cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Expression profiling of Drosophila imaginal discs

Background: In the Drosophila larva, imaginal discs are programmed to produce adult structures at metamorphosis. Although their fate is precisely determined, these organs remain largely undifferentiated in the larva. To identify genes that establish and express the different states of determination in discs and larval tissues, we used DNA microarrays to analyze mRNAs isolated from single imaginal discs. Results: Linear amplification protocols were used to generate hybridization probes for microarray analysis from poly(A) + RNA from single imaginal discs containing between 10,000 and 60,000 cells. Probe reproducibility and degree of representation were tested using microarrays with approximately 6,000 different cDNAs. Hybridizations with probes that had been prepared separately from the same starting RNA pool had a correlation coefficient of 0.97. Expressionprofile comparisons of the left and right wing imaginal discs from the same larva correlated with a coefficient of 0.99, indicating a high degree of reproducibility of independent amplifications. Using this method, we identified genes with preferential expression in the different imaginal discs using pairwise comparisons of discs and larval organs. Whereas disc-to-disc comparisons revealed only moderate differences, profiles differed substantially between imaginal discs and larval tissues, such as larval endodermal midgut and mesodermal fat body. Conclusion: The combination of linear RNA amplification and DNA microarray hybridization allowed us to determine the expression profiles of individual imaginal discs and larval tissues and to identify genes expressed in tissue-specific patterns. These methods should be widely applicable to comparisons of expression profiles for tissues or parts of tissues that are available only in small amounts.
Statistical Authorship Attribution of Mexican Drug Trafficking Online Forum Posts

As Mexico’s drug war violence escalates, there has recently been a proliferation of online forums about drug trafficking in this country. With considerable usage statistics, some of these forums show contributions from alleged law enforcement officers, soldiers, drug dealers, and regular citizens. In this paper I will show that state of the art statistical authorship attribution techniques can be successfully applied to the contributions of prolific users in these forums. The 99% diagnostic accuracy and 93% sensitivity obtained here are higher than previously achieved equivalent figures for the method employed. These results were obtained with the statistically relevant contribution of a number of novel discriminating features. A proposal for the standardization of results obtained with discriminant analysis (DA) in authorship attribution is also presented.
Gait synthesis of a biped robot using backpropagation through time algorithm

A neural network architecture is developed for the gait synthesis of a five-link biped walking robot. The learning scheme uses a multilayered feedforward neural network combined with a linearized inverse biped model. It can generate walking gait by giving reference trajectory which defines a desired gait in several stages. The algorithm used to train network is known as back-propagation with time-delay or so-called backpropagation through time. A three-layered neural network is used as a controller, it provides the control signals in each stage of a walking gait. The linearized inverse biped model calculates the error signals which will be used to back propagate through the controller in each stage.
Let‐7 microRNA‐binding‐site polymorphism in the 3′UTR of KRAS and colorectal cancer outcome: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

There is a small but growing body of literature regarding the predictive utility of a Let-7 microRNA-binding-site polymorphism in the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of KRAS (KRAS-LCS6) for colorectal cancer outcome, although the results are conflicting. We performed a review and meta-analysis in an attempt to better clarify this relationship. A PubMed search was conducted to identify all studies reporting on KRAS let-7 microRNA-binding site polymorphism (LCS6; rs61764370) and colorectal cancer outcome. Hazard ratios (HR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were extracted or estimated from each manuscript. Log HRs and log CIs were combined across studies using the inverse-variance weight to calculate fixed- and random-effects summary estimates and corresponding 95% CIs for overall and progression-free survival. We did not observe any significant association between overall or progression-free survival, neither when considering all colorectal cancer patients nor for subgroup analyses (metastatic, anti-EGFR [epidermal growth factor receptor] treatment, or KRAS wild type). There was substantial heterogeneity across studies, overall and among subgroups analyzed. We have found no clear evidence to support an association between the KRAS-LCS6 genotype and overall or progression-free survival among colorectal cancer patients, even after conducting subgroup analyses by stage and anti-EGFR treatment status. This information helps to clarify the confusing body of literature regarding the clinical implications of the KRAS-LCS6 genetic variant on colorectal cancer outcomes, indicating that it should not be used at the present time to personalize therapeutic strategies (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42013005325).
Dimension reduction procedure for the simplicial approximation approach to design centering

The simplicial approximation approach to design centering1 is based on developing a polyhedral approximation to the feasible region in the parameter space. Although the original method has been modified so as to allow arbitrary statistical distributions,2 it still becomes computationally expensive as the dimension of the parameter space becomes large. In this paper, a technique is proposed for reducing the dimension of the parameter space and thereby significantly increasing the size of the circuit for which the simplicial approximation approach can be applied. This technique is particularly useful in integrated circuit applications where strong correlations between circuit elements exist, and the number of circuit elements can be large.
Lycat and cloche at the Switch Between Blood Vessel Growth and Differentiation

See related article, pages 1057–1064 The formation of the cardiovascular system starts in the mouse embryo at approximately embryonic day (E)7.0 to E7.5. The first blood vessels in the extraembryonic membranes, the major intraembryonic vessels, and the heart form by vasculogenesis, the in situ differentiation of mesodermal cells that give rise to “blood-islands.” The latter are composed of hemangioblasts, the common precursors of endothelial and blood cells. Hemangioblasts situated in the lumen of the blood islands will further differentiate into hematocytoblasts, the precursors of all 3 lineages of blood cells. In contrast, hemangioblasts lining the walls of the blood islands will give rise to angioblasts that form endothelial cells.1 Migrating angioblasts from the proximal lateral mesoderm assemble symmetrically at the lateral sides of the embryo to establish 2 preendocardial tubes. They fuse to give rise to the primordial heart.2 While vasculogenesis is still proceeding, the uniform blood islands begin to remodel to a network of large and small vessels by the process of angiogenesis, preferentially intussusceptive microvascular growth.3,4 Gene expression and targeting studies have identified vascular endothelial growth factor and its 2 receptors, KDR/flk-1 and flt-1, as critical for the formation and early remodeling of the blood islands. Vascular endothelial growth factor is produced by endodermal and mesodermal cells at the onset of hemangioblast formation, whereas its receptors are expressed in the future endothelial cells lining the blood islands.5 Flk-1−/− embryos lack blood islands throughout the embryo and yolk sac.6 In flt-1−/− embryos, blood islands do not properly remodel but form large blood channels.7 Inactivation of a single vascular endothelial growth factor allele caused multiple embryonic malformations including the heart, rudimentary dorsal aortae, and a reduced number of blood cells.8,9 All deletions were lethal between days E8.5 and E11 to …
Long-Term Follow-Up of a Randomized Trial Comparing Concurrent Single Agent Cisplatin, Cisplatin-Based Combination Chemotherapy, or Hydroxyurea During Pelvic Irradiation for Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer: A Gynecologic Oncology Group Study

Purpose We report the long-term survival and toxicity of a randomized phase III study comparing cisplatin alone with cisplatin, flurouracil, and hydroxyurea versus hydroxyurea concurrent with pelvic irradiation for patients with locally advanced cervical cancer with pathologically negative para-aortic nodes. Patients and Methods Comparisons of progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) between treatment arms utilized Kaplan-Meier and log-rank statistics. Relative risk estimates adjusting for prognostic factors were determined using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Pearson's χ2 test was used to assess differences in adverse events. Results The analysis included 526 patients. The median follow-up among surviving patients was 106 months. Consistent with the original report, improvement in PFS and OS was evident for both cisplatin-containing arms compared with hydroxyurea (P < .001). Analogous results were seen for stage IIB and for stage III disease (each P < .025). The relative risk of p...
Boundary identification and control of distributed parameter systems using singular functions

Abstract Singular functions are fundamental properties that capture the spatial nature of distributed parameter systems (DPS). This paper presents a framework for the dynamic identification of singular functions of an unknown DPS. The input to a DPS can be spatially distributed or applied at the boundary. Previous work [Gay and Ray, Chemical Engineering Science 50 (10) (1995) 1519–1539] considered the former. The current effort is more concerned with the case of boundary inputs. The concept of boundary topos is also introduced. Both singular functions and boundary topos can be identified through simple boundary input response tests and provide alternate bases for a pseudo-modal control scheme. Thus, this work also provides a systematic means for identification and control of distributed parameter systems through the use of boundary inputs alone. Examples of self-adjoint and non-self-adjoint systems are considered to demonstrate the efficacy of the identification and control schemes.
Meghdoot: content-based publish/subscribe over P2P networks

Publish/Subscribe systems have become a prevalent model for delivering data from producers (publishers) to consumers (subscribers) distributed across wide-area networks while decoupling the publishers and the subscribers from each other. In this paper we present Meghdoot, which adapts content-based publish/subscribe systems to Distributed Hash Table based P2P networks in order to provide scalable content delivery mechanisms while maintaining the decoupling between the publishers and the subscribers. Meghdoot is designed to adapt to highly skewed data sets, which is typical of real applications. The experimental results demonstrate that Meghdoot balances the load among the peers and the design scales well with increasing number of peers, subscriptions and events.
Projective Geometry for All

This article treats projective geometry as arising from the perspective problem addressed by Renaissance artists while sketching a program for teaching the material to students at all levels.
λ Transition of dilute 3 He in 4 He solutions

Based on an empirically extended Landau roton formula and on the fact that3He atoms participate in the movement of the normal component of liquid4He, the variation of the λ temperature with3He concentration is obtained at the saturated vapor pressure. The results are in good agreement with experiment. The present approach can also be applied to higher pressures.
The role of carbenicillin in treatment of infections of the urinary tract.

New antimicrobial agents effective in the treatment of gram-negative bacterial infections of the urinary tract have been sought continually. This has been especially true of infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus species, which are often resistant to a number of existing antimicrobial agents. Carbenicillin (disodium carboxybenzyl penicillin) is a semi-synthetic penicillin that is active in vitro against many strains of P. aeruginosa as well as members of the Enterobacteriaceae [1-3] and which, because of its low toxicity, may be useful in diverse infections produced by gram-negative bacteria. The present communication describes the in-vitro effects of carbenicillin against 180 bacterial isolates and deals with the use of this agent in treatment of 22 patients with infection of the urinary tract.
Biomarkers of World Trade Center Particulate Matter Exposure: Physiology of Distal Airway and Blood Biomarkers that Predict FEV1 Decline

Biomarkers can be important predictors of disease severity and progression. The intense exposure to particulates and other toxins from the destruction of the World Trade Center (WTC) overwhelmed the lung's normal protective barriers. The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) cohort not only had baseline pre-exposure lung function measures but also had serum samples banked soon after their WTC exposure. This well-phenotyped group of highly exposed first responders is an ideal cohort for biomarker discovery and eventual validation. Disease progression was heterogeneous in this group in that some individuals subsequently developed abnormal lung function while others recovered. Airflow obstruction predominated in WTC-exposed patients who were symptomatic. Multiple independent disease pathways may cause this abnormal FEV1 after irritant exposure. WTC exposure activates one or more of these pathways causing abnormal FEV1 in an individual. Our hypothesis was that serum biomarkers expressed within 6 months after WTC exposure reflect active disease pathways and predict subsequent development or protection from abnormal FEV1 below the lower limit of normal known as WTC-Lung Injury (WTC-LI). We utilized a nested case-cohort control design of previously healthy never smokers who sought subspecialty pulmonary evaluation to explore predictive biomarkers of WTC-LI. We have identified biomarkers of inflammation, metabolic derangement, protease/antiprotease balance, and vascular injury expressed in serum within 6 months of WTC exposure that were predictive of their FEV1 up to 7 years after their WTC exposure. Predicting future risk of airway injury after particulate exposures can focus monitoring and early treatment on a subset of patients in greatest need of these services.
Exploring the Reality of Using Patient Experience Data to Provide Resident Feedback: A Qualitative Study of Attending Physician Perspectives

INTRODUCTION Little is known about the attitudes of faculty and residents toward the use of patient experience data as a tool for providing resident feedback. The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes of teaching faculty surrounding patient experience data and how those attitudes may influence the feedback given to trainees. METHODS From July 2013 to August 2013, we conducted in-depth, face-to-face, semistructured interviews with 9 attending physicians who precept residents in internal medicine at 2 continuity clinics (75% of eligible attendings). Interviews were coded using conventional content analysis. RESULTS Content analysis identified six potential barriers in using patient experience survey data to provide feedback to residents: 1) perceived inability of residents to learn or to incorporate feedback, 2) punitive nature of feedback, 3) lack of training in the delivery of actionable feedback, 4) lack of timeliness in the delivery of feedback, 5) unclear benefit of patient experience survey data as a tool for providing resident feedback, and 6) lack of individualized feedback. CONCLUSION Programs may want to conduct an internal review on how patient experience data is incorporated into the resident feedback process and how, if at all, their faculty are trained to provide such feedback.
Pharmacokinetics and immunomodulatory properties of intravenously administered recombinant human interleukin-10 in healthy volunteers

Normal volunteers received single doses of recombinant human interleukin-10 (rhIL-10; n = 6 per group) or placebo (n = 3 per group) by intravenous injection to characterize pharmacokinetics, tolerability, and immunomodulatory effects. Dosages were 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, 25.0, 50.0, and 100.0 micrograms/kg. Dose-related adverse effects consisted of a mild-to-moderate flu-like syndrome characterized by fever with chills, headache, and myalgias at the highest dose. The mean terminal phase t1/2 ranged from 2.3 +/- 0.5 to 3.7 +/- 0.8 hours. Dose-related effects of rhIL-10 included transient increases of circulating neutrophils and monocytes and decreases of lymphocytes. rhIL-10 markedly suppressed, in a time- and dose-dependent manner, the synthesis of the inflammatory cytokines IL-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha by whole blood stimulated ex vivo with bacterial lipopolysaccharide. Circulating numbers of CD14+/HLA-DR+ cells at 24 hours after the dose were increased in a dose-dependent manner. Effects on expression of HLA-DR by CD14+ cells were variable. There was no apparent effect on HLA-DR expression by CD20+ cells. The immunomodulatory effects of rhIL-10 merit further clinical investigation.
Do black holes constrain varying constants

Tentative observations of shifted spectral lines in distant quasars1,2 have rekindled interest in Dirac's old idea3,4 that the fundamental 'constants' of physics may vary over time. Davies et al. have argued that black-hole thermodynamics favours theories in which the speed of light, c, decreases, and does not favour those in which the fundamental electronic charge, e, increases5. Here we show, however, that when the entire thermal environment of a black hole is considered, no such conclusion can be drawn. Although black-hole features such as mass quantization may still constrain models with varying 'constants'6, thermodynamics probably cannot.
A socio-historical overview of the creativity–pathology connection: from antiquity to contemporary times1

Writing around the turn of the middle of the twentieth century, the renowned literary critic Lionel Trilling (1945/1950, pp. 160–161) published an essay, “Art and neurosis,” in which he sought to expose as an insidious “myth” what he called “one of the characteristic notions of our culture,” the idea of an intimate connection between artistic creation and mental illness. However, like two noteworthy earlier critiques, Charles Lamb’s (1826) The sanity of true genius and George Bernard Shaw’s (1895/1909) The sanity of art , Trilling’s essay remains little more than a footnote in the rapidly expanding literature on the topic of creativity and psychopathology. Indeed, the belief in a close connection between genius or, more generally, creativity and illness has sprung ever deeper roots in the cultural fabric of Western society, a development that received new impetus from the weight of support from both clinical and non-clinical studies published over the course of the past three decades. Before then, few of the studies expounding a pathology position were focused on clinical diagnosis. Most of them, based primarily on biographical and anecdotal accounts of those viewed as geniuses, produced highly conjectural findings. However, starting in the 1980s, one witnesses the continuing use of historical sources regarding the eminent, in addition to clinical studies in the form of psychiatric and psychometric approaches. These clinical studies involved comparisons of living creative with living non-creative individuals. Notwithstanding dissenting views, the combined force of the most recent studies has led to something resembling a consensus, one that views the link between creativity and illness as a genuine, pervasive, and timeless phenomenon with decided biological roots that most often takes the form of manic-depressive illness or related types of mood disorders.
Pancreatic Pseudocysts: Late Results After Surgical Treatment

Pancreatic pseudocysts are localized collections of pancreatic secretions often mixed with necrotic or hemorrhagic debris which results from inflammation or trauma. They are the most common cystic lesion of the pancreas and are characterized by their lack of an epithelial lining. The wall of a pseudocyst is composed of fibrotic or granulation tissue derived from the serosal surface or capsule of adjacent viscera, peritoneum, intestinal mesentery, or retroperitoneum. Pseudocysts are a well-recognized complication of both acute and chronic pancreatitis occurring in 1%–10% of patients with acute pancreatitis and as many as 35%–40% of patients with chronic pancreatitis [1]. However, not all fluid collections seen during the course of pancreatitis are pseudocysts or at least clinically significant pseudocysts. Noninvasive techniques such as ultrasound or computed tomography (CT) have shown that as many as 10%–50% of patients with moderately severe pancreatitis have an associated peripancreatic fluid collection [2]. However, these fluid collections resolve spontaneously in 30%–50% of patients [3, 4]. Factors indicating that resolution is unlikely include size greater than 5–6 cm, increase in size during observation, presence of chronic pancreatitis, and presence of multiple cysts.
Self-triggering hardware trojan: Due to NBTI related aging in 3-D ICs

Abstract 3-D ICs provide more transistor density and higher performance at smaller area compared to traditional 2-D ICs. However, elevated temperatures and longer heat dissipation paths in 3-D IC can lead to non-ideal delay variations. Higher temperatures lead to negative bias temperature instability (NBTI), and consequently shifts threshold voltage (Vth), which leads to current degradation and delay increment. These variations can be exploited by hardware intruder and introduce malicious circuit components causing malfunctioning in 3-D ICs. This paper takes the threat model in which the attacker has access to the hard-intellectual property (IP) development, and defender is at the foundry. This paper demonstrates that a hardware intruder can leverage the exacerbated NBTI effect to trigger the Trojan payload. Consequently, such Trojans does not require a conventional triggering circuit; hence we named it as self-triggered. The proposed hardware Trojan is very difficult to detect and can scape various countermeasures at testing phase due to ‘non-existing triggering signal’. The point of attack for the proposed Trojan is the body of the semiconductor device, for example, the body of PMOS device. When the Trojan gets activated it shorts the body and source of the PMOS to ground leading the device without power supply. We discussed the stealthy nature of our proposed Trojan against the existing countermeasures and also provided a discussion on a novel avenue of detecting such kinds of hardware Trojans.
Linking medical and dental health record data: a partnership with the Rochester Epidemiology Project.

Purpose The purpose of this project was to expand the Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) medical records linkage infrastructure to include data from oral healthcare providers. The goal of this linkage is to facilitate research studies examining the role of oral health in overall health and quality of life. Participants Eight dental practices joined the REP between 2011 and 2015. The REP study team has linked oral healthcare information with medical record information from local healthcare providers for 31 750 participants who have resided in Olmsted County, Minnesota. Overall, 17 718 (56%) participants are women, 14 318 (45%) are 40 years of age or older and 26 090 (82%) are white. Findings to date A first study using this new information was recently completed. This resource was used to determine whether the 2007 guidelines from the American Heart Association affected prescription rates of antibiotics to patients with moderate-risk cardiac conditions prior to dental procedures. The REP infrastructure was used to identify a series of patients diagnosed with moderate-risk cardiac conditions by the local healthcare providers (n=1351), and to abstract antibiotic prescriptions from dental records both pre-2007 and post-2007. Antibiotic prescriptions prior to dental procedures declined from 62% to 7% following the change in guidelines. Future plans Dental data from participating practitioners will be updated on an annual basis, and new dental data will be linked to patient medical records. In addition, we will continue to invite new dental practices to participate in the REP. Finally, we will continue to use this research infrastructure to investigate associations between oral and medical health, and will present findings at conferences and in the scientific literature.
A dual-observation method for determining photoelastic parameters in scattered light

A dual-observation method is developed for determining photoelastic parameters in scattered light. Using this method, the intensities of scattered light along two directions of observation, making an angle of 45 deg in a plane normal to the beam, are recorded simultaneously without rotation of either the beam or the model. Photoelastic parameters are evaluated from these records. The theory of the method, the apparatus and techniques, as well as an illustrative experiment, are reported.
FH535 Suppresses Osteosarcoma Growth In Vitro and Inhibits Wnt Signaling through Tankyrases

Osteosarcoma (OS) is an aggressive primary bone tumor which exhibits aberrantly activated Wnt signaling. The canonical Wnt signaling cascade has been shown to drive cancer progression and metastasis through the activation of β-catenin. Hence, small molecule inhibitors of Wnt targets are being explored as primary or adjuvant chemotherapy. In this study, we have investigated the ability of FH535, an antagonist of Wnt signaling, to inhibit the growth of OS cells. We found that FH535 was cytotoxic in all OS cell lines which were tested (143b, U2OS, SaOS-2, HOS, K7M2) but well tolerated by normal human osteoblast cells. Additionally, we have developed an in vitro model of doxorubicin-resistant OS and found that these cells were highly responsive to FH535 treatment. Our analysis provided evidence that FH535 strongly inhibited markers of canonical Wnt signaling. In addition, our findings demonstrate a reduction in PAR-modification of Axin2 indicating inhibition of the tankyrase 1/2 enzymes. Moreover, we observed inhibition of auto-modification of PARP1 in the presence of FH535, indicating inhibition of PARP1 enzymatic activity. These data provide evidence that FH535 acts through the tankyrase 1/2 enzymes to suppress Wnt signaling and could be explored as a potent chemotherapeutic agent for the control of OS.
On the misplaced politics of behavioural policy interventions

Tannenbaum et al. show that partisan framing influences beliefs about the ethical use of behavioural policy interventions, but both US adults and practising policymakers are accepting of nudges when stripped of partisan cues.
Comparison of two external fixator systems for fracture reduction during minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis in simulated antebrachial fractures.

Objective To compare the Minimally Invasive Reduction Instrumentation System (MIRIS) to a two-ring circular fixator construct (CFC) for indirect reduction during minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis. Study Design Cadaveric antebrachial fracture model. Animals Ten skeletally mature dog cadavers. Methods Simulated bilateral antebrachial fractures were reduced and stabilized with the MIRIS on one limb, and a CFC on the contralateral limb, prior to placing a 10 hole Locking Compression Plate. Time to satisfactory reduction and implant placement were compared. Difficulty of fracture reduction and plate application was subjectively scored (1 to 5) for each procedure. Prefracture and postoperative orthogonal antebrachial radiographs were compared to assess restoration of radial length and angulation in sagittal and frontal planes. A paired t test (P ≤ .05) was used to compare parameters between the two reduction techniques. Results Reduction was faster (P = .0191) and plate application was subjectively easier (P = .047) when using the MIRIS compared to the CFC. There were no differences in subjective difficulty of reduction or plate application time between techniques. Mean postoperative radial length was reduced by approximately 4-mm, and procurvatum were decreased by approximately 7° compared to prefracture measurements, regardless of reduction technique. Conclusion The MIRIS allowed for faster fracture reduction, and simplified plate placement compared to a temporary application of a CFC in our simulated antebrachial fracture model.
US Consumers’ Understanding of Nutrition Labels in 2013: The Importance of Health Literacy

Introduction We examined US adults' understanding of a Nutrition Facts panel (NFP), which requires health literacy (ie, prose, document, and quantitative literacy skills), and the association between label understanding and dietary behavior. Methods Data were from the Health Information National Trends Survey, a nationally representative survey of health information seeking among US adults (N = 3,185) conducted from September 6, 2013, through December 30, 2013. Participants viewed an ice cream nutrition label and answered 4 questions that tested their ability to apply basic arithmetic and understanding of percentages to interpret the label. Participants reported their intake of sugar-sweetened soda, fruits, and vegetables. Regression analyses tested associations among label understanding, demographic characteristics, and self-reported dietary behaviors. Results Approximately 24% of people could not determine the calorie content of the full ice-cream container, 21% could not estimate the number of servings equal to 60 g of carbohydrates, 42% could not estimate the effect on daily calorie intake of foregoing 1 serving, and 41% could not calculate the percentage daily value of calories in a single serving. Higher scores for label understanding were associated with consuming more vegetables and less sugar-sweetened soda, although only the association with soda consumption remained significant after adjusting for demographic factors. Conclusion Many consumers have difficulty interpreting nutrition labels, and label understanding correlates with self-reported dietary behaviors. The 2016 revised NFP labels may address some deficits in consumer understanding by eliminating the need to perform certain calculations (eg, total calories per package). However, some tasks still require the ability to perform calculations (eg, percentage daily value of calories). Schools have a role in teaching skills, such as mathematics, needed for nutrition label understanding.
Pliocene Fossil Nothofagus (Southern Beech) from Antarctica: Phytogeography, Dispersal Strategies, and Survival in High Latitude Glacial-Deglacial Environments

A recently discovered vegetational biome in the Pliocene Sirius Group of the Dominion Range, Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica (Figs. 1 and 2) is discussed. The flora is dominated by the southern beech tree genus Nothofagus. The geological occurrence, phytogeographic implications, dispersal, survival, climatic significance, and eventual demise of this flora are discussed, as are recent experiments in which species of Nothofagus have been transplanted from South American and Australasian forests to a variety of Northern Hemisphere alpine and Arctic post-glacial environments. The ability of Nothofagus to survive hostile glacial-deglacial conditions at very high southern latitudes for almost the entire duration of the Cenozoic Era (66 million years) is documented.
Summary, Extensions, and Conclusions

The design of efficient and accurate parallel GAs is a complex problem. One must decide on a configuration among the many choices of topologies, migration rates, deme counts and sizes. Each parameter affects the quality of the search and the efficiency of the algorithm in non-linear ways, which makes the choices difficult. The ultimate goal is to determine the configuration that reaches a solution of the required quality as fast as possible. This book made some contributions towards this goal, and are summarized in this section.
Raw Materials and Processing

Now that we know what to look for in materials for structural clay products, the next step is to locate proper deposits and to win them in the best possible way. A knowledge of the science of geology is extremely helpful here because the application of geological principles changes the search from a needle-in-a haystack approach to predicting where satisfactory materials might be found. Geological maps are available from state and federal governments for large areas of the United States. Such maps may be bedrock maps which are especially helpful in locating shale deposits or they may be soil maps that indicate the presence of clay deposits. Where these maps are available, they should be used as a guide for exploration, but if they are not available the next best aids are topographic maps which are available for the whole country from the federal government. Some of the large structural clay products companies have a geologist who is assigned to find deposits, maintain adequate reserves, and oversee the mining operations. Other companies should hire a consulting geologist who is familar with the area to assist in exploration.
Flow Modification by Submerged Vegetation

Submerged vegetation creates a zone of slow flow close to the bed, which may enhance nutrient and sediment retention. The velocity within the canopy is diminished in proportion to the canopy density. Above the canopy, the flow profile is logarithmic. The abrupt change in hydraulic resistance at the top of the canopy creates a region of strong shear, which in turn generates coherent turbulent structures that scale with the canopy height. The canopy-scale vortices control the vertical exchange of mass and momentum between the canopy and the overflowing water. The penetration of the vortices into the canopy varies with planting density and blade stiffness. If the vortices cannot penetrate the full canopy height, the canopy is divided into two distinct regions. The upper canopy is flushed rapidly by the canopy-scale turbulence. The lower canopy is flushed more slowly, because only stem-scale turbulence exists in this region. The time scale for retention within a submerged canopy can be predicted by considering these two regions of transport. The retention times range from minutes to an hour, which is comparable with retention times for small hyporheic regions, such as sand bed forms and gravel bars. This suggests that the contribution of macrophytes to hydrologic storage should be considered.
Image Fusion Technology

Medical imaging consists of a wide range of modalities, each with its respective advantages and limitations. Image fusion technologies may allow the advantage of one imaging modality to overcome the limitations of another. In this chapter, the current state of hardware and software fusion technologies is discussed. We also present our experience with fusion technology for multi-modality imaging and consider future applications of the technology in the clinical setting.
Spectral Timing and Integration of Multimodal Systemic Processes

A spectral timing system based on cell populations responding to inputs at different rates learns any biologically plausible interval between events sequentially delivered. This system interacts with three other systems, a pattern recognizer, a sequencer, and a probability system, in a complex architecture devoted to context evaluation. The spectral timer seems to be essential to the coordination and integration of multimodal brain processes.
Dataset on the response of Hut78 cells to novel rexinoids.

Abstract This article presents the experimental data supporting analysis of differential gene expression of human cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) cell culture cells (Hut78) treated with bexarotene or a variety of rexinoids, in conjunction with “A Novel Gene Expression Analytics-based Approach to Structure Aided Design of Rexinoids for Development as Next-Generation Cancer Therapeutics” (Hanish et al. 2018). Data presented here include microarray gene expression analysis of a subset of genes. A novel method for analyzing gene expression in the context of a model of ligand mechanism, called the Divergence Score, is described. Analysis to identify the presence of potential retinoid response elements in putative promoter regions of the study genes is also presented.
Empathy and the philosopher

Tyson Retz’s Empathy and History: Historical Understanding in Re-Enactment, Hermeneutics and Education, the 35th entry in the Making Sense of History Series, details a philosophical history of empa...
The Role of Spatial Density and Technological Investment on Optimal Pricing Strategies in the Grain Handling Industry

Shuttle-loading elevators represent an investment that may lower marginal grain-handling costs. Some portion of those savings could be passed on to farmers in the form of higher cash prices. We model the pass-through decision and exploit a natural, historical difference in Kansas and Montana wheat markets to test several pass-through hypotheses empirically. Using cross-sectional, temporal, and spatial variation in weekly wheat prices in 2005–2013, we find that—relative to conventional grain elevators in Kansas—shuttle-loading facilities offer a $0.13 per bushel premium. In Montana—where there is less spatial competition among elevators—the pass-through is only $0.04 per bushel.
Adapting a Biochemistry Lab Course for Distance-Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Gonzaga University is a small, private, liberal arts institution that values engaging, humanistic learning environments. During the coronavirus pandemic, the University moved its in-person learning to a distance-learning format, and an extra week of spring break was given to faculty to oversee this transition. This communication focuses on how our introductory biochemistry lab course was modified for students to complete the final 6 weeks of the semester in the distance-learning format. The instructors worked collaboratively on this transition and focused on reassessing the learning objectives, finding creative solutions for students to experience laboratory techniques, and supporting and engaging our students. A survey administered to students at the end of the semester highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of both our in-person and distance-learning lab formats. This sudden change to course delivery in spring 2020 highlighted that we need to be prepared to teach under many unexpected scenarios. The student responses, along with faculty reflections, are being used to plan how our lab can be improved upon and delivered in a variety of modalities, including in-person, distancing-learning, and hybrid models.
Foundations for a Comprehensive Approach to Software Quality Assessment

The objectives of this chapter are threefold: 1. to motivate the necessity of establishing a software quality assessment program based on fundamental software engineering concepts, 2. to present the OPA Framework with Software Quality Indicators (SQIs) as a sound comprehensive approach to quality measurement, and 3. to relate process and product measures to the goals of prediction and assessment.
The emotional burdens of public service: rules, trust, and emotional labour in emergency medical services

Street-level emergency medical services (EMS) providers are charged with assisting others in potentially life-threatening incidents while suppressing emotions that would betray the seriousness of t...
The price of sin: The effects of social norms on markets

Abstract We provide evidence for the effects of social norms on markets by studying “sin” stocks—publicly traded companies involved in producing alcohol, tobacco, and gaming. We hypothesize that there is a societal norm against funding operations that promote vice and that some investors, particularly institutions subject to norms, pay a financial cost in abstaining from these stocks. Consistent with this hypothesis, we find that sin stocks are less held by norm-constrained institutions such as pension plans as compared to mutual or hedge funds that are natural arbitrageurs, and they receive less coverage from analysts than do stocks of otherwise comparable characteristics. Sin stocks also have higher expected returns than otherwise comparable stocks, consistent with them being neglected by norm-constrained investors and facing greater litigation risk heightened by social norms. Evidence from corporate financing decisions and the performance of sin stocks outside the US also suggest that norms affect stock prices and returns.
Transfusion Requirements during Lung Transplantation: Elective VA ECMO vs. Off-Pump

Purpose Elective venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) during bilateral orthotopic lung transplantation (BOLT) is becoming widely practiced. Compared to off-pump (OP) procedures, ECMO has been described to increase bleeding and transfusion requirements. In this retrospective observational study, we propose that the use of elective VA ECMO in low-risk transplant recipients would have similar transfusion requirements compared to a matched, historical OP cohort. Methods Patients who underwent BOLT from 1/1/17 to 9/6/20 were included. On 2/1/2020, all BOLTS were performed on elective VA ECMO. Those who required cardiopulmonary bypass, concomitant cardiac surgery, re-transplantation, preoperative ECMO, or had severe pulmonary hypertension (mean PA pressures >40 mmHg) were excluded. Patients were grouped into an OP historical cohort and elective VA ECMO support with being matched based on age, transplant indication, and ischemic time. Primary outcomes were intraoperative and 72-hour total transfusion requirements. Secondary outcomes included length-of-stay (LOS) and primary graft dysfunction (PGD) at 72 hours. Results 383 BOLTs were identified over the study period and 38 matched pairs were compared. Donor, recipient, and procedural characteristics were similar between groups. The OP and VA ECMO group had similar intra-operative transfusion requirements [packed red blood cells (1 vs. 1) p=0.312; fresh frozen plasma (0 vs. 0) p>0.999; and platelets (0 vs. 0) p>0.999; Table 1]. The VA ECMO group had a significantly higher rate of cryoprecipitate transfusions (1 vs. 0 p=0.02; Table 1). Differences in 72-hour transfusions were not statistical significance (2 OP vs. 4 VA ECMO, p=0.085). There were no significant differences in PGD at 72-hours or LOS. Conclusion Patients undergoing BOLT on VA ECMO have similar rates of perioperative transfusions requirements when compared to a patched historical off-pump control group. WE did not observe differences in PGD and LOS between groups.
Sarcomeres and the Biophysics of Heart Failure

Changes in the function of the sarcomere play a significant role in the development of cardiac dysfunction underlying heart failure. These changes in sarcomeric properties are the result of either alterations in isoform expression, post-translational modification of the sarcomeric proteins, or gene mutations linked to hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy. These alterations act to modulate the contractile state of the heart via direct effects on the biophysical properties of the cardiac sarcomere. Coupling a deeper understanding of the primary biophysical causes of changes in contractile function to a more complete understanding of the resultant pathogenic ventricular remodeling that occurs over time will allow for both significant advances in disease management and new points of therapeutic intervention.
Analysis of irreversible processes across narrow junctions

The rectification of the second law of thermodynamics is used to directly relate irreversible heat and work transfers to reversible processes. This permits the construction of thermodynamic functions of state that include entropy contributions due to irreversible processes. A general expression is set up to determine the entropy changes in terms of experimentally accessible parameters when a system is interacting with its surroundings via quasistatic irreversible operations. The procedure is used to determine the entropy changes across a narrow junction in terms of pressure and temperature differences between the system and its surroundings, including cyclic processes.
Turbine Blade Tip Film Cooling With Blade Rotation: Part I — Tip and Pressure Side Coolant Injection

This is the first in a two-part series of an experimental film cooling study conducted on the tip of a turbine blade with a blade rotation speed of 1200 RPM. In this part of the study, the coolant is injected from the blade tip and pressure side (PS) holes, and the effect of the blowing ratio on the heat transfer coefficient and film cooling effectiveness of the blade tip is investigated. The blade has a tip clearance of 1.7% of the blade span and consists of a cut back squealer rim, two cylindrical tip holes and six shaped pressure side holes. The stator-rotor-stator test section is housed in a closed loop wind tunnel that allows for the performance of transient heat transfer tests. Measurements of the heat transfer coefficient and film cooling effectiveness are done on the blade tip using liquid crystal thermography. These measurements are reported for the no coolant case and for blowing ratios of 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0. The heat transfer results for the no coolant injection show a region of high heat transfer on the blade tip near the blade leading edge region as the incident flow impinges on that region. This region of high heat transfer extends and stretches on the tip as more coolant is introduced through the tip holes at higher blowing ratios. The cooling results show that increasing the blowing ratio increases the film cooling effectiveness. The tip film cooling profile is such that the tip coolant is pushed towards the blade suction side thereby providing better coverage in that region. The shift in coolant flow profile towards the blade suction side as opposed to the pressure side in stationary studies can primarily be attributed to the effects of the blade relative motion.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Mean‐variance analysis with REITs in mixed asset portfolios: The return interval and the time period used for the estimation of inputs

Purpose – Aims to test to determine whether the selection of the historical return time interval (monthly, quarterly, semiannual, or annual) used for calculating real estate investment trust (REIT) returns has a significant effect on optimal portfolio allocations.Design/methodology/approach – Using a mean‐variance utility function, optimal allocations to portfolios of stocks, bonds, bills, and REITs across different levels of assumed investor risk aversion are calculated. The average historical returns, standard deviations, and correlations (assuming different time intervals) of the various asset classes are used as mean‐variance inputs. Results are also compared using more recent data, since 1988, with, data from the full REIT history, which goes back to 1972.Findings – Using the more recent REIT datarather than the full dataset results in optimal allocations to REITs that are considerably higher. Likewise, using monthly and quarterly returns tends to understate the variability of REITs and leads to high...