improve indoor air quality. The household level intervention is coupled with a community level intervention that was developed and initiated by tribal stakeholders. This presentation will provide information about environmental concerns within indigenous communities and describe the initial work to culturally adapt the approaches and initial intervention planning. The presentation will seek to advance knowledge regarding community-based efforts to increase the translational public health impact of indoor air quality educational materials and interventions.
Predictive Model for Particle Residence Time Distributions in Riser Reactors. Part 1: Model Development and Validation

In this computational study, we model the mixing of biomass pyrolysis vapor with a solid catalyst in circulating riser reactors with a focus on the determination of solid catalyst residence time distributions (RTDs). A comprehensive set of 2D and 3D simulations were conducted for a pilot-scale riser using the Eulerian–Eulerian two-fluid modeling framework with and without subgrid-scale models for the gas–solid interaction. A validation test case was also simulated and compared to experiments, showing agreement in the pressure gradient and RTD mean and spread. For simulation cases, it was found that for accurate RTD prediction, the Johnson and Jackson partial slip solid boundary condition was required for all models, and a subgrid model is useful so that ultra high resolutions grids, which are very computationally intensive, are not required. We discovered a 2/3 scaling relation for the RTD mean and spread when comparing resolved 2D simulations to validated unresolved 3D subgrid-scale model simulations.
Esophageal candidiasis. Managing an increasingly prevalent infection

Esophageal candidiasis is an opportunistic infection that is being recognized increasingly often in certain patients, including those who have a neoplastic disease, are undergoing protracted antibiotic therapy, or hae acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Impaired cell-mediated immunity may predispose the patient to esophageal mucosal colonization, whereas chemotherapy-induced granulocytopenia may predispose to disseminated candidiasis. Esophageal candidiasis should be suspected in susceptible patients with complaints of substernal odynophagia or dysphagia. The diagnosis is confirmed by endoscopically directed mucosal biopsy. Esophagitis from other causes (eg. herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus, or bacterial infection) may develop concomitantly with esophageal candidiasis. Treatment is determined by the clinical and immune status of the patient. Amphotericin B (Fungizone) is administered to immunocompromised patients at risk for disseminated or deeply invasive candidiasis and is indicated in nongranulocytopenic patients whose symptoms prevent reliable administration of oral antifungal agents. Ketoconazole (Nizoral) may be administered to clinically stable nongranulocytopenic patients with esophageal candidiasis limited to the mucosa. Patients with AIDS and a history of esophageal candidiasis usually benefit from long-term suppression with an oral antifungal agent.
A Novel Approach to Essential Thrombocythemia and Cardiac Surgery.

Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a myeloproliferative disorder characterized by persistent thrombocytosis (>450 × 109/L). Patients with ET are at risk for thrombotic or hemorrhagic complications especially during cardiovascular operations. We discuss a patient with ET requiring coronary artery bypass grafting with a presenting platelet count of 1631 × 109/L. Platelet reduction with an intraoperative autologous transfusion technique decreased the platelet count to 758 × 109/L before initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass. In addition, perioperative cangrelor therapy was administered to further limit risk of thrombotic complications. The patient had an uneventful perioperative and postoperative course.
Secure sharing of geospatial wildlife data

Modern tracking technologies enables new ways for data mining in the wild. It allows wildlife monitoring centers to permanently collect geospatial data in a non-intrusive manner in real-time and at low cost. Unfortunately, wildlife data is exposed to crime and there is already a first reported case of 'cyber-poaching'. Based on stolen geospatial data, poachers can easily track and kill animals. As a result, cautious monitoring centers limited data access for research and public use. This means that the data cannot fully exploit its potential. We propose a novel solution to overcome the security problem. It allows monitoring centers to securely answer questions from the research community and to provide aggregated data to the public while the raw data is protected against unauthorized third parties. This data service can also be monetized. Several new applications are conceivable, such as a mobile app for preventing conflicts between human and wildlife or for engaging people in wildlife donation. Besides presenting the solution and potential use cases, the intention of present article is to start a discussion about the need for data protection and privacy in the animal world.
Effect of chemotherapy on survival in T1c – T2N0M0 medullary breast cancer: 3,976 cases from the National Cancer Data Base.

1022Background: Medullary breast cancer (MBC) is a rare tumor associated with a better prognosis. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy has not been extensively studied. Methods: Female patients with i...
Resistance to Extinction And Satiation Following Training on Random-Ratio Schedules of Reinforcement

Resistance to extinction and resistance to satiation were examined with rats after training on random-ratio 1,5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 schedules of food reinforcement. During training, response rate was an increasing function of the random ratio. Relative to baseline, extinction responding increased and responding under reduced deprivation decreased as functions of the random ratio. A formula based on reinforcement frequency and responses per reinforcer during training was devised to describe extinction responding. Further support for the formula was obtained from data on responding during extinction after training on fixed-ratio (Boren, 1961) and fixed-interval (Wilson, 1954) schedules of reinforcement.
Spatial evolution of quantum mechanical states

Abstract The time-dependent Schrodinger equation is solved traditionally as an initial-time value problem, where its solution is obtained by the action of the unitary time-evolution propagator on the quantum state that is known at all spatial locations but only at t = 0 . We generalize this approach by examining the spatial evolution from a state that is, by contrast, known at all times t , but only at one specific location. The corresponding spatial-evolution propagator turns out to be pseudo-unitary. In contrast to the real energies that govern the usual (unitary) time evolution, the spatial evolution can therefore require complex phases associated with dynamically relevant solutions that grow exponentially. By introducing a generalized scalar product, for which the spatial generator is Hermitian, one can show that the temporal integral over the probability current density is spatially conserved, in full analogy to the usual norm of the state, which is temporally conserved. As an application of the spatial propagation formalism, we introduce a spatial backtracking technique that permits us to reconstruct any quantum information about an atom from the ionization data measured at a detector outside the interaction region.
A Quiet Evolution: The Emergence of Indigenous-Local Intergovernmental Partnerships in Canada

In federal systems, local government officials encounter many opportunities to engage in policy dialogue and program implementation with other units of government. A Quiet Evolution by Alcantara an...
Decolorization of Reactive Black 5 and Reactive Blue 4 Dyes in Microbial Fuel Cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have potential to treat industrial wastewater containing organic compounds and simultaneously generate power. Organic compounds include textile dyes with various chromophore groups, which can be decolorized reductively by microorganisms under anaerobic conditions. In the present study, we examined the decolorization of Reactive Black 5 (RB5) azo dye and Reactive Blue 4 (RBL4) anthraquinone dye under open circuit potential in MFCs with graphite plate and graphite felt electrodes and a microbial consortium originally derived from bovine rumen fluid. RB5 dye was more than 90% decolorized in 120, 165, and 225 min at 50, 100, and 200 mg L−1 concentrations, respectively. RBL4 dye at 50 and 100 mg L−1 took 225 and 300 min to decolorize, while 200 mg L−1 RBL4 dye was not decolorized at all. Under closed circuit conditions, decolorization increased with decrease in external load, whereas current generation increased with external resistance. The results demonstrate that the reductive cleavage of the chromophore was more rapid with RB5 than with RBL4.
Calcium Waves: Purinergic Regulation

The use of Ca2+ ions to signal via Ca2+ waves has allowed astrocytes to gain greater recognition for their potential to regulate brain function. Despite controversies with regard to the mechanism of propagation, astrocytic Ca2+ waves mediated by ATP have become increasingly involved in an array of activities that modulate neuronal function. This article reviews the current models for the propagation of astrocytic calcium waves and the consequences for neural physiology. It also discusses the mechanisms of ATP release, the different purinergic receptors involved, and the implication of ATP breakdown into adenosine in neuropathologies like ischemia and epilepsy.
Muskeln und elektrische Organe

Intuitiv ist das Muskelsystem fur die meisten von uns interessant, vielleicht deswegen, weil wir unsere eigenen Bewegungen und die anderer Vertebraten irgendwie faszinierend finden. Die Muskulatur, in Verbindung mit dem Skelett- und dem Nervensystem, ist von primarer Bedeutung fur die funktionelle Analyse von Fortbewegungsaktivitaten, von athletischen Leistungen und von Erholung nach Verletzungen. Homologien sind zwischen den Muskeln verwandter Ordnungen und niedrigerer Taxa fast immer vorhanden, aber auf Klassenniveau und auf hoherer Ebene muss man vorsichtig sein und andere Organsysteme bei der Rekonstruktion von Phylogenien miteinbeziehen.
Syzygies and Homological Conjectures

Throughout this work (A, m, k) denotes a commutative Noetherian local ring of dimension d, m is the maximal ideal of A and k = A/m. The main purpose of this paper is to study the canonical element conjecture of M. Hochster from the point of view of syzygies. The conjecture can be stated as follows: Conjecture. For every resolution F: $$\to {A^{{s_i}}} \to {A^{{s_i} - 1}} \to \cdot\cdot\cdot \to {A^{{s_0}}} \to k \to 0$$ of k and for every system of parameters x1,…, x d of A, if φ is any map from the Koszul complex K*(x; A) (x stands for x1,…, xd)to F which lifts the natural surjection \({A \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {A {\left( {{x_1}, \ldots ,{x_n}} \right) \to k,\,then\,{\phi _n}\,:\,{K_n}\left( {\underset{\raise0.3em\hbox{$\smash{\scriptscriptstyle-}$}}{x} ;A} \right)}}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {\left( {{x_1}, \ldots ,{x_n}} \right) \to k,\,then\,{\phi _n}\,:\,{K_n}\left( {\underset{\raise0.3em\hbox{$\smash{\scriptscriptstyle-}$}}{x} ;A} \right)}} \to {A^{{s_n}}}\) is non-zero.
Interdependence Among Members of the mGluR6 G-protein Mediated Signalplex of Retinal Depolarizing Bipolar Cells

Normal vision depends on signaling from photoreceptors to central visual areas via parallel pathways that are optimized for detecting increments (ON) or decrements (OFF) in light intensity. The divergence of these two pathways occurs at the first synapse. The OFF pathway is mediated via Off-bipolar cells that hyperpolarize in response to light increments because they utilize ionotropic glutamate receptors. On-bipolar cells that initiate the ON pathway utilize metabotropic glutamate receptors to signal via a G-protein cascade to the transient receptor potential melastatin 1 (TRPM1) channel, and depolarize in response to light increments. Several proteins (mGluR6, TRPM1, GPR179, RGS7, RGS11, nyctalopin, LRIT3, Gα0, Gβ3, Gβ5, and R9AP) have been shown to be required for normal functioning of the depolarizing bipolar cell cascade. Here, we use immunohistochemistry in mouse models that lack one or more of these proteins to understand their interdependency. The picture that evolves is that of a large complex, in which the removal of any one element results in either delocalization of or decreased expression of other elements.
Amniotic fluid interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 levels predict the success of tocolysis in patients with preterm labor.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether the levels of the cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8 in amniotic fluid identify patients with preterm labor who are resistant to tocolysis. METHODS Amniocenteses were performed in 23 women with documented preterm labor at 20-32 weeks' gestational age who were treated subsequently with tocolytics. The concentrations of IL-6 and IL-8 in amniotic fluid were determined by double-antibody radioimmunoassay methods using recombinant human IL standards. RESULTS Of the 23 patients, five failed to respond to tocolysis (four delivered within 48 hours), and of the remaining 18, all delivered more than 9 days after tocolysis was initiated (mean 31 +/- 10 days; range 9-61). In women who had failed tocolysis, discriminatory concentrations of IL-6 and IL-8 were 20 and 15 ng/mL, respectively. Of the patients who had amniotic fluid concentrations higher than these thresholds, all failed tocolysis (100% positive predictive value) and delivered within 6 days. The patients with levels below these discriminatory concentrations had successful tocolysis, and 17 of 18 delivered more than 2 weeks after treatment (95% negative predictive value). CONCLUSION The success of tocolysis and thus delivery remote from an episode of preterm labor is associated with discriminatory amniotic fluid IL-6 and IL-8 levels of less than 20 and less than 15 ng/mL, respectively. If the immunologic response that causes the release of IL-6 and IL-8 has not occurred, the likelihood of successful tocolysis is extremely high. However, if both IL-6 and IL-8 are elevated, tocolysis is likely to fail and delivery may occur within 48 hours.
Evidence for Superconductivity above 260 K in Lanthanum Superhydride at Megabar Pressures

Recent predictions and experimental observations of high T_{c} superconductivity in hydrogen-rich materials at very high pressures are driving the search for superconductivity in the vicinity of room temperature. We have developed a novel preparation technique that is optimally suited for megabar pressure syntheses of superhydrides using modulated laser heating while maintaining the integrity of sample-probe contacts for electrical transport measurements to 200 GPa. We detail the synthesis and characterization of lanthanum superhydride samples, including four-probe electrical transport measurements that display significant drops in resistivity on cooling up to 260 K and 180-200 GPa, and resistivity transitions at both lower and higher temperatures in other experiments. Additional current-voltage measurements, critical current estimates, and low-temperature x-ray diffraction are also obtained. We suggest that the transitions represent signatures of superconductivity to near room temperature in phases of lanthanum superhydride, in good agreement with density functional structure search and BCS theory calculations.
Omacetaxine mepesuccinate for patients with higher-risk MDS and CMML after failure of hypomethylating agents: A phase II clinical trial.

7066Background: Hypomethylating agents (HMAs) are the standard of care for patients (pts) with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML); however, outco...
Leveraging auxiliary measures: a deep multi-task neural network for predictive modeling in clinical research

Accurate predictive modeling in clinical research enables effective early intervention that patients are most likely to benefit from. However, due to the complex biological nature of disease progression, capturing the highly non-linear information from low-level input features is quite challenging. This requires predictive models with high-capacity. In practice, clinical datasets are often of limited size, bringing danger of overfitting for high-capacity models. To address these two challenges, we propose a deep multi-task neural network for predictive modeling. The proposed network leverages clinical measures as auxiliary targets that are related to the primary target. The predictions for the primary and auxiliary targets are made simultaneously by the neural network. Network structure is specifically designed to capture the clinical relevance by learning a shared feature representation between the primary and auxiliary targets. We apply the proposed model in a hypertension dataset and a breast cancer dataset, where the primary tasks are to predict the left ventricular mass indexed to body surface area and the time of recurrence of breast cancer. Moreover, we analyze the weights of the proposed neural network to rank input features for model interpretability. The experimental results indicate that the proposed model outperforms other different models, achieving the best predictive accuracy (mean squared error 199.76 for hypertension data, 860.62 for Wisconsin prognostic breast cancer data) with the ability to rank features according to their contributions to the targets. The ranking is supported by previous related research. We propose a novel effective method for clinical predictive modeling by combing the deep neural network and multi-task learning. By leveraging auxiliary measures clinically related to the primary target, our method improves the predictive accuracy. Based on featue ranking, our model is interpreted and shows consistency with previous studies on cardiovascular diseases and cancers.
Women’s Theologies, Women’s Pedagogies: Globalization, Education, and Liberation in Nicaragua

Through semi-structured interviews with female social movement participants in Nicaragua, I ask, How do women in Nicaraguan social movements perceive the influence of theology on these movements’ pedagogies? I argue that through this work, the women cultivate what I deem personal theologies rooted in their understanding of their own reality. The study emerged at the intersection of Theologies of Liberation, Pedagogies of Liberation, Globalization, and Social Movement theories. In this chapter, I discuss the following main themes from the interviews: Moving Past Doctrine; Liberation as It Connects to Gender, Struggles Against Violence, Globalization and Spirituality, and Rebellion and Spirituality. Ultimately, I argue that the women perceive, as in the central research question, the influence of theology on their movements’ pedagogies as an influence that leads to the women’s liberation. This concept of liberation motivates women to participate in the struggle against neoliberal globalization through nonformal and formal education that contributes, ultimately, to holistic community “development.”
Low-Cost Heterogeneous Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) Testbed for Systems of Autonomous Vehicles Research

Ahstract-This paper presents design of a mobile testbed of scale-sized UGVs designed for multi-agent autonomous vehicle missions. Small scale autonomous vehicles are used as a means for validating larger scale systems in a low-cost manner. This system is unique in how vehicle trajectories are managed using a mobile relative localization provider available to the system, which can be thought of as a mobile version of a Vicon or Optitrack system. A multi-agent mapping scenario is provided as an initial test of the testbed system. In the scenario, each vehicle in the testbed has roles in accurately mapping objects within an environment. Robots and data are managed with the Robot Operating System (ROS), which provides access to visualizations through Robot Visualization (RVIZ).
The nitric oxide donor, (Z)-1-[N-(2-aminoethyl)-N-(2-ammonioethyl)amino]diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (DETA-NONOate/D-NO), increases survival by attenuating hyperoxia-compromised innate immunity in bacterial clearance in a mouse model of ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Abstract Mechanical ventilation (MV) with supraphysiological levels of oxygen (hyperoxia) is a life-saving therapy for the management of patients with respiratory distress. However, a significant number of patients on MV develop ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Previously, we have reported that prolonged exposure to hyperoxia impairs the capacity of macrophages to phagocytize Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA), which can contribute to the compromised innate immunity in VAP. In this study, we show that the high mortality rate in mice subjected to hyperoxia and PA infection was accompanied by a significant decrease in the airway levels of nitric oxide (NO). Decreased NO levels were found to be, in part, due to a significant reduction in NO release by macrophages upon exposure to PA lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Based on these findings, we postulated that NO supplementation should restore hyperoxia-compromised innate immunity and decrease mortality by increasing the clearance of PA under hyperoxic conditions. To test this hypothesis, cultured macrophages were exposed to hyperoxia (95% O2) in the presence or absence of the NO donor, (Z)-1-[N-(2-aminoethyl)-N-(2-ammonioethyl)amino]diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (DETA-NONOate/D-NO). Interestingly, D-NO (up to 37.5 µM) significantly attenuated hyperoxia-compromised macrophage migratory, phagocytic, and bactericidal function. To determine whether the administration of exogenous NO enhances the host defense in bacteria clearance, C57BL/6 mice were exposed to hyperoxia (99% O2) and intranasally inoculated with PA in the presence or absence of D-NO. D-NO (300 µM–800 µM) significantly increased the survival of mice inoculated with PA under hyperoxic conditions, and significantly decreased bacterial loads in the lung and attenuated lung injury. These results suggest the NO donor, D-NO, can improve the clinical outcomes in VAP by augmenting the innate immunity in bacterial clearance. Thus, provided these results can be extrapolated to humans, NO supplementation may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for preventing and treating patients with VAP.
302 W single-mode power from an Er/Yb fiber MOPA

There has been very little progress in the power scaling of Er/Yb fiber lasers in over a decade, reflecting the difficulties involved. Here we report, to the best of our knowledge, a new record of 302 W single-mode power from an Er/Yb fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) with a record optical efficiency of 56%, near the quantum limit. This is made possible by new fiber development from Nufern and off-resonant pumping of the Er/Yb fiber. We also show that further power scaling is no longer limited by ytterbium parasitic lasing but by fiber fuse in the Er/Yb fiber.
Extensions to models of the galaxy-halo connection

We explore two widely used empirical models for the galaxy-halo connection, subhalo abundance matching (SHAM) and the halo occupation distribution (HOD) and compare their predictions with the hydrodynamical simulation IllustrisTNG (TNG) for a range of statistics that quantify the galaxy distribution at $n_{\rm gal}\approx1.3\times10^{-3}\,[{\rm Mpc}/h]^{-3}$. We observe that in their most straightforward implementations, both models fail to reproduce the two-point clustering measured in TNG. We find that SHAM models constructed using the relaxation velocity, $V_{\rm relax}$, and the peak velocity, $V_{\rm peak}$, perform best, and match the clustering reasonably well, although neither model captures adequately the one-halo clustering. Splitting the total sample into sub-populations, we discover that SHAM overpredicts the clustering of high-mass, blue, star-forming, and late-forming galaxies and uderpredicts that of low-mass, red, quiescent, and early-forming galaxies. We also study various baryonic effects, finding that subhalos in the dark-mater-only simulation have consistently higher values of their SHAM-proxy properties than their full-physics counterparts. We then consider a two-dimensional implementation of the HOD model augmented with a secondary parameter (environment, velocity anisotropy, $\sigma^2R_{\rm halfmass}$, and total potential) and tuned so as to match the two-point clustering of the IllustrisTNG galaxies on large scales. We analyze these galaxy populations adopting alternative statistical tools such as galaxy-galaxy lensing, void-galaxy cross-correlations and cumulants of the smoothed density field, finding that the hydrodynamical galaxy distribution disfavors $\sigma^2 R_{\rm halfmass}$ and the total potential as secondary parameters, while the environment and velocity anisotropy samples are consistent with full-physics across all statistical probes examined.
Conditioned Reinforcement: Experimental and Theoretical Issues

The concept of conditioned reinforcement has received decreased attention in learning textbooks over the past decade, in part because of criticisms of its validity by major behavior theorists and in part because its explanatory function in a variety of different conditioning procedures has become uncertain. Critical data from the major procedures that have been used to investigate the concept (second-order schedules, chain schedules, concurrent chains, observing responses, delay-of-reinforcement procedures) are reviewed, along with the major issues of interpretation. Although the role played by conditioned reinforcement in some procedures remains unresolved, the results taken together leave little doubt that the underlying idea of conditioned value is a critical component of behavior theory that is necessary to explain many different types of data. Other processes (marking, bridging) may also operate to produce effects similar to those of conditioned reinforcement, but these clearly cannot explain the full domain of experimental effects ascribed to conditioned reinforcement and should be regarded as complements to the concept rather than theoretical competitors. Examples of practical and theoretical applications of the concept of conditioned reinforcement are also considered.
Behavioral assays to study neural development in Xenopus laevis tadpoles

Abstract Escape responses, orienting reflexes, and social behaviors in Xenopus laevis tadpoles have been well documented in the literature (Lee et al. 2010; Roberts et al. 2000; Simmons et al. 2004; Katz et al. 1981; Villinger and Waldman 2012). In this article, we describe several behavioral protocols that together allow researchers efficiently (in terms of financial cost and time investment) and effectively assess developmental abnormalities in pre-metamorphic Xenopus tadpoles.
Affect, Attention, and Episodic Performance:

Any individual’s work performance can vary from day to day and even over the course of a single day. Traditional, static models of job performance that focus on modeling between-person differences ...
Volatile, quality and olfactory profiles of fresh-cut polignano carrots stored in air or in passive modified atmospheres

Abstract Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), quality attributes (respiration activity, total phenols and antioxidant activity) and olfactory profile by electronic nose of fresh-cut orange and purple Polignano carrots stored in Air or passive modified atmosphere (pMAP) were examined until 14 days of storage. The pMAP storage reduced the respiration rate, preserving the antioxidant activity and total phenols of the carrots. Moreover, it enhanced the peculiar aromatic notes of these carrots, as showed by Principal Component Analysis (PCA), which allowed also to select the VOCs associated to fresh carrots and to samples stored in Air or pMAP. Predictive models of selected volatiles by electronic nose data were build running Partial least squares regression (PLSR). In orange carrots, six significant models were obtained for β-pinene, δ-elemene, γ-curcumene, cis α-bisabolene, cariophyllene oxide and α-cedrol. In the case of purple carrots, E-nose signals were able to predict only two terpenes, trans β-cariophyllene and myristicin.
Operator Algebraic Quotient Structures Induced by Directed Graphs

Our result is about inclusions for (finite or infinite) countable directed graphs. In the proof, we use Free Probability Theory, groupoids, and algebras of operators (von Neumann algebras). We show that inclusions of directed graphs induce quotients for associated groupoid actions. With the use of operator thechniques, we then establish a duality between inclusions of graphs on the one hand and quotients of algebras on the other. Our main result is that each connected graph induces a quotient generated by a free group. This is a generalization of the notion of induced representations in the context of unitary representations of groups, i.e., the induction from the representations of a subgroup of an ambient group. The analogue is to systems of imprimitivity based on the homogeneous space. The parallel of this is the more general context of graphs (extending from groups to groupoids): We first prove that inclusions for connected graphs correspond to free group quotients, and we then build up the general case via connected components of given graphs.
Great Britain: Brexit, and Nationalist-Populism

This chapter focuses on nationalist-populism in Great Britain, notably in the context of the Brexit debate and the issues in that debate. It describes the profile of Brexiteeers, the politicians involved, including Donald, Trump, Nicolas Farage, Boris Johnson, and Theresa May, and the struggle within the British government and parliament, and its main political parties to reach agreement about how to deal with issues raised by Brexit such as the status of Northern Ireland and a hard versus a soft Brexit. It also discusses the negotiations between the UK and the EU, and the agreement between just before Brexit was executed.
Workforce Diversity Management: A Systematic Literature Review

The primary task of this paper is to identify the existing theoretical contributions to the term of workforce diversity management in order to systematize present knowledge, clearly understand the definition of workforce diversity management in organizations and identify the gaps for future research. In this theoretical study, the Scopus database was used for sampling. 19 studies published from the 2015 year were identified, and then the selected papers were analysed according to key research definitions. Recently, the idea of diversity management acquires a new meaning; swiftly expanding its field and circulating around the world. Workforce diversity management becomes a frequently significant part of Human Resource Management in corporations, as that helps companies to take a sustained competitive advantage in the current globalization and innovative age (Egerova, Jiřincova, Lancaric & Savov, 2013; Manoharan & Singal, 2017). The results of the study allow concluding that a mild of present publications consider diversity management as a practice that helps to encompass both: a propitious organisational culture and organisational performance. The paper contributes to the existing literature on business and management by assessing present studies on diversity management and demonstrates the potential as the scrutinised field seems to be an attractive area for future research.
Fintech and Racial Barriers in Small Business Lending

Using a linked database of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Yelp-listed restaurants, we document that businesses owned by minority racial groups are more likely to use fintech lenders than traditional lenders. We develop a simple two-sided matching model to show that this phenomenon can be potentially attributed to differences in performance among borrowers, racial disparities in lending relationships, and race-dependent values of borrower-lender matches. Empirically, we do not find consistent evidence that operational performance is an explanation. We find that minority-owned restaurants are less likely to have lending relationships and that restaurants without lending relationships are more likely to use fintech lenders. We also find a more negative minority-non-minority gap in operational performance for fintech lenders, suggesting minority-owned businesses have higher matching values with fintech lenders. We do not find a similar pattern for first-time bank participants, community development financial institutions, credit unions, or other non-federally insured lenders. Overall, our results suggest that there are racial barriers in traditional loan distribution channels and this can be at least partially addressed by fintech lenders.
Three Inverse Scattering Algorithms for the Lifting Theorem

This paper presents three recursive algorithms to compute the choice sequence [Γi] from the contractive intertwining dilation B of A (and to compute B from the choice sequence [Γi]), in the Sz.-Nagy-Foias Lifting Theorem. First a simple proof of the recursive algorithm of Arsene, Ceausescu and Foias [8] is given. The other two algorithms are obtained by recursively applying matrix contraction techniques. These algorithms generalize the Schur algorithm for solving the Caratheodory interpolation problem and some of the results on Hankel matrices.
Characterization of a coronavirus: II. Glycoproteins of the viral envelope: Tryptic peptide analysis

Abstract Two species of membrane-associated glycoproteins have been identified in the coronavirus virion. They are readily distinguished on the basis of size, radiolabeling characteristics, and location in relation to the lipid bilayer. The larger glycoprotein is highly labeled by both radiolabeled fucose and glucosamine. This species is found in two forms, GP180 and GP90, with apparent molecular weights of 180,000 and 90,000. GP180 can be converted to GP90 in vitro by treatment of virions with trypsin. Analysis of tryptic digests of GP90 and GP180 give identical peptide patterns. Based on pronase and bromelain sensitivities, GP180/90 is the only protein which is located entirely external to the viral envelope. It appears to comprise the characteristic long, petal-shaped peplomers of the virion. The smaller glycoprotein, GP23, has an apparent molecular weight of 23,000 and is labeled by radiolabeled glucosamine but not by fucose. The level of glucosamine-labeling of GP23 is about 1/10 that of GP180/90. GP23 appears to possess two distinct domains: a smaller, carbohydrate containing region which is found outside the viral envelope, and a larger portion, highly labeled by methionine, which is integrally associated with the viral membrane. A new nomenclature is proposed for the three major coronavirus structural proteins. The two envelope glycoproteins, GP23 and GP180/90 are designated E1 and E2, respectively; the inner core protein, VP50, is designated N.
Computer-aided detection (CAD): the case for

In any discussion regarding the necessity for CAD, the ultimate goals of a screening programme must be taken into consideration balanced against the cost of instituting the programme. Double reading has been shown to increase sensitivity by as much as 15%. However, the cost no matter the method is formidable. CAD, on the other hand, while initially costly, has been shown to increase the sensitivity by as much as 23%. This increase in sensitivity is reason enough to use CAD, but must be evaluated in the context of effect on positive predictive value and recall rates. Our clinic first viewed CAD with the same concerns. Our studies to date indicate no statistically significant change in positive predictive value or recall rate. Despite an independent double-blinded double read, CAD increased sensitivity by 7%. Some studies have shown that increased sensitivity with CAD is due to ductal carcinoma in situ detection, but this was not shown in our prospective study. In our group of cancers, 87% were stage 0 or stage 1 and 77% were minimal cancers (<10 mm invasive or any size ductal carcinoma in situ). However, the cancers that the double read missed and CAD prompted were all invasive with only 57% minimal disease.
Integrated communications and work efficiency: impacts on organizational structure and power

L'auteur fait le point sur les transformations des structures de travail induites par le nouvel environnement bureautique. Les effets de ces nouvelles technologies sont analyses en ce qui concerne l'impact sur les reseaux, les procedures et le flux de travail ainsi que les structures organisationnelles. On assiste notamment a un nouveau partage des pouvoirs au sein de l'entreprise avec des structures plus flexibles et decentralisees
Switchboard in the sky: free-space optics platform for communications and processing

In the late 1990s, companies such as Motorola and Teledesic have unveiled plans to install a network of satellites at various orbit levels around the Earth. These communication satellites will form a global grid of interconnection networks with land, sea, and space terminals. Essentially, all these interconnection networks are to be radio frequency (rf) links. typical system design. Each switchboard on a satellite will have physically independent optical input ports and output ports. It is also conceivable that each port is reversible and acts as both an input and output port. The scanner ports connect the satellite optical switchboard to the switchboards of other satellites in orbit.