cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing the safety of influenza vaccination in specific populations: children and the elderly.

Comprehensive monitoring of the safety of influenza vaccines remains a public health priority, particularly as immunization coverage increases across different age groups at the global level. In this review, the authors provide state-of-the-art knowledge on the safety of influenza immunization among children and the elderly. The authors review the safety information in each group separately for inactivated and live attenuated influenza vaccines. Adverse events of special concern including febrile seizure, narcolepsy, asthma and Guillain–Barre syndrome are covered under specific considerations. The authors discuss the current status of the field, particularly the use of new technologies for influenza vaccines and their potential safety profile.
Comments on session on learning machines

The speakers this morning are all imitators in the sense that the poet in Aristotle "imitates" life. But, whereas Messrs. Farley, Clark, Selfridge, and Dinneen are imitating the nervous system, Mr. Newell prefers to imitate the hierarchy of final causes traditionally called the mind. It will come to the same thing in the end, no doubt, but for the moment I can only leave him to Mr. Miller, and confine my detailed remarks to the others.
Pre- and postweld inspection using laser vision

The most widely utilized welding evaluation technique is visual testing (VT). Major limitations of visual inspection are the subjectivity of judgments of the acceptability of the weld and time required to perform the inspection. Machine vision technology can replace or augment VT to curtail these limitations. Pre-weld inspection is an effective and efficient means of determining size and fit-up problems as well as seam tracking. Post-weld inspection with machine vision is efficient in that it saves time, provides a record of the inspection, and establishes a quantitative standard for measurements. This paper discusses laser-based, structured- light machine vision technology and its application toward automated pre- and post-weld inspection. Practical industrial applications including small, laser-welded tailored blanks and larger fillet welds are discussed along with results of initial testing.
Determination of Zirconium in Plutonium by Ion Exchange and Spectrography

The spectrographic analysis of plutonium for impurity elements is not without difficulties due to the complex emission spectrum of plutonium and to its toxicity. Separating the plutonium from the elements of interest would reduce the spectral interference and also the health hazard. In the determination of zirconium in plutonium reported here, the plutonium was separated from zirconium by retaining the plutonium as a nitrate complex on the anion exchange resin, Dowex-1, while collecting the zirconium in the effluent and wash solution. The combined effluent and wash solutions were evaporated to a small volume and the resulting solution analyzed for zirconium by graphite spark excitation using cobalt as the internal standard. Concentrations as low as 20 ppm of zirconium in plutonium have been determined with a precision of ± 17% (95% c.l.) for a single measurement.
Smooth Pursuit Eye-Tracking Impairment in Childhood-Onset Psychotic Disorders

OBJECTIVE: Although childhood-onset schizophrenia is relatively rare, a sizable group of children with severe emotional disturbances have transient psychotic symptoms that fall outside of current syndrome boundaries. The relationship of this group of children to those with childhood-onset schizophrenia and other childhood psychiatric disorders is unclear. In this study, the authors compared smooth pursuit eye tracking, a biological trait marker associated with schizophrenia, of children and adolescents with psychotic disorder not otherwise specified to that of children with childhood-onset schizophrenia and healthy comparison subjects. METHOD: By means of infrared oculography, smooth pursuit eye movements during a 17°/second visual pursuit task were quantitatively and qualitatively compared in 55 young adolescents (29 with childhood-onset schizophrenia and 26 with psychotic disorder not otherwise specified) and their respective independent healthy comparison groups (a total of 38 healthy subjects). RESULT...
Compound cis-regulatory elements with both boundary and enhancer sequences in the human genome

Motivation: It has been suggested that presumably distinct classes of genomic regulatory elements may actually share common sets of features and mechanisms. However, there has been no genome-wide assessment of the prevalence of this phenomenon. Results: To evaluate this possibility, we performed a bioinformatic screen for the existence of compound regulatory elements in the human genome. We identified numerous such colocated boundary and enhancer elements from human CD4 þ T cells. We report evidence that such compound regulatory elements possess unique chromatin features and facilitate cell type-specific functions related to inflammation and immune response in CD4 þ Tc ells.
NBS Solar Collector Durability/Reliability Program

1980, pp. 239-249. There is evidence that significant deterioration in solar collectors used for residential and commercial building applications can occur as a result of exposure to environmental conditions. This problemindicates the need for validated testing and evaluation procedures that can be used to assess the deterioration of solar collectors and their associated materials. A program is being undertaken at the National Bureau of Standards (funded by the Department of Energy) to develop meaningful collector durability/reliability tests. Both laboratory and outdoor field exposure tests will be performed on collectors and collector materials. These tests will take into account the deterioration that can occur at the collector level as a result of exposure to stagnation conditions, thermal shock, moisture, wind, and snow loads, etc. Materials tests in the laboratory or field include ultraviolet (UV) degradation, thermal degradation, and moisture resistance. Correlations will be made between actual and simulated degradation for both collectors and their materials.
NICU Bedside Caregivers Sustain Process Improvement and Decrease Incidence of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Infants < 30 Weeks Gestation

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to investigate whether a respiratory care bundle, implemented through participation in the Vermont Oxford Network-sponsored Neonatal Intensive Care Quality Improvement Collaborative (NIC/Q 2005) and primarily dependent on bedside caregivers, resulted in sustained decrease in the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in infants < 30 wk gestation. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Infants inborn between 23 wk and 29 wk + 6 d of gestation were included. Patients with congenital heart disease, significant congenital or lung anomalies, or death before intubation were excluded. Four time periods (T1–T4) were identified: T1: September 1, 2002 to August 31, 2004; T2: September 1, 2004 to August 31, 2006; T3: September 1, 2006 to August 31, 2008; T4: September 1, 2008 to August 31, 2010. RESULTS: A total of 1,050 infants were included in the study. BPD decreased significantly in T3 post-implementation of the respiratory bundle compared with T1 (29.9% vs 51.2%, respectively; adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.06 [95% CI 0.03–0.13], P = < .001). The decrease was not sustained into T4. There was a significant increase in the rate of BPD-free survival to discharge in T3 compared with T1 (53.1% vs 47%; aOR = 1.68 [95% CI 1.11–2.56], P = .01) that was also not sustained. The rate of infants requiring O2 at 28 d of life decreased significantly in T3 versus T1 (40.3% vs 69.9%, respectively; aOR = 0.12 [95% CI 0.07–0.20], P = < .001). Increases in the rate of surfactant administration by 1 h of life and rate of caffeine use were observed in T4 versus T1, respectively. There was a significant decrease in median ventilator days and a significant increase in the median number of noninvasive CPAP days throughout the study period. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, implementation of a respiratory bundle managed primarily by nurses and respiratory therapists was successful in increasing the use of less invasive respiratory support in a consistent manner among very low birthweight infants at a single institution. However, this study and others have failed to show sustained improvement in the incidence of BPD despite sustained process change.
Phylogeography of the Variable Dwarf-Kingfisher Ceyx lepidus (Aves: Alcedinidae) Inferred from Mitochondrial and Nuclear DNA Sequences

ABSTRACT. We reconstructed the phylogeographic relationships of the Variable Dwarf-Kingfisher (Ceyx lepidus) using DNA sequence data. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analysis methods were used to reconstruct trees from a multilocus data set of all 15 named subspecies of the Ceyx lepidus species complex. The concatenated data-set length was 2,471 base pairs and included two mitochondrial genes and two noncoding nuclear introns. Support for the monophyly of C. lepidus was equivocal. We instead found support for a clade including all C. lepidus subspecies plus two endemic Philippine taxa: C. argentatus and C. cyanopectus. Relationships among subspecific taxa were not well resolved, and many nodes were collapsed into polytomies suggesting a rapid and widespread colonization. In situ diversification likely played a role in generating current diversity within four archipelagos: the Philippines, Malukus, Bismarcks, and Solomons. Some biogeographic patterns recovered for the Solomon Islands taxa match those seen ...
Stages of synapse development defined by dependence on F-actin.

It has been widely speculated that actin plays a central role in CNS synapse assembly, but such a requirement for actin filaments (F-actin) has not yet been demonstrated experimentally. We used hippocampal neurons grown in culture and the actin depolymerizing agent, latrunculin A, to examine directly the relationship between F-actin and synapse formation and maturation. During the first week in culture, actin depolymerization results in a near complete loss of synapses defined by synaptophysin-labeled vesicle clusters, synaptic vesicle recycling, and ultrastructure. Over the second week in culture, F-actin becomes increasingly stable, but actin depolymerization no longer disrupts basic synaptic structure. There is, however, a reduction in the number and size of synaptophysin-labeled clusters and in the size of vesicle clusters undergoing FM4–64 recycling, suggesting that synaptic vesicle anchoring remains partially dependent on F-actin. By 18 d in culture, synaptophysin clusters and synaptic vesicle recycling are largely resistant to F-actin depolymerization. The decrease in synapse dependence on F-actin correlates well with the acquisition and retention of presynaptic scaffolding proteins such as Bassoon and postsynaptic scaffolding proteins such as those of the postsynaptic density-95 family. Increased activity stabilizes F-actin and its associated proteins at synaptic sites, suggesting a correlation between active synapses, actin stability, and synapse stability. Our findings demonstrate that F-actin is essential for the development and maintenance of young synapses. Because F-actin is also highly regulatable, we propose that F-actin may be a principal target for stabilizing or destabilizing signals that ultimately result in synapse maintenance or elimination.
Combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for urological and lower extremity vascular procedures

Certain urological and vascular surgical procedures lend themselves to combined spinal-epidural anesthesia. Ultrasonic lithotripsy often requires significant analgesia and sedation. In appropriate patients this goal can be achieved using intrathecal sufentanil 10 μg. Placing an epidural catheter at the time of spinal injection provides a way to provide additional analgesia if needed. Epidural anesthesia and analgesia may improve outcome in patients undergoing lower extremity peripheral vascular surgery. Combined spinal-epidural anesthesia rapidly provides excellent surgical conditions plus the benefits of postoperative epidural analgesia. In these patients, begin with an intrathecal injection of 12 to 15 mg hyperbaric bupivacaine. One hour later, carefully dose the epidural catheter with 0.5% bupivacaine. Provide postoperative analgesia with an infusion of 0.1% bupivacaine plus 0.01% morphine at 8 to 10 mL/hr.
Casein kinase 1 proteomics reveal prohibitin 2 function in molecular clock.

Throughout the day, clock proteins synchronize changes in animal physiology (e.g., wakefulness and appetite) with external cues (e.g., daylight and food). In vertebrates, both casein kinase 1 delta and epsilon (CK1δ and CK1e) regulate these circadian changes by phosphorylating other core clock proteins. In addition, CK1 can regulate circadian-dependent transcription in a non-catalytic manner, however, the mechanism is unknown. Furthermore, the extent of functional redundancy between these closely related kinases is debated. To further advance knowledge about CK1δ and CK1e mechanisms of action in the biological clock, we first carried out proteomic analysis of both kinases in human cells. Next, we tested interesting candidates in a cell-based circadian readout which resulted in the discovery of PROHIBITIN 2 (PHB2) as a modulator of period length. Decreasing the expression of PHB2 increases circadian-driven transcription, thus revealing PHB2 acts as an inhibitor in the molecular clock. While stable binding of PHB2 to either kinase was not detected, knocking down CK1e expression increases PHB2 protein levels and, unexpectedly, knocking down CK1δ decreases PHB2 transcript levels. Thus, isolating CK1 protein complexes led to the identification of PHB2 as an inhibitor of circadian transcription. Furthermore, we show that CK1δ and CK1e differentially regulate the expression of PHB2.
Quartic moveout coefficient: 3D description and application to tilted TI media

Nonhyperbolic (long-spread) moveout provides essential information for a number of seismic inversion/ processing applications, particularly for parameter estimation in anisotropic media. Here, we present an analytic expression for the quartic moveout coefficient A4 that controls the magnitude of nonhyperbolic moveout of pure (nonconverted) modes. Our result takes into account reflection-point dispersal on irregular interfaces and is valid for arbitrarily anisotropic, heterogeneous media. All quantities needed to compute A4 can be evaluated during the tracing of the zero-offset ray, so long-spread moveout can be modeled without timeconsuming multioffset, multiazimuth ray tracing. The general equation for the quartic coefficient is then used to study azimuthally varying nonhyperbolic moveout of P-waves in a dipping transversely isotropic (TI) layer with an arbitrary tilt” of the symmetry axis. Assuming that the symmetry axis is confined to the dip plane, we employed the weak-anisotropy approximation to analyze the dependence of A4 on the anisotropic parameters. The linearized expression for A4 is proportional to the anellipticity coefficient·…†i‐ and does not depend on the individual values of the Thomsen parameters. Typically, the magnitude of nonhyperbolic moveout in tilted TI media above a dipping reflector is highest near the reflector strike, whereas deviations from hyperbolic moveout on the dip line are substantial only for mild dips. The azimuthal variation of the quartic coefficient is
Implementation of an Interdisciplinary, Team-Based Complex Care Support Health Care Model at an Academic Medical Center: Impact on Health Care Utilization and Quality of Life.

Introduction The Geriatric Resources for the Assessment and Care of Elders (GRACE) program has been shown to decrease acute care utilization and increase patient self-rated health in low-income seniors at community-based health centers.
A History of Afro-Hispanic Language: Grammatical features of Afro-Hispanic language

Introduction This chapter will focus on particular grammatical structures among African languages and possible substratum influences in Afro-Iberian speech. The list of possible transfers is nearly endless, and yet among creole languages worldwide only a relatively small handful of syntactic patterns are typically implicated in substratum transfer. Overall configurations such as word order, together with specific constructions involving negation, interrogation, topicalization, definiteness marking, pluralization, and copular predicates are among the leading venues in which the action of substratum languages may be sought. General word order among African and Afro-Iberian languages When full argumental noun phrases (NPs) are involved, the majority of African languages that interacted with Spanish and Portuguese are head-initial SVO (subject-verb-object) languages, meaning that objects follow prepositions and verbs, and complementizers such as that/que come at the beginning of the clauses they introduce. A proportionately smaller number of languages exhibit SOV (subject-object-verb) order, with some being head-final/postpositional. Some languages appear to be in transition from one word order pattern to another. Few African languages depart drastically from one of these two canonical patterns, although alternative word orders are common in constructions involving focus and topicalization, relativization, interrogation, etc. According to Heine (1976:23–24), who surveyed some 300 African languages, 95 percent have S-V order in intransitive sentences; in transitive sentences, the proportions are 71 percent SVO, 24 percent SOV, and 5 percent VSO. If the subject is pronominal, 94 percent of the languages place the pronoun preverbally.
Assessment of the Endoscopic Endonasal Transclival Approach for Surgical Clipping of Anterior Pontine Anterior-Inferior Cerebellar Artery Aneurysms

Objective Aneurysms of the anterior pontine segment of the anterior-inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) are uncommon. Their treatment is challenging because critical neurovascular structures are adjacent to it and the available surgical corridors are narrow and deep. Although endoscopic endonasal approaches are accepted for treating midline skull base lesions, their role in the treatment vascular lesions remains undefined. The present study is aimed to assess the anatomic feasibility of the endoscopic endonasal transclival (EET) approach for treating anterior pontine AICA aneurysms and compare it with the subtemporal anterior transpetrosal (SAT) approach. Methods Twelve cadaveric specimens were prepared for surgical simulation. The AICAs were exposed using both EET and SAT approaches. Surgical window area and the length of the exposed artery were measured. The distance from the origin of the artery to the clip applied for proximal control was measured. The number of AICA perforators exposed and the anatomic features of each AICA were recorded. Results The EET approach provided a wider surgical window area compared with the SAT ( P P P Conclusion Clipping anterior pontine AICA aneurysms using the EET approach is feasible. Compared with SAT, the EET approach provides advantages in surgical window area, ensuring proximal control before aneurysm dissection, visualization of perforating branches, and better proximal control.
Sisomicin therapy of serious gram-negative infections

Sisomicin, a dehydrogenated gentamicin C1a derivative, was employed to treat serious gram-negative infections. A satisfactory clinical response was obtained in 79 % of 34 episodes of infection. Response was good even in the presence of preexisting renal or hepatic disease and in spite of concomitant use of immunosuppressive agents. Pseudomonas and Serratia urinary tract infections responded well with failure occurring only in patients with marked structural abnormalities. Pulmonary infections showed good clinical response in spite of failure to eliminate the organism from the sputum of patients with extensive underlying pulmonary disease. Although serious nephrotoxicity was not encountered, five patients had cylindruria or hematuria which was accompanied in two cases by a slight rise in serum creatinine. Furthermore, the precise meaning of cylindruria in acid urine is unclear. Transient vestibular abnormalities were seen in two of 34 episodes of treatment. Hematologic or hepatic abnormalities were not encountered.
Characterization of Blood Mononuclear and Cultured CeIJs in Hairy Cell Leukemia

The nature of neoplastic cells in hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is still controversial. Most reports favor derivation from B cells, but some have suggested origin from monocytes/histiocytes, T cells, or even a hybrid Ig-bearing lymphocyte with phagocytic activity. We established a new cell line from peripheral blood of a patient with typical HCL. The morphologic, immunocytochemical, and functional properties of the new cell line were identical with the patient’s original HC. Both cell types demonstrated the irregtilar, fine cytoplasmic projections characteristic of HC, were weakly phagocytic, markedly positive for tartrate-resistant acid .phosphatase, and had variable nonspecific esterase reactivity. Low percentages of EAC-ro-setting cells were found (8% original specimen and 6% cultured cells) and a minute amount of IgG, IgA, and IgM were synthesized by the new cell line. A small proportion of cells (13% original specimen and 12% cultured cells) bore SIg when stained with F(ab)2-fragment polyvalent antiserum. Our observations indicated that HC were a slowly proliferating cell population with immunochemical and functional characteristics of both B and monocyte/histiocytic cells.
The hemifusion structure induced by influenza virus haemagglutinin is determined by physical properties of the target membranes

Influenza A virus haemagglutinin conformational change drives the membrane fusion of viral and endosomal membranes at low pH. Membrane fusion proceeds through an intermediate called hemifusion(1,2). For viral fusion, the hemifusion structures are not determined(3). Here, influenza virus-like particles(4) carrying wild-type haemagglutinin or haemagglutinin hemifusion mutant G1S(5) and liposome mixtures were studied at low pH by Volta phase plate cryo-electron tomography, which improves the signal-to-noise ratio close to focus. We determined two distinct hemifusion structures: a hemifusion diaphragm and a novel structure termed a 'lipidic junction'. Liposomes with lipidic junctions were ruptured with membrane edges stabilized by haemagglutinin. The rupture frequency and hemifusion diaphragm diameter were not affected by G1S mutation, but decreased when the cholesterol level in the liposomes was close to physiological concentrations. We propose that haemagglutinin induces a merger between the viral and target membranes by one of two independent pathways: a rupture-insertion pathway leading to the lipidic junction and a hemifusion-stalk pathway leading to a fusion pore. The latter is relevant under the conditions of influenza virus infection of cells. Cholesterol concentration functions as a pathway switch because of its negative spontaneous curvature in the target bilayer, as determined by continuum analysis.
Does Religion Cause Violence? An Examination of Ethnic Mobilization, 1960-2012

Significant research has argued that religious conflict is more violent than other forms of communal conflict. However, much existing scholarship has failed to distinguish between the presence of a religious distinction and the active use of religion in conflict. This paper argues for a more precise definition of religious conflict emphasizing the use of religious rhetoric by political organizations. With this definition in mind, I test the proposition that religious rhetoric encourages violence through analysis of a new dataset on the behavior of ethnic political organizations worldwide between 1960 and 2012. This analysis finds that the use of religious rhetoric in one year does not have a significant impact on the likelihood of violence in subsequent years. In contrast, participation in violence in one year substantially increases the likelihood that ethnic political organizations will adopt religious rhetoric in subsequent years. I argue that the use of religious rhetoric serves as a means by which violent political organizations signal resolve to rivals and gain moral legitimacy among moderate constituents. This paper contributes to a developing understanding of the relationship between religion and violence as well as a growing literature on the multidimensionality of ethnic identity.
Application of ROC curve in formulating the best threshold value of sodium in swill-cooked dirty oil

Using ROC curve to formulate the best threshold value of sodium in swill-cooked dirty oil was studied.With commercial edible oil as gold standard,the ROC curve of sodium contents in forty-six edible oils and eighty swill-cooked dirty oils was established,and the best threshold value was found using the Youden index.The results showed that the best threshold value of sodium was 0.985 mg / kg with 0.525 of sensitivity and 1 of specificity.The area under the ROC curve was 0.786(P 0.05) with statistical significance.
Improvement of testing method for rapid detection of hands of medical staff,surface of Salmonella

Objective:Rapid detection of hands of medical staff,surface of Salmonella.Methods:Specimens using improved methyl green enrichment fluid,using Salmonella test pieces were detected,and compared with traditional detection method.Results:The improved test method for detection of Salmonella with high sensitivity,strong specificity,the testing results and the traditional detection method without significant difference.Conclusion:The modified test piece method is accurate,convenient,low cost,can replace the traditional detection method for the hands of medical staff,surface detection of Salmonella.
Application of mobile nursery method to determine temporal and spatial genetic variability of wheat streak mosaic virus in Nebraska

A suitable sampling technique is very important to determine temporal and spatial genetic variability among wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) strains. In order to understand the population dynamics of WSMV and its vector, wheat curl mite (WCM, Aceria tosichella Keifer), mobile nurseries containing wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings (1236 plants) were placed in three Nebraska counties at different sampling times in 1999 and 2000, from grain filling to post-harvest of wheat. Approximately 60% of the samples were recovered from the fields (about 40% were lost to biotic and abiotic stress conditions) and were examined for mosaic symptoms tested by and ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay). The number of mites on each plant sample was also determined. The samples that had mites, mosaic, and were positive in ELISA and were analyzed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method to determine the genetic variability among virus isolates. Alu I restriction endonuclease resulted in 12 different coat protein genotypes which were used to determine intra- and inter- group genetic variation in natural WSMV populations. Three main genotypes were predominant with the others being related minor or mixed genotypes. The genetic diversity among groups (i.e. regions, sampling dates, and years) was less than 10% (p<0.05). Most of the genetic diversity (~90%, p<0.005) was observed among individuals within each population. Mobile nursery sampling methods were successful in determining the spread and population dynamics of WSMV in different times and regions from stage to stage.
Toward Model-Based Chemotherapy Treatment Design

Pharmacokinetic models of anticancer compounds are growing in prevalence, and these provide implicitly useful guidance in drug dosing. With the construction of pharmacodynamic models of unperturbed, and treated, tumor growth, as well as toxicity, it becomes possible to explicitly employ PK/PD models to design cancer treatment schedules. This work has demonstrated how current modeling tools and insight can be integrated to develop mathematical descriptions of drug kinetics (PK) and effect (PD) that are quantitatively accurate while having a structure that is amenable to model-based optimization. The present study was preclinical in nature, using human tumor xenografts, and the concept is generalizable for use in human patients with a modest increase in treatment-related measurements. A long-term goal of this work is to develop inter-species scaling factors to allow preclinical results, such as those in the present study, to be generally applicable in a priori dosage design for clinical treatment. Finally, based on the premise that model quality limits achievable performance [4], the development of measurement techniques or devices to sample at finer spatial and temporal resolutions could lead to more detailed PK and PD models and hence improved dosage design algorithms.
Electrophysiological Methods in the Study of Ureteral Dynamics

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the application of electrophysiological methods in the study of ureteral dynamics. The foundation of this method is based upon the fact that the dynamics of urine transfer from the renal pelvis to the bladder through the ureter can best be defined by measurement of the resulting electrical action potentials of ureteral smooth muscle during persistalsis. These potentials can be measured with microelectrodes to provide a quantitative indication of the rate of peristalsis, its speed and direction of transmission, and the distribution of a series of peristaltic waves when recorded over a period of time. When a sequence of peristaltic waves propagating along the ureter are recorded using the electrophysiological methodology, a series of spikes can be observed. These spike trains are carriers of information that may potentially indicate their cause, source, and mode of propagation. Examination of the histograms taken at varying increments of urine flow rate indicates that peristaltic waves are distributed in a definite multimodal form, which occurs at submultiples of some fundamental frequency.
Wave Tuning with Piezoelectric Wafer Active Sensors

This chapter deals with a basic aspect of the interaction between PWAS and structure during the active SHM process, i.e., the tuning between the PWAS and the Lamb waves traveling in the structure. Under electric excitation, the PWAS undergo oscillatory contractions and expansions, which are transferred to the structure through the bonding layer to excite Lamb waves into the structure. In this process, several factors influence the behavior of the excited waves: PWAS length, excitation frequency, wavelength of the guided wave, etc. The interaction of PWAS with the ultrasonic waves generated into the structure is modeled analytically and a solution is developed using space-domain Fourier transform for linear PWAS in interaction with straight-crested Lamb waves and Hankel transform for circular PWAS in interaction with circular-crested Lamb waves. The physical-domain solution is obtained through the residue theorem. Tuning opportunities are shown to exist through matching between the characteristic direction of PWAS expansion and contraction, on the one hand, and the half wavelength of the elastic wave, on the other. The tuning is especially beneficial when dealing with multimode waves because it allows one to select a certain Lamb wave mode as needed by the SHM process. Also studied are the directivity patterns associated with tuning of rectangular PWAS. The theoretical predictions are confirmed by carefully conducted experiments.
Cardiovascular Risk and Disease Among Masters Endurance Athletes: Insights from the Boston MASTER (Masters Athletes Survey To Evaluate Risk) Initiative

Masters athletes (MAs), people over the age of 35 that participate in competitive sports, are a rapidly growing population that may be uniquely at risk for cardiovascular (CV) disease. The objective of this study was to develop a comprehensive clinical CV profile of MA. An electronic Internet-based survey (survey response rate = 66 %) was used to characterize a community cohort of MAs residing in Eastern Massachusetts, USA. Clinical and lifestyle factors associated with prevalent CV disease were determined using logistic regression. Among 591 MAs (66 % men, age = 50 ± 9 years) with 21.3 ± 5.5 years of competitive endurance sport exposure, at least one CV risk factor was present in 64 % including the following: family history of premature atherosclerosis (32 %), prior/current tobacco exposure (23 %), hypertension (12.0 %), and dyslipidemia (7.4 %). There was a 9 % (54/591) prevalence of established CV disease which was accounted for largely by atrial fibrillation (AF) and coronary atherosclerosis (CAD). Prevalent AF was associated with years of exercise exposure [adjusted odds ratio, OR (95 % confidence intervals); OR = 1.10 (1.06, 1.21)] and hypertension [OR = 1.05 (1.01, 1.10)] while CAD was associated with dyslipidemia [OR = 9.09 (2.40, 34.39)] and tobacco use [OR = 1.78 (1.34, 3.10)] but was independent of exercise exposure. Among MAs, AF is associated with prior exercise exposure whereas CAD is associated with typical risk factors including dyslipidemia and prior tobacco use. These findings suggest that there are numerous opportunities to improve disease prevention and clinical care in this population.
The use of model-based compartmental analysis to study vitamin A metabolism in a non-steady state.

Over the past 20 years, we have collaborated with several laboratories in using mathematical modeling to describe and quantitate whole-body Vitamin A Metabolism in the rat. Steady state models have been developed for animals at different levels of vitamin A status (Green et al., 1985; Lewis et al., 1990; Green and Green, 1994a; Kelley and Green, 1998) and in response to other variables (Kelley et al., 1998; Jang et al., 2000; Kelley et al., 2000). Limited experimental and mathematical evidence (Green and Green, 1994b; Novotny et al., 1995; v Reinersdorff et al., 1998) suggests that there are many similarities in Vitamin A Metabolism between rats and humans. As discussed at the 5th Conference on Mathematical Modeling in Experimental Nutrition in 1994 (Green and Green, 1996), modeling studies have uniquely contributed to current understanding of whole-body Vitamin A Metabolism. In particular, interpretation of kinetic data has revealed previously unrecognized complexities in vitamin A dynamics that facilitate homeostatic control of plasma (and probably tissue) vitamin A levels.
Thirty Years of Shareholder Rights and Stock Returns

This paper explores the robustness of the positive association between shareholder rights and abnormal stock returns (using the Fama-French-Cahart four factor model) and potential explanations thereof. Utilizing hand-collected shareholder rights data for the 1978-1989 period in conjunction with the existing post-1990 RiskMetrics data, we document that: (1) over the 1978-2007, the association is generally robust to a variety of controls and estimating abnormal returns at the portfolio or firm-level; (2) this association co-varies with merger and acquisition (MA (3) while being acquired and making acquisitions are both strongly associated with abnormal stock returns, these effects do not explain the positive association; and (4) once the four factor model is supplemented with the Cremers, Nair & John (2009) takeover factor – which captures risk associated with time-varying investment opportunities and thus relates to the state of the M&A market – the association disappears.
Predicting Bike Usage for New York City's Bike Sharing System

Bike sharing systems consist of a fleet of bikes placed in a network of docking stations. These bikes can then be rented and returned to any of the docking stations after usage. Predicting unrealized bike demand at locations currently without bike stations is important for effectively designing and expanding bike sharing systems. We predict pairwise bike demand for New York City’s Citi Bike system. Since the system is driven by daily commuters we focus only on the morning rush hours between 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM during weekdays. We use taxi usage, weather and spatial variables as covariates to predict bike demand, and further analyze the influence of precipitation and day of week. We show that aggregating stations in neighborhoods can substantially improve predictions. The presented model can assist planners by predicting bike demand at a macroscopic level, between pairs of neighborhoods.
Dendroarchaeology at the Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site: Contextualizing the landscape of an Upland South farmstead in East Tennessee, USA

Abstract Dendroarchaeology has been an invaluable resource in aiding management agencies with data that can authenticate or contest traditional dates of construction for historic log structures. Tipton-Haynes is a well-documented state historic site in East Tennessee with two log structures thought to be constructed by its original occupant, Colonel John Tipton, in the late eighteenth century. To examine the landscape history of the site, these structures were dated using dendrochronology to contextualize the built environment over time. Structures include a renovated log cabin that stands as the core of a Greek-Revival farmhouse and a double-pen log corn crib. Results of the analysis show that the Tipton farmhouse was constructed in 1799 to serve as a retirement residence with renovations occurring shortly after 1821 by John Tipton, Jr., while the corn crib was constructed by Landon Haynes in 1851 during an expansion of farm production on the site. Our study contextualized the provenience of these structures over time which allowed us to recognize why these changes took place on the landscape and under whose ownership these changes occurred. Such dendroarchaeological studies provide a deeper understanding of the history of construction of historic sites in Tennessee and the Southeastern U.S. in general, helping historians, historical architects, and historical agencies more accurately interpret and understand the value of our historic resources.
Psychopathy in the Medical Emergency Department

Psychopathy is a personality disorder representing an admixture of a fearless and dominant temperament with an impulsive and antisocial orientation. A sample of 1,026 participants in the waiting room of the medical emergency department of a city hospital exhibited levels of fearless dominance similar to university undergraduates and federal inmates; their levels of impulsive antisociality fell between those of federal and state inmates. Both psychopathy factors were correlated with male gender, younger age, and more frequent average alcohol consumption. Fearless dominance was associated with agentic success (e.g., being employed, higher household income), fewer psychological problems, and less use of psychotropic medications, including anxiolytics. Impulsive antisociality was negatively related to both agentic and communal (e.g., ever being married) success and positively correlated with substance use and self-reported bipolar, ADHD, and psychotic psychiatric conditions. Further, only impulsive antisociality was associated with presenting to the emergency department for physical injury or psychological disturbance.
T-cell Homing Therapy for Reducing Regulatory T Cells and Preserving Effector T-cell Function in Large Solid Tumors

Purpose: Infused autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and tumor-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells typically surround malignant lesions or penetrate small tumor nodules but fail to penetrate large solid tumors, significantly compromising their antitumor impact. Strategies to overcome this primary challenge are largely required.Experimental Design: We tested the effects of IL12 plus doxorubicin on T-cell penetration and efficacy in solid tumors in a murine lung cancer model, a murine breast carcinoma lung metastasis model, and two human xenograft tumor models bearing large tumors (>10 mm).Results: Intriguingly, this simple approach increased the numbers, the distribution, and the depth of penetration of infused CD8+ T cells in these tumors, including both TILs and CAR T cells. This combined treatment halted tumor progression and significantly extended survival time. Studies of the underlying mechanism revealed multiple effects. First, the combined treatment maintained the high ratios of immune-stimulatory receptors to immune-inhibitory receptors on infiltrated CD8+ T cells, reduced the accumulation of immunosuppressive regulatory T cells, and enhanced the numbers of T-bet+ effector T cells in the tumors. Second, doxorubicin induced chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL10, which may attract NKG2D+CD8+ T cells to tumors, and this effect was boosted by IL12-induced IFNγ accumulation in tumors, promoting the penetration of NKG2D+CD8+ T cells.Conclusions: The deep penetration of infused T cells associated with combined IL12 plus doxorubicin yielded striking therapeutic effects in murine and human xenograft solid tumors. This approach might broaden the application of T-cell therapy to a wider range of solid tumors. Clin Cancer Res; 24(12); 2920-34. ©2018 AACRSee related commentary by Berraondo et al., p. 2716.
Block Modeling in Large Social Networks with Many Clusters

In this paper, we present an optimized version of the previously developed Block Modularity algorithm (Anthony,2009). The original algorithm was a fast, greedy method that effectively discovered a structured clustering in linked data and scaled very well with the number of nodes and edges. The optimized version is scalable in terms of the model complexity; the technique can now be used effectively to discover thousands of clusters in data sets with hundreds of thousands (and possibly more) nodes and edges. The optimization leads to an improvement of the runtime per iteration from cubic to quadratic with a small increase in the constant factor. The algorithm compares favorably with Karrer and Newman's Degree-Corrected Block Model (DCBM) in both runtime and quality of results.
Regulation of the cell cycle by CDK inhibitors.

There are at least four possible ways in which inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) might regulate cell cycle progression (Fig. 1). First, they might determine the duration of G1 phase by setting a threshold above which G1 CDK activity must accumulate before initiation of S-phase. In this threshold role, steady-state levels of CDK inhibitors (CKIs) counteract the temporal accumulation of G1 cyclin/CDK complexes. Second, they might act as checkpoints inducing cell cycle arrest transiently when genomic fidelity is threatened. Chromosome damage or inappropriate segregation of chromosomes may induce cell cycle arrest and initiate DNA repair mechanisms or apoptotic programs. Third, CKIs might allow expedient withdrawal of cells from the cell cycle and a concomitant change in cell fate. In some cases, CKIs might not only regulate the withdrawal from the cell cycle but also affect lineage-specific functions. Fourth, they might function as a gatekeeper of quiescence, keeping the GO cell Open image in new window Fig. 1 Four transitions in the cell cycle that can be controlled, in part, by the CKI. The phases of the cell cycle are indicated (G1, S, G2, M, and G0) and the G1 cyclin/CDK complexes are placed according to the time of their first activities during the mitotic cell cycle. The four transitions are the passage of a cell to DNA replication directly from mitosis (1), any time in the cell cycle that has the ability to respond to threats to genomic fidelity (2), during withdrawal from the cell cycle (3), and during re-entry into the cell cycle (4) from inappropriately resuming proliferation. In some cases, tumors arise from well differentiated and non-mitotic cells that inexplicably return to the cell cycle. Over the last 5 years, biochemical, cellular, and molecular analyses of CKIs have combined with genetic analysis of mutant mice deficient in each CKI to address these possible functions. Our current knowledge of the role of CKI in these decisions and speculations about their roles in developmentally regulated cell cycles are discussed below.
Potential rates of methanogenesis in peat and marl sawgrass wetlands in the Florida Everglades

POTENTIAL RATES OF METHANOGENESIS IN PEAT AND MARL SAWGRASS WETLANDS IN THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES
Mapping of Intervertebral Disc Annulus Fibrosus Compressive Properties is Sensitive to Specimen Boundary Conditions

Predicting the mechanical behavior of the intervertebral disc (IVD) in health and in disease requires accurate spatial mapping of its compressive mechanical properties. Previous studies confirmed that residual strains in the annulus fibrosus (AF) of the IVD, which result from non-uniform extracellular matrix deposition in response to in-vivo loads, vary by anatomical region (anterior, posterior, and lateral) and zone (inner, middle, and outer). We hypothesized that as the AF is composed of a nonlinear, anisotropic, viscoelastic material, the state of residual strain in the transverse plane would influence the apparent values of axial compressive properties. To test this hypothesis, axial creep indentation tests were performed, using a 1.6mm spherical probe, at nine different anatomical locations on bovine caudal AFs in both the intact (residual strain present) and strain relieved states. The results showed a shift towards increased spatial homogeneity in all measured parameters, particularly instantaneous strain. This shift was not observed in control AFs, which were tested twice in the intact state. Our results confirm that time-dependent axial compressive properties of the AF are sensitive to the state of residual strain in the transverse plane, to a degree that is likely to affect whole disc behavior.
Hot Chips 30

The articles in this special section reports on the 2018 Hot Chips conference which covers technical details about these chips, including technology, fundamental algorithms, packaging techniques, architecture, and circuit details. The emphasis is on real chips and applications which are part of actual products; although we do have our share of research talks, we explicitly avoid theoretical talks and marketing hype.
Analytical Prediction and Multiconstrained Nonlinear Optimization of Slotted Linear PM Motors Taking Into Account Two-Dimensional End Effects

This paper presents an analytical prediction and a multiconstrained nonlinear optimization of slotted permanent magnet linear synchronous motors (PMLSMs). Preferentially, an analytical model is developed for the fast and accurate design of slotted PMLSMs. In the process, two key techniques are used for the performance prediction: first, the Schwarz–Christoffel conformal mapping is used to take into account the slotting effects, and as a result, the normal and transverse components of the flux density produced by permanent magnets (PMs) and three-phase current can be calculated; and second, the two-dimensional end effects due to the finite length of moving parts are roughly reflected by the half-side leakage analysis, thereby predicting the second-order harmonic of the force/thrust pulsation. Subsequently, a systematic approach to the design optimization based on an iterative scheme is presented to search for solution set that belongs to the Pareto front. With no need for finite-element analysis or multivariable equation set, the proposed model can save much computational time to reach an optimal solution. The validity of analytical results is confirmed by finite element and experimental results.
Phase-Sensitive Voltage Measurements

The electro-chemical potential drop across a single scatterer in an otherwise perfect conductor measured by weakly coupled point contacts is investigated. Phase sensitive probes yield a spatially oscillating voltage over distances of a phase-coherence length away from a scatterer. For a one-channel conductor these oscillations are determined by the Fermi wavelength. In a many channel conductor the longest oscillation period is determined by the smallest difference of the longitudinal momenta of differing channels. Averaging over these oscillations yields a potential drop which is smaller than that obtained by assuming a phase-insensitive probe.