cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Response ofDendroctonus brevicomis andIps paraconfusus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) to combinations of synthetic pheromone attractants and inhibitors verbenone and ipsdienol.

DendroctonusBrevicomis andIps paraconfusus are sympatric bark beetle species colonizingPinus ponderosa in western North America. Interspecific and intraspecific competition for resources is, in part, mediated through semiochemicals. The response ofD. brevicomis to its attractant pheromone was significantly reduced by simultaneous release of either verbenone or racemic ipsdienol. Trap catch was significantly further reduced by including both inhibitors with the attractant pheromones. However, although the response ofIps paraconfusus was significantly inhibited with the addition of either verbenone or racemic ipsdienol, both compounds together did not result in a significant further reduction in trap catch. There was a trend for greater reduction in response ofD. brevicomis to attractant pheromones with increased release rates of either 69% (+)-/31% (−)-verbenone or 84% (−)-/16% (+)-verbenone. Response of associates to attractants and inhibitor combinations was also determined.
Novel germline p16INK4 allele (Asp145Cys) in a family with multiple pancreatic carcinomas

As part of a search for causative genes of familial pancreatic carcinoma, the p16 genes were sequenced in members of 21 families with a phenotype of familial pancreatic carcinoma (2 or more first degree relatives affected). One family was found in which affected members carried a novel p16 allele with a G to T transversion at position 451, creating a missense amino acid change at codon 145 (Asp to Cys) and possibly disrupting the donor splice site of the exon 2/3 boundary. This coding change is not a known polymorphism, and occurs at a codon position in which another missense/splicing change has been shown to be linked to familial melanoma/pancreas cancer. Hum Mutat 12:70, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Expressions of the Self in Individualistic vs. Collective Cultures: A Cross-Cultural-Perspective Teaching Module

To help instructors develop lecture material to introduce the cross-cultural perspective in psychology, the author describes a self-contained teaching module that includes a summary of information, along with supporting references, describing the importance of the cross-cultural perspective while introducing students to two fundamental concepts in the study of the cross-cultural perspective: individualistic and collectivistic cultures. A series of selected topics relating to the expressions of the self (e.g., feelings of happiness and shame/guilt and explanations of personal success and failure) is presented to illustrate these cultural differences. To supplement lecture material and facilitate in-class discussion of these cultural differences, each selected topic includes a brief summary of the major findings, illustrative examples, and supporting references. The nature of the information in this teaching module is appropriate for use by instructors teaching a variety of courses seeking a concise introduction to the topic of the cross-cultural perspective in psychology. In an attempt to promote an appreciation for diversity among individuals in general and within the study of psychology in particular, there is an established trend in the teaching of psychology for the inclusion of the cross-cultural perspective (e.g., Kitayama & Cohen, 2007). A particularly important lesson to communicate to students is the value of the cross-cultural perspective as both a research tool and a framework for achieving a greater understanding of the differences among people (Heine, 2012; Triandis, 2007). As a research tool, cross-cultural comparisons are important as a means of testing and verifying the generalizability of psychological processes, principles, and dynamics found in one culture to other cultures (Benet-Martinez, 2008). As a framework for achieving a greater understanding of the differences among people, the cross-cultural perspective 'makes visible the systems of meanings and practices - the language, the collective representations, the metaphors, the social scripts, the social structures, the policies, the institutions, the artifacts - within which people come to think and feel and act' (Cross & Markus, 1999, p. 380). In support of this reasoning, the purpose of this article is to provide instructors with a self-contained teaching module for introducing a cross-cultural perspective. The teaching module includes supporting material that instructors can use to develop a brief lecture to illustrate the cross-cultural perspective by examining differences in expressions of the self by individuals in individualistic and collectivistic cultures.
A new boundary element method for plane anisotropic elasticity

Abstract A new boundary element formulation for solving plane elasticity problems involving anisotropic media is presented. In this formulation the equations of equilibrium are recast in the form of a scalar potential problem, for which a fundamental solution (Green's function) exists. Results are presented for two numerical examples, one of which involves a high stress gradient. The boundary element results compare favorably with results from analytical and finite element solutions.
Flow softening and microstructural evolution of Al-5Mg during hot working

Al-Mg is known to exhibit flow softening during hot working. The present paper on the evolution of microstructure of hot worked Al-5Mg presents the first results of a TEM-investigation on possible connections between flow softening and changes in the dislocation structure of the alloy. The findings on Al-5Mg will be compared with microstructural features of Al-samples deformed under identical conditions.
Stoic Conditionals, Necessity and Explanation

An examination of a particular passage in Cicero's De fato—Fat. 13–17—is crucial to our understanding of the Stoic theory of the truth-conditions of conditional propositions, for it has been uniquely important in the debate concerning the kind of connection the antecedent and consequent of a Stoic conditional should have to one another. Frede has argued that the passage proves that the connection is one of logical necessity, while Sorabji has argued that positive Stoic attitudes toward empirical inferences elsewhere suggest that that cannot be the right interpretation of the passage. I argue that both parties to the debate have missed a position somewhere between them which both renders a connection between antecedent and consequent that is not merely empirical and makes sense of the actual uses to which the Stoics put the conditional. This will be an account which grounds the connection between antecedent and consequent in a prolepsis, a special kind of concept which plays a special epistemological role ...
Research highlights: printing the future of microfabrication

In this issue we highlight emerging microfabrication approaches suitable for microfluidic systems with a focus on “additive manufacturing” processes (i.e. printing). In parallel with the now-wider availability of low cost consumer-grade 3D printers (as evidenced by at least three brands of 3D printers for sale in a recent visit to an electronics store in Akihabara, Tokyo), commercial-grade 3D printers are ramping to higher and higher resolution with new capabilities, such as printing of multiple materials of different transparency, and with different mechanical and electrical properties. We highlight new work showing that 3D printing (stereolithography approaches in particular) has now risen as a viable technology to print whole microfluidic devices. Printing on 2D surfaces such as paper is an everyday experience, and has been used widely in analytical chemistry for printing conductive materials on paper strips for glucose and other electrochemical sensors. We highlight recent work using electrodes printed on paper for digital microfluidic droplet actuation. Finally, we highlight recent work in which printing of membrane-bound droplets that interconnect through bilayer membranes may open up an entirely new approach to microfluidic manufacturing of soft devices that mimic physiological systems.
Using a new GA-based multiobjective optimization technique for the design of robot arms

This paper presents a hybrid approach to optimize the counterweight balancing of a robot arm. A new technique that combines an artificial intelligence technique called the genetic algorithm (GA) and the weighted min-max multiobjective optimization method is proposed. These techniques are included in a system developed by the authors, called MOSES, which is intended to be used as a tool for engineering design optimization. The results presented here show how the new proposed technique can get better trade-off solutions and a more accurate Pareto front for this highly non-convex problem using an ad-hoc floating point representation and traditional genetic operators. Finally, a methodology to compute the ideal vector using a genetic algorithm is presented. It is shown how with a very simple dynamic approach to adjust the parameters of the GA, it is possible to obtain better results than those previously reported in the literature for this problem.
Cacheable Decentralized Groups for Grid Resource Access Control

Sharing data among collaborators in widely distributed systems remains a challenge due to limitations with existing methods for defining groups across administrative domain boundaries with various file systems. Groups in traditional systems are bound to particular domains or file systems using centralized storage locations either beyond ordinary users' ability to manage, inaccessible outside a closed system, or both. We present a method for users to independently create and manage groups on any networked workstation using global user identities and to control access to shared data and storage resources based on group membership, regardless of domain boundaries or underlying file systems. Decentralized groups are decoupled from shared user databases and centralized authentication servers through the use of a virtual user namespace. We describe how owners of shared resources can define security policies through the use of caching, and demonstrate how each caching policy represents tradeoffs between performance, scalability, and consistency.
LASER endovascular atherectomy with secondary stenting of technically challenging calcified celiac trunk stenosis.

Endovascular therapy for chronic mesenteric ischemia is a proven, feasible alternative approach to open surgical repair with significantly lower morbidity and mortality. A clinical dilemma is encountered when technically challenging lesions are encountered during the procedure. We present here an 86 year-old woman who had intractable abdominal pain with postprandial exacerbation. The patient had successful endovascular light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation atherectomy of a highly calcified celiac truck, showing the feasibility of this technique. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Neutrophil AKT2 regulates heterotypic cell-cell interactions during vascular inflammation

Interactions between platelets, leukocytes, and activated endothelial cells are important during microvascular occlusion; however, the regulatory mechanisms of these heterotypic cell-cell interactions remain unclear. Here, using intravital microscopy to evaluate mice lacking specific isoforms of the serine/threonine kinase AKT and bone marrow chimeras, we found that hematopoietic cell–associated AKT2 is important for neutrophil adhesion and crawling and neutrophil-platelet interactions on activated endothelial cells during TNF-α–induced venular inflammation. Studies with an AKT2-specific inhibitor and cells isolated from WT and Akt KO mice revealed that platelet- and neutrophil-associated AKT2 regulates heterotypic neutrophil-platelet aggregation under shear conditions. In particular, neutrophil AKT2 was critical for membrane translocation of αMβ2 integrin, β2-talin1 interaction, and intracellular Ca2+ mobilization. We found that the basal phosphorylation levels of AKT isoforms were markedly increased in neutrophils and platelets isolated from patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), an inherited hematological disorder associated with vascular inflammation and occlusion. AKT2 inhibition reduced heterotypic aggregation of neutrophils and platelets isolated from SCD patients and diminished neutrophil adhesion and neutrophil-platelet aggregation in SCD mice, thereby improving blood flow rates. Our results provide evidence that neutrophil AKT2 regulates αMβ2 integrin function and suggest that AKT2 is important for neutrophil recruitment and neutrophil-platelet interactions under thromboinflammatory conditions such as SCD.
Calcific Tendinitis Mimicking Acute Prevertebral Abscess

A 49-year-old woman presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with a 1-day history of worsening neck pain and inability to rotate the neck. The patient had awakened with neck stiffness that worsened throughout the course of the day, and was unable to sleep or turn her head during the night. She denied any fever, malaise, chills, or night sweats. The head and neck examinations showed mild posterior pharyngeal wall fullness and edema along the aryepiglottic folds. No lymphadenopathy was noted. All of the laboratory studies were unremarkable, with the exception of a slightly elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (31 mm per hour). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the neck revealed a prevertebral space fluid collection, raising concern for an abscess (Figure 1). There was also a suggestion of calcification of the longus colli muscles near their insertion at C1, which was confirmed on a subsequent computed tomography (CT) scan (Figure 2). The diagnosis of acute calcific tendinitis of the longus colli was made, and the patient was treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with significant clinical improvement within 4 days.
A Rapid Single Spore Enumeration Assay

The Rapid Single Spore Enumeration Assay (RapidSSEA) is being developed for the Mars Technology Program to aid planetary protection personnel in their efforts to validate bioburden reduction on spacecraft surfaces prior to launch. RapidSSEA is based on imaging and counting individual bacterial spores in a microscope field-of-view, where the contrast is generated by a highly luminescent complex that forms when dipicolinic acid (DPA) is released from spores during germination and binds to terbium (Tb/sup 3+/) ions in the surrounding medium. Under pulsed UV excitation, the long-lived (/spl tau/ /spl sim/ 1 ms) DPA-triggered Tb luminescence is imaged by a lifetime-gated camera, essentially eliminating fluorescent interferents from the image, which enables counting of bacterial spores swabbed from environmental samples. Here we report results from the first side-by-side comparison of RapidSSEA and the NASA standard assay. Both assays were used to assess the spore population on stainless steel coupons inoculated with Bacillus atrophaeus spores. Using RapidSSEA, 38.0% /spl plusmn/ 5.8% of the total inoculated spore population was recovered and counted within 30 minutes.
Resource descriptions, ontology, and resource discovery

Resource discovery systems may assist scientists in the selection of bioinformatics resources suitable to implement scientific workflows. In this paper we address several problems related to resource discovery. They include resource publication formats, resource registration, and syntactic vs. semantic discovery. We analyse the BioMoby registry and present an algorithm that curates the BioMoby hierarchy into an ontology for use in semantic-driven resource discovery.
Jacob and Monod: From Operons to EvoDevo

Thanks to Sydney Brenner, Allan Campbell, Sean Carroll, Richard Ebright, Greg Hannon, Sandy Johnson, Mike Levine, Rich Losick, Rob Martienssen, Matt Meselson, Noreen Murray, Mark Ptashne and Gary Ruvkun.
COMT Val158Met polymorphism, cognitive stability and cognitive flexibility: an experimental examination

Background Dopamine in prefrontal cortex (PFC) modulates core cognitive processes, notably working memory and executive control. Dopamine regulating genes and polymorphisms affecting PFC - including Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met - are crucial to understanding the molecular genetics of cognitive function and dysfunction. A mechanistic account of the COMT Val158Met effect associates the Met allele with increased tonic dopamine transmission underlying maintenance of relevant information, and the Val allele with increased phasic dopamine transmission underlying the flexibility of updating new information. Thus, consistent with some earlier work, we predicted that Val carriers would display poorer performance when the maintenance component was taxed, while Met carriers would be less efficient when rapid updating was required.
Theory of spontaneous parametric down-conversion from photonic crystals

An effective-medium approach is used to derive a set of coupled-mode equations describing quadratic parametric interactions in a one-dimensional inhomogeneous medium of finite length. The solutions for both copropagating and counterpropagating interactions are used to study the quantum-mechanical process of spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC). An example is studied in which the inhomogeneous medium is a photonic crystal. The effect that device geometry has on both the efficiency and bandwidth of SPDC is explored. With appropriate design, we find that it is possible not only to enhance the efficiency of SPDC, but also to generate broadband copropagating and narrowband counterpropagating down-converted light. A setup is proposed with the potential to act as a source of entangled photon pairs.
Another Use for Course Evaluations

This article reports on efforts to develop means by which academic managers can modify student demand for a particular course. A modified student course evaluation instrument was administered to students who had taken the course and those who had not. The responses were then compared to determine the extent to which they predicted student enrollment in the course.
Precursors to morality in development as a complex interplay between neural, socioenvironmental, and behavioral facets

The nature and underpinnings of infants' seemingly complex, third-party, social evaluations remain highly contentious. Theoretical perspectives oscillate between rich and lean interpretations of the same expressed preferences. Although some argue that infants and toddlers possess a "moral sense" based on core knowledge of the social world, others suggest that social evaluations are hierarchical in nature and the product of an integration of rudimentary general processes such as attention allocation and approach and avoidance. Moreover, these biologically prepared minds interact in social environments that include significant variation, which are likely to impact early social evaluations and behavior. The present study examined the neural underpinnings of and precursors to moral sensitivity in infants and toddlers (n = 73, ages 12-24 mo) through a series of interwoven measures, combining multiple levels of analysis including electrophysiological, eye-tracking, behavioral, and socioenvironmental. Continuous EEG and time-locked event-related potentials (ERPs) and gaze fixation were recorded while children watched characters engaging in prosocial and antisocial actions in two different tasks. All children demonstrated a neural differentiation in both spectral EEG power density modulations and time-locked ERPs when perceiving prosocial or antisocial agents. Time-locked neural differences predicted children's preference for prosocial characters and were influenced by parental values regarding justice and fairness. Overall, this investigation casts light on the fundamental nature of moral cognition, including its underpinnings in general processes such as attention and approach-withdrawal, providing plausible mechanisms of early change and a foundation for forward movement in the field of developmental social neuroscience.
Methodology for the analysis of dynamic application parallelism and its application to reconfigurable computing

Although many studies have been performed to determine the overall parallelism of various applications, little is known about how parallelism changes dynamically during program execution. In this paper, we present a methodology for measuring the dynamic parallelism of a general purpose workstation workload, as represented by a subset of the SPEC95 benchmark suite. We measure the range of parallelism encountered, the rate of major parallelism changes, and the regularity of these changes using a detailed model of an aggressive out-of-order speculative microprocessor. We find that parallelism can vary significantly and rapidly during application execution, and that varying the level of hardware support for exploiting application parallelism can have a non-uniform effect. We discuss how configurable processors oriented towards general purpose computing can potentially exploit these application characteristics.
Logic for a randomization test

Dr. Ray calls attention to a neglected statistical tool and describes a way in which it may be more easily used.
A vector approach for noise parameter fitting and selection of source admittances

Simple vector concepts can be used in the determination of noise parameters from measured data. The use of such concepts leads to a simplification in the least-square fitting algorithm, complete determination of the admittance loci that produce ill conditioning, and simple criteria for the selection of source admittances that minimize the sensitivity of the noise parameters to experimental error. The sensitivity of the noise parameters to small perturbations in the reflection coefficients is compared for a group of source admittances presented in previous work. The results show that a great reduction in the error of the noise parameters can be achieved by properly selecting the source admittances. >
First Record of Transversotrema Witenberg, 1944 (Digenea) from the Americas, with Comments on the Taxonomy of Transversotrema patialense (Soparkar, 1924) Crusz and Sathananthan, 1960, and an Updated List of Its Hosts and Geographic Distribution.

Abstract: Specimens of Transversotrema patialense (sensu lato) (Soparkar, 1924) Crusz and Sathananthan, 1960 (Digenea: Transversotrematidae) infected the skin (epidermal spaces beneath scales near pectoral fins) of 4 of 126 (prevalence 3%; mean intensity 1.8) zebrafish (Danio rerio (Hamilton, 1822) [Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae]) purchased in 2009 and cultured by a California (USA) fish supplier. These fish were sold as “laboratory-reared” and “specific pathogen free,” purportedly raised in a recirculating aquaculture system that included zebrafish only. We herein describe the morphological features of this transversotrematid using light and scanning electron microscopy, provide a comprehensive list of hosts (snails and fishes) and geographic locality records for specimens reported as T. patialense, which is perhaps a species complex, and provide a brief historical synopsis of the taxonomic and life history research that has been conducted on this fluke. No species of Transversotrema previously had been rep...
First results of a heavy neutral beam probe for space potential measurements of low temperature plasmas

Summary form only given. A Heavy Neutral Beam Probe (HNBP) has been developed for measuring the space potential of the Helimak1 low temperature (Te ~ 10 eV) plasma experiment; the HNBP is a variation on the well known Heavy Ion Beam Probe (HIBP) 2 The HNBP consists of a Na ion beam that was chopped (modulated) before entering a heat pipe neutralizer consisting of Cs vapor; the beam next enters a toroidal magnetic field region where the probing atoms are ionized; the Na ions then follow a path to a calibrated energy analyzer. The calibration and first results have been obtained and will be presented. The Texas Helimak experiment approximates a sheared cylindrical slab intended to study turbulent-driven transport. The dominant magnetic field is toroidal with a weak vertical component. Vertical propagation of turbulence in Helimak is on the order of 1000 m/s and radial electric fields are thought to play a strong role. The HNBP is capable of radial potential measurements, shedding light on sheared flow turbulence. Heavy ion beam probing of low temperature plasmas is difficult because the signal depends on electron impact ionization of the probing beam. With low electron temperature and density (ne ~ 1011 cm-3), the signal expected was in the range of 1-10 nA, and the pure electronics noise was ~2 nA (rms). Because of the very low signal levels that were expected, a phase-sensitive signal processing scheme was implemented to recover the signal from the noise. The modulation was initially implemented as a triangular sweep in order to locate the signal. Once found, an on-off modulation scheme was implemented to increase total signal strength. The detected signal and interpretation will be presented along with noise characterization.
Abnormalities of Ammonia Metabolism

The body metabolizes ammonia in the Krebs-Henseleit urea cycle. In hyperammonemia, either congenital or secondary to cirrhosis, this cycle does not function efficiently. Children with cycle defects have abnormal ammonia tolerance tests, amino-aciduria and atypical electroencephalograms. Amino acid chromatography of urine will detect congenital hyperammonemia.
Still Searching for the Value-Added Persistent Concerns About Set-Theoretic Comparative Methods

What novel leverage for understanding the social world do set-theoretic comparative methods (STCM) offer? I have argued that although important methodological ideas underlie this method, many STCM techniques converge with existing quantitative tools of statistical modeling. Unfortunately, STCM scholars have often obscured this crucial point by instead emphasizing stark differences from quantitative tools. Here, I further develop two key arguments about these convergences by addressing the astute commentaries offered by Thiem et al. and Schneider: (a) Regarding necessary and sufficient conditions, STCM’s procedures for incorporating cases from a 2 × 2 table may yield erroneous conclusions that can easily be avoided by using more conventional techniques. (b) Regarding causal complexity, STCM and statistical interaction terms often provide the same information. These arguments demonstrate that STCM scholars have yet to establish distinctive advantages of their methods over statistical modeling. Furthermore, ...
Ocular Filariasis in US Residents, Returning Travelers, and Expatriates

Several factors acting in concert now place US residents, returning travelers, and expatriates at risks of contracting ocular filariasis including increasing seroprevalence rates of zoonotic filariasis, international travel bringing tourists to and expatriates from filariasis-endemic regions, and warming temperatures extending distribution ranges of arthropod vectors. To describe the epidemiology and outcomes of ocular filariasis and to recommend strategies for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of ocular filariasis, internet search engines were queried with the key words in order to examine case reports and series of ocular filariasis in the US and elsewhere. Descriptive epidemiological, morphological, and molecular evidence now support increasing cases of ocular filariasis in domestic and wild animals and humans, with most cases caused by filarial worms including Dirofilaria repens and other zoonotic Dirofilaria species and Onchocerca lupi and other zoonotic Onchocerca species. Clinicians should maintain early suspicion of ocular filariasis in US residents, returning travelers, and expatriates who complain of combinations of red eye, eye pain, foreign body sensation, reduced visual acuity, and migrating ocular worms, even without significant peripheral eosinophilia or microfilaremia. Microfilariae of Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and O. volvulus may traverse the eye, but can usually be treated medically. Mobile adult worms trapped in the subconjunctiva or anterior chamber should be removed by ophthalmologists to permit species identification, prevent posterior uveitis and iritis, and stop worm migration into the posterior chamber which could require lens removal and vitrectomy for worm extraction causing further eye damage.
Determination of the Values of Blood Gas and Some Other Physiological Parameters in Rabbits

Objective Establishes physiological parameters about rabbits,provides the data for the medicine experimental study.Method In anaesthetizes,adopting the femoral artery anti-hemoglutination,using the analyzer to examined the blood physiology biochemistry target determination;Through femoral artery intubation survey blood pressure.Results TCO2: 19.9 mmol/L ～ 37.1 mmol/L;HCT: 28.1% ～ 42.9% PCV;Hb: 9.6 g/dL ～ 14.6 g/dL;PH: 7.40 ～ 7.52;PCO2): 28.3 mmHg ～ 49.1 mmHg;PO2: 53.4 mmHg ～ 91.0 mmHg;HCO 3-: 19.08 mmol/L ～ 35.8 mmol/L;BE:-6.38 mmol/L ～ 13.3 mmol/L;sO2: 90.0% ～ 99.0%;iCa: 1.59 mmol/L ～ 1.71 mmol/L;Na + : 125.3 mmol/L ～ 151.9 mmol/L;K + : 1.77 mmol/L ～ 4.55 mmol/L;MABP: 77.5 mmHg ～ 128.5mmHg.Conclusion The values of blood gas and some other physiological parameters in New Zealand rabbit's have large different between human and other animals.
Detection of Disinfection Effect of Medical Institutions in Zhumadian City in 2008

[Objective]To understand the disinfection quality of medical institutions in Zhumadian City, so as to strengthen the health supervision and management on it.[Methods] Totally 647 sterilized samples from 62 urban medical institutions were collected to conduct detection in 2008 according to GB 15928-1995, GB 1789 and GB 7918.[Results]The qualified rate of disinfection was 83.15%, the disinfection effect of comprehensive medical institutions was better than that of other medical institutions.[Conclusion]It is necessary to strengthen the management of disinfection in medical institutions, especially for the grassroots, so as to protect people's health.
Application of low scattering antennas to RFID networks

An established backscattering link between an RFID tag and reader suffers from high interference from other RFID tags in the network. This interference results in low read rates in RFID networks. In this paper, we investigate a new state for an RFID tag in which the tag switches to an invisible (i.e. low scattering) state when a communication link between an RFID reader and another target RFID tag is ongoing. We show both by simulations and measurements that by using this method the interference to the backscattering link is minimized and thus the read rate increases.
Implementation of Lifestyle Modification Program Focusing on Physical Activity and Dietary Habits in a Large Group, Community-Based Setting.

Background. Lifestyle modification programs improve several health-related behaviors, including physical activity (PA) and nutrition. However, few of these programs have been expanded to impact a l...
Jet quenching studies in CMS

CMS has a wide set of results exploring the radiation patterns of jets in the quark gluon plasma and the medium response to jets, through studies of correlations between charged hadrons and jets. This talk reviews the various CMS results that examine the phenomena from different perspectives, and reports on the recent additions to these results. In particular, a study of dijet momentum imbalance, studied differentially in distance from dijet axis, sets limits on the propagation of the radiated momentum, and a study of the jet-track correlation functions examines the extent to which the radiated energy remains correlated with the jet axes.
Cerebellar Vermis Agenesis

The syndromes of vermal agenesis are reviewed from the Department of Pediatrics, Hopital des Enfants Malades, Paris, France.
Complications and Failure to Rescue After Inpatient Noncardiac Surgery in the Veterans Affairs Health System

Importance The quality of surgical care in the Veterans Health Administration improved markedly in the 1990s after implementation of the Veterans Affairs (VA) National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (now called the VA Surgical Quality Improvement Program). Although there have been many recent evaluations of surgical care in the private sector, to date, a contemporary global evaluation has not been performed within the VA health system. Objective To provide a contemporaneous report of noncardiac postoperative outcomes in the VA health system during the past 15 years. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the VA Surgical Quality Improvement Program among veterans who underwent inpatient general, vascular, thoracic, genitourinary, neurosurgical, orthopedic, or spine surgery from October 1, 1999, through September 30, 2014. Main Outcomes and Measures Rates of 30-day morbidity, mortality, and failure to rescue (FTR) over time. Results Among 704 901 patients (mean [SD] age, 63.7 [11.8] years; 676 750 [96%] male) undergoing noncardiac surgical procedures at 143 hospitals, complications occurred in 97 836 patients (13.9%), major complications occurred in 66 816 (9.5%), FTR occurred in 12 648 of the 97 836 patients with complications (12.9%), FTR after major complications occurred in 12 223 of the 66 816 patients with major complications (18.3%), and 18 924 patients (2.7%) died within 30 days of surgery. There were significant decreases from 2000 to 2014 in morbidity (8202 of 59 421 [13.8%] vs 3368 of 32 785 [10.3%]), major complications (5832 of 59 421 [9.8%] vs 2284 of 32 785 [7%]), FTR (1445 of 8202 [17.6%] vs 351 of 3368 [10.4%]), and FTR after major complications (1388 of 5832 [23.8%] vs 343 of 2284 [15%]) (trend test, P P P P P Conclusions and Relevance For the past 15 years, morbidity, mortality, and FTR have improved within the VA health system. Other integrated health systems providing a high volume of surgical care for their enrollees may benefit by critically evaluating the system-level approaches of the VA health system to surgical quality improvement.
Adaptive active sound quality control algorithm

This paper presents an adaptive active sound-quality control (ASQC) system using the active noise equalization (ANE), the filtered-error least-mean-square (FELMS) algorithm, and the normalized reference signal generator. The integrated ASQC algorithm achieves desired spectral shaping of residual noise for controlling the sound quality. This optimized ASQC system uses the FELMS algorithm to limit high gains in passband, thereby increasing the system stability. Fast convergence is achieved by normalizing amplitudes of sinusoidal components in the reference signal according to the magnitude responses of secondary path at the corresponding frequencies. Computer simulations show faster convergence and reduced passband disturbance as compared to the original ANE system.
Generation of CD8+ Viral Specific T Cells from EBV and CMV Naive Individuals.

Adoptive T cell immunotherapy (ATCI) with viral specific T cells, as exemplified by ATCI against Epstein-Bar virus (EBV) and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) with viral specific T cells generated from virus-experienced individuals, is efficacious against viral reactivation in immuno-compromised hosts. EBV-seronegative solid organ transplant recipients and CMV-seropositive stem cell transplant patients receiving CMV-seronegative grafts are at high risk of EBV-driven lymphoproliferation and CMV reactivation, respectively. However, due to the absence of virus-specific memory T cells, ex vivo techniques for generating virus-specific CD8+ CTL from virus-naive individuals remain to be developed for reproducibility and efficiency. To extend ATCI to the above patients, we are developing novel ex vivo systems to expand virus specific CD8+ CTL from seronegative individuals. We designed a two step stimulation for the naive T cells to develop into specific T cells. The first step, “de-naiviation”, involves non-specific but high-affinity stimulation of CD45RO/CD25/CD56/CD14 depleted peripheral blood mononuclear cells with anti-CD3 and -CD28 antibodies. The “de-naiviated” T cells were then antigen-specifically stimulated by antigen presenting cells expressing both EBV and CMV antigens. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from an EBV/CMV seronegative individual were depleted for two rounds with micro-beads conjugated with antibodies against CD45RO, CD25, CD14 and CD56. The resultant cells were a homogenous population of cells mostly CD45RO−/CD45RA+/CD3+/CD25−, the phenotype for naive T cells. After a period of expansion stimulated by a cocktail containing anti-CD3 (OKT3) and -CD28, 90% of the RO-T cells became RO+/RA−, the phenotype of memory T cells. Nearly all the CD4+ cells and most the CD8 cells became CD25+, suggesting recent activation. Then the “de-naiviated” T cells were stimulated with autologous EBV immortalized B lymphoblastoid cells transduced and expressing the CMV pp65 (CMVpp65) antigen. After three rounds of stimulation, the T cells were screened for specific production of interferon-gamma (IFNg) by ELISA. Clones were isolated from the primed T cells, and FACS analysis showed that the T cell clones produced IFNg in response to EBV BLCL expressing CMVpp65. These T cells also antigen-specificly expressed IL2 and GMCSF. Interestingly, while the cells were predominantly CD8+/CD3+, some of the cells were also positive for CD56, suggesting newly differentiated effector T cells. Work is ongoing to further characterize the T cell clones for antigen specificity, functionality and differentiation status. The novel approach we are developing has the potential to generate EBV and CMV specific CD8+ CTL from virus naive individuals for adoptive T cell immunotherapy against viral infections.
Development of the diabetes typology model for discerning Type 2 diabetes mellitus with national survey data.

OBJECTIVE To classify individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) into DM subtypes using population-based studies. DESIGN Population-based survey. SETTING Individuals participated in 2003-2004, 2005-2006, or 2009-2010 the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and 2010 Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) survey (research materials obtained from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Biologic Specimen and Data Repository Information Coordinating Center). PARTICIPANTS 3084, 3040 and 3318 US adults from the 2003-2004, 2005-2006 and 2009-2010 NHANES samples respectively, and 5,115 US adults in the CARDIA cohort. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES We proposed the Diabetes Typology Model (DTM) through the use of six composite measures based on the Homeostatic Model Assessment (HOMA-IR, HOMA-%β, high HOMA-%S), insulin and glucose levels, and body mass index and conducted latent class analyses to empirically classify individuals into different classes. RESULTS Three empirical latent classes consistently emerged across studies (entropy = 0.81-0.998). These three classes were likely Type 1 DM, likely Type 2 DM, and atypical DM. The classification has high sensitivity (75.5%), specificity (83.3%), and positive predictive value (97.4%) when validated against C-peptide level. Correlates of Type 2 DM were significantly associated with model-identified Type 2 DM. Compared to regression analysis on known correlates of Type 2 DM using all diabetes cases as outcomes, using DTM to remove likely Type 1 DM and atypical DM cases results in a 2.5-5.3% r-square improvement in the regression analysis, as well as model fits as indicated by significant improvement in -2 log likelihood (p<0.01). Lastly, model-defined likely Type 2 DM was significantly associated with known correlates of Type 2 DM (e.g., age, waist circumference), which provide additional validation of the DTM-defined classes. CONCLUSIONS Our Diabetes Typology Model reflects a promising first step toward discerning likely DM types from population-based data. This novel tool will improve how large population-based studies can be used to examine behavioral and environmental factors associated with different types of DM.
A Note on Strategic Learning in Policy Space

We report on a series of computational experiments with artificial agents learning in the context of games. Two kinds of learning are investigated: (1) a simple form of associative learning, called Q-learning, which occurs in state space, and (2) a simple form of learning, which we introduce here, that occurs in policy space. We compare the two methods on a number of repeated 2×2 games. We conclude that learning in policy space is an effective and promising method for learning in games.
Merkel cell polyomavirus small T antigen induces genome instability by E3 ubiquitin ligase targeting

The formation of a bipolar mitotic spindle is an essential process for the equal segregation of duplicated DNA into two daughter cells during mitosis. As a result of deregulated cellular signaling pathways, cancer cells often suffer a loss of genome integrity that might etiologically contribute to carcinogenesis. Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) small T (sT) oncoprotein induces centrosome overduplication, aneuploidy, chromosome breakage and the formation of micronuclei by targeting cellular ligases through a sT domain that also inhibits MCV large T oncoprotein turnover. These results provide important insight as to how centrosome number and chromosomal stability can be affected by the E3 ligase targeting capacity of viral oncoproteins such as MCV sT, which may contribute to Merkel cell carcinogenesis.
Geometric Design of Scalable Forward Scatterers for Optimally Efficient Solar Transformers

It will be ideal to deliver equal, optimally efficient "doses" of sunlight to all cells in a photobioreactor system, while simultaneously utilizing the entire solar resource. Backed by the numerical scattering simulation and optimization, here, the design, synthesis, and characterization of the synthetic iridocytes that recapitulated the salient forward-scattering behavior of the Tridacnid clam system are reported, which presents the first geometric solution to allow narrow, precise forward redistribution of flux, utilizing the solar resource at the maximum quantum efficiency possible in living cells. The synthetic iridocytes are composed of silica nanoparticles in microspheres embedded in gelatin, both are low refractive index materials and inexpensive. They show wavelength selectivity, have little loss (the back-scattering intensity is reduced to less than ≈0.01% of the forward-scattered intensity), and narrow forward scattering cone similar to giant clams. Moreover, by comparing experiments and theoretical calculation, it is confirmed that the nonuniformity of the scatter sizes is a "feature not a bug" of the design, allowing for efficient, forward redistribution of solar flux in a micrometer-scaled paradigm. This method is environmentally benign, inexpensive, and scalable to produce optical components that will find uses in efficiency-limited solar conversion technologies, heat sinks, and biofuel production.
Patient Selection, Risks, and Alternative Surgical Strategies

Sacrocolpopexy is an abdominal surgical procedure to correct prolapse of the vaginal apex. The operation is designed to restore the vagina to its normal anatomic position and function by re-suspending the vaginal apex to the anterior longitudinal ligament overlying the sacrum using graft material. Although there is no specific published data on the topic, there are certain factors that may determine who the optimal candidate is for robotic-assisted sacrocolpopexy (RASC). Before choosing RASC, it is important to consider the other options available for apical support which vary from vaginal approaches to abdominal approaches and from open abdominal procedures to minimally invasive surgeries. Furthermore, patient selection should take into consideration advantages and challenges of robotic surgery along with specific patient criteria such as baseline health, cardiovascular status, body mass index (BMI), and requirement for prolonged steep Trendelenburg and dorsal lithotomy patient position.
Archery in the Preface to Procopius' Wars: A Figured Image of Agonistic Authorship

Historians have long taken Procopius9 description of heavily armored mounted archers in the opening of his Wars to be a more-or-less accurate depiction of contemporary military practice. This paper argues that Procopius employs archery as a metaphor for authorship by drawing on the techniques of figured writing (which include metaphor) as developed by the late antique rhetorical tradition in which he was trained. The comparison between Homeric and contemporary warriors at the opening of the Wars is therefore a figured way for Procopius to engage in a self-referential discussion concerning authorship and, in particular, to develop his agonistic relationship with his primary classical models, Herodotus and Thucydides. This conclusion requires a reevaluation of the military history of the sixth century.
The neuroanatomic complexity of the CRF and DA systems and their interface: What we still don't know.

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is a neuropeptide that mediates the stress response. Long known to contribute to regulation of the adrenal stress response initiated in the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA), a complex pattern of extrahypothalamic CRF expression is also described in rodents and primates. Cross-talk between the CRF and midbrain dopamine (DA) systems links the stress response to DA regulation. Classically CRF + cells in the extended amygdala and paraventricular nucleus (PVN) are considered the main source of this input, principally targeting the ventral tegmental area (VTA). However, the anatomic complexity of both the DA and CRF system has been increasingly elaborated in the last decade. The DA neurons are now recognized as having diverse molecular, connectional and physiologic properties, predicted by their anatomic location. At the same time, the broad distribution of CRF cells in the brain has been increasingly delineated using different species and techniques. Here, we review updated information on both CRF localization and newer conceptualizations of the DA system to reconsider the CRF-DA interface.
The "social brain" is highly sensitive to the mere presence of social information: An automated meta-analysis and an independent study.

How the human brain processes social information is an increasingly researched topic in psychology and neuroscience, advancing our understanding of basic human cognition and psychopathologies. Neuroimaging studies typically seek to isolate one specific aspect of social cognition when trying to map its neural substrates. It is unclear if brain activation elicited by different social cognitive processes and task instructions are also spontaneously elicited by general social information. In this study, we investigated whether these brain regions are evoked by the mere presence of social information using an automated meta-analysis and confirmatory data from an independent study of simple appraisal of social vs. non-social images. Results of 1,000 published fMRI studies containing the keyword of “social” were subject to an automated meta-analysis (http://neurosynth.org). To confirm that significant brain regions in the meta-analysis were driven by a social effect, these brain regions were used as regions of interest (ROIs) to extract and compare BOLD fMRI signals of social vs. non-social conditions in the independent study. The NeuroSynth results indicated that the dorsal and ventral medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, bilateral amygdala, bilateral occipito-temporal junction, right fusiform gyrus, bilateral temporal pole, and right inferior frontal gyrus are commonly engaged in studies with a prominent social element. The social–non-social contrast in the independent study showed a strong resemblance to the NeuroSynth map. ROI analyses revealed that a social effect was credible in 9 out of the 11 NeuroSynth regions in the independent dataset. The findings support the conclusion that the “social brain” is highly sensitive to the mere presence of social information.