cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
From protective lions to angry spirits: environmental degradation and the authority of elders in the Kilombero Valley, Tanzania

Abstract Along the route of the TAZARA railway in southern Tanzania, the increased circulation of people, goods and ideas has led to changes in the utilization of environmental resources. The settlement of newcomers in the Kilombero Valley, who not only plant crops but also fish in the Kilombero river floodplain, has led to concern among those who consider themselves to be “local” that outsiders have simultaneously brought both development and degradation. Changes in landscape use are framed not only in terms of demography, ethnicity and locality but also as a threat to the authority of ritual elders. Declining respect for ritual authority is blamed for specific environmental problems, for example the changes in rainfall and flooding patterns known as El Nino.
Effect of Daily Temperature Fluctuation during the Cool Season on the Infectivity of Cryptosporidium parvum

Oral inoculation of 10 3 treated oocysts per neonatal BALB/c mouse (14 times the 50% infective dose) resulted in time- and temperature-dependent reductions in the proportion of infected mice. Oocysts were completely noninfectious after 14 24-h cycles with the 30°C regimen and after 70 24-h cycles with the 20°C regimen. In contrast, oocysts remained infectious after 90 24-h cycles with the 10°C regimens. The estimated numbers of days needed for a 1-log10 reduction in C. parvum oocyst infectivity were 4.9, 28.7, and 71.5 days for the 30, 20, and 10°C thermal regimens, respectively. The loss of infectivity of oocysts induced by these thermal regimens was due in part to partial or complete in vitro excystation.
Minimal zoonotic risk of cryptosporidiosis from pet dogs and cats

The role of dogs and cats in human cryptosporidiosis has been the focus of much attention. Studies in which genotyping of Cryptospiridium oocysts in feces of dogs and cats have been successful and have demonstrated that most infections in these animals are caused by host-specific C. canis and C. felis, respectively. Most human cases of cryptosporidiosis are associated with C. hominis and C. parvum; C. canis and C. felis are responsible for only a small number of cases. Thus, molecular epidemiologic studies support the contention that the risk of zoonotic transmission of Cryptosporidium spp. from pet cats and dogs is low. Veterinarians can inform their clients of this minimal risk, but nevertheless advise them to minimize contact with pet cat and dog feces.
Private Queries and Trajectory Anonymization: a Dual Perspective on Location Privacy

The emergence of mobile devices with Internet connectivity (e.g., Wi-Fi) and global positioning capabilities (e.g., GPS) have triggered the widespread development of location-based applications. For instance, users are able to ask queries about points of interest in their proximity. Furthermore, users can act as mobile sensors to monitor traffic flow, or levels of air pollution. However, such applications require users to disclose their locations, which raises serious privacy concerns. With knowledge of user locations, a malicious attacker can infer sensitive information, such as alternative lifestyles or political affiliations. Preserving location privacy is an essential requirement towards the successful deployment of location-based services (LBS). Currently, two main LBS use scenarios exist: in the first one, users send location-based queries to an un-trusted server, and the privacy objective is to protect the location of the querying user. In the second setting, a trusted entity, such as a telephone company, gathers large amounts of location data (i.e., trajectory traces) and wishes to publish them for data mining (e.g., alleviating traffic congestion). In this case, it is crucial to prevent an adversary from associating trajectories to user identities. In this survey paper, we give an overview of the state-of-the-art in location privacy protection from the dual perspective of query privacy and trajectory anonymization. We review the most prominent design choices and technical solutions, and highlight their relative strengths and weaknesses.
La crisis de la deuda y la agricultura Latinoamericana

?En que medida contribuyo el debil comportamiento de la produccion agropecuaria a la actual crisis de la deuda externa en America Latina? ?En que grado esta ayudando la recuperacion del agro a resolver dicha crisis? Trataremos de dar respuesta a estas interrogantes, analizando algunas de las relaciones entre los problemas de la deuda y el sector agropecuario. Se intentara demostrar que el papel de la agricultura fue esencialmente secundario en el desarrollo de la crisis, dada la tendencia de crecimiento de la produccion a largo plazo. Ademas, las fuertes devaluaciones de los tipos de cambio dentro de los programas de estabilizacion no lograron mejorar los incentivos para los sectores productivos, particularmente de la agricultura. En vez de senalar a la baja elasticidad de la oferta como la principal razon de la baja produccion agropecuaria, se resaltaran cuatro factores. Primero, los programas de austeridad han reducido la disponibilidad del credito (en terminos reales), y la de importantes insumos fisicos a la produccion, como por ejemplo los fertilizantes. Segundo, la reduccion de los subsidios estatales ha afectado negativamente a la produccion agropecuaria. Tercero hubo una caida significativa de los precios agropecuarios en el mercado mundial. Finalmente, la aceleracion de la inflacion ha aumentado la incertidumbre, buscando los cambios en precios relativos. Cualquier beneficio de los programas para obtener los precios correctos, (o “getting the prices right”) corre el riesgo de ser anulado por la aparente disminucion en la inversion sectorial tanto a mediano como a largo plazo.
POET: a scripting language for applying parameterized source-to-source program transformations

We present POET, a scripting language designed for applying advanced program transformations to code in arbitrary programming languages as well as building ad hoc translators between these languages. We have used POET to support a large number of compiler optimizations, including loop interchange, parallelization, blocking, fusion/fission, strength reduction, scalar replacement, SSE vectorization, among others, and to fully support the code generation of several domain-specific languages, including automatic tester/timer generation, and automatically translating a finite-state-machine-based behavior modeling language into C++/ Java code. This paper presents key design and implementation decisions of the POET language and show how to use various language features to significantly reduce the difficulty of supporting programmable compiler optimization for high performance computing and supporting ad hoc code generation for various domain-specific languages. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dynamics of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transcription: P-TEFb Phosphorylates RD and Dissociates Negative Effectors from the Transactivation Response Element

The elongation of transcription is a highly regulated process that requires negative and positive effectors. By binding the double-stranded stem in the transactivation response (TAR) element, RD protein from the negative transcription elongation factor (NELF) inhibits basal transcription from the long terminal repeat of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIVLTR). Tat and its cellular cofactor, the positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb), overcome this negative effect. Cdk9 in P-TEFb also phosphorylates RD at sites next to its RNA recognition motif. A mutant RD protein that mimics its phosphorylated form no longer binds TAR nor represses HIV transcription. In sharp contrast, a mutant RD protein that cannot be phosphorylated by P-TEFb functions as a dominant-negative effector and inhibits Tat transactivation. These results better define the transition from abortive to productive transcription and thus replication of HIV.
Parallel-WDM for multi-Tb/s optical interconnects

This article presents a promising approach for multi-Tb/s optical interconnects. This approach is contained in the MAUI project, which develops a parallel multiwavelength optical subassembly (PMOSA) that uses PWDM to gain the component-density advantages of two-dimensional parallel optics and the connector and cabling density advantages of CWDM. In the MAUI approach, a standard multimode 12-fiber ribbon is used with 4 wavelengths transmitted through each fiber, for a total of 48 optical channels.
Brief paper: Average cost temporal-difference learning

We propose a variant of temporal-difference learning that approximates average and differential costs of an irreducible aperiodic Markov chain. Approximations are comprised of linear combinations of fixed basis functions whose weights are incrementally updated during a single endless trajectory of the Markov chain. We present a proof of convergence (with probability 1) and a characterization of the limit of convergence. We also provide a bound on the resulting approximation error that exhibits an interesting dependence on the ''mixing time'' of the Markov chain. The results parallel previous work by the authors, involving approximations of discounted cost-to-go.
Influence of pine bark and gravel on degradation of isoxaben in retention basins

Abstract Herbicides applied to container plants in nurseries are transported in runoff water to on- and off-site ponds and retention basins. This study was conducted to determine biotic and abiotic effects on isoxaben dissipation in model flow-through retention basins to maximize aqueous isoxaben degradation. Field studies were conducted in 1999 and 2000 to evaluate the effects of gravel and pine bark amendments and water retention times on isoxaben persistence in holding basins. In 1999, total isoxaben discharge into flow-through gravel-filled basins was greater than isoxaben losses from gravel and nongravel basins in which water was retained. Photodegradation appeared to be greater in basins without gravel, indicating that gravel protected isoxaben from photolysis. Further studies determined the effect of water retention time and the presence of aged pine bark amendment on isoxaben discharge from basins. Isoxaben discharge level was reduced when water retention time was increased from 3 to 5 d. In the 3...
Preventing Workplace Injuries Among Perinatal Nurses

Many aspects of perinatal nursing put nurses at risk for injuries, including frequent repetitive bending, lifting of clients, and exposure to potentially large amounts of body fluids such as blood and amniotic fluid. Violence is also a potential risk with stressful family situations that may arise around childbirth. Workplace injuries put a health care facility at risk for staff turnover, decreases in the number of skilled nurses, client dissatisfaction, workers' compensation payouts, and employee lawsuits. Through the use of safety equipment, improved safety and violence training programs, "no manual lift" policies, reinforcement of personal protective equipment usage, and diligent staff training to improve awareness, these risks can be minimized.
Liquid Helium Bubble Chamber

In order to study liquid helium as a bubble chamber fluid, experiments have been performed on a small cylindrical chamber 4 inches long and 1–1/2 inch in diameter. 1 Results indicate that usable tracks can be formed throughout the operating pressure region from atmospheric pressure down to 200 mm Hg. It was found that the bubble density for tracks of minimum ionization varies between approximately 40 bubbles per cm2 at 760 mm Hg (4. 2°K) and approximately 10 bubbles per cm2 at 200 mm Hg (3. 1°K). Figure 1 is a picture of electron tracks obtained at 400 mm Hg pressure.
The NSA's frozen dream

Today, silicon microchips underlie every aspect of digital computing. But their dominance was never a foregone conclusion. Throughout the 1950s, electrical engineers and other researchers explored many alternatives to making digital computers. One of them seized the imagination of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA): a superconducting supercomputer. Such a machine would take advantage of superconducting materials that, when chilled to nearly the temperature of deep space-just a few degrees above absolute zero-exhibit no electrical resistance whatsoever. This extraordinary property held the promise of computers that could crunch numbers and crack codes faster than transistorbased systems while consuming far less power. For six decades, from the mid-1950s to the present, the NSA has repeatedly pursued this dream, in partnership with industrial and academic researchers. Time and again, the agency sponsored significant projects to build a superconducting computer. Each time, the effort was abandoned in the face of the unrelenting pace of Moore’s Law and the astonishing increase in performance and decrease in cost of silicon microchips.
NI-54HYPERVASCULAR VOLUME ESTIMATED BY COMPARISON TO A LARGE-SCALE CEREBRAL BLOOD VOLUME (CBV) RADIOGRAPHIC ATLAS PREDICTS SURVIVAL IN RECURRENT GLIOBLASTOMA TREATED WITH BEVACIZUMAB

Background: Dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC)-MRI is a well-established perfusion MR imaging technique for estimating relative cerebral blood volume (CBV) in primary brain tumors; however, tumors localized to regions with naturally elevated perfusion, including cortical tissue and common vascular territories, make evaluation of tumor vascularity difficult to assess. In the current study, we have constructed a large-scale radiographic atlas of CBV to assess treatment response to bevacizumab in individual patients with recurrent glioblastoma. Methods: Z-score normalized CBV maps were registered to stereotactic atlas space in 450 patients with brain tumors. A CBV atlas was created by calculating the voxel-wise mean and variability in CBV. MRI and CBV maps from 32 recurrent glioblastoma patients were then obtained prior to and following treatment with bevacizumab, registered to and compared with the CBV atlas. The volume of tumor tissue with elevated CBV, percentage of enhancing tumor with elevated CBV, and the mean and maximum change in normalized CBV intensity relative to the atlas were computed. Results: Voxel-wise comparison of individual patient CBV maps to the atlas allowed delineation of elevated tumor perfusion from artery and normal cortical tissue. An atlas-defined hypervascular tumor blood volume greater than 2.35 cc prior to treatment, 0.14 cc after treatment, and a decrease in atlas-defined hypervascular tumor volume less than 80% following treatment were characteristic of a shorter PFS and OS. Traditional measures of CBV were not predictive of PFS or OS. Conclusions: This study highlights the advantages of large-scale population maps to identify abnormal biological tissues.
A Decision Tree Approach to Data Classification using Signal Temporal Logic

This paper introduces a framework for inference of timed temporal logic properties from data. The dataset is given as a finite set of pairs of finite-time system traces and labels, where the labels indicate whether the traces exhibit some desired behavior (e.g., a ship traveling along a safe route). We propose a decision-tree based approach for learning signal temporal logic classifiers. The method produces binary decision trees that represent the inferred formulae. Each node of the tree contains a test associated with the satisfaction of a simple formula, optimally tuned from a predefined finite set of primitives. Optimality is assessed using heuristic impurity measures, which capture how well the current primitive splits the data with respect to the traces' labels. We propose extensions of the usual impurity measures from machine learning literature to handle classification of system traces by leveraging upon the robustness degree concept. The proposed incremental construction procedure greatly improves the execution time and the accuracy compared to existing algorithms. We present two case studies that illustrate the usefulness and the computational advantages of the algorithms. The first is an anomaly detection problem in a maritime environment. The second is a fault detection problem in an automotive powertrain system.
Developmental changes in the activity of phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferases in rat brain

The activity of phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PeMT), an enzymic system that catalyses the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) via sequential methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn) using S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) as a methyl donor, was examined in brain homogenates from rats of various ages. The data thus obtained were consistent with the existence of two distinct enzyme activities within this enzyme system, i.e. one catalysing the methylation of PtdEtn [to form phosphatidyl-N-monomethylethanolamine (PtdMeEtn)], and the other catalysing the methylations of PtdMeEtn and phosphatidyl-NN-dimethylethanolamine (PtdMe2Etn) (to form PtdMe2Etn and PtdCho, respectively). PeMT (PtdEtn-methylating) activity per g of brain was 4-fold higher in neonatal than in adult brains. The enzyme activity in adult brains exhibited Michaelis-Menten kinetics for AdoMet, and its affinity for AdoMet was high (apparent Km 1.6 microM). In neonatal brain the relationships between AdoMet concentrations and PtdMeEtn formation were more complex: a sigmoidal component (with a Hill coefficient of 2.7), requiring 90 microM-AdoMet for half-saturation predominated over the high-affinity component (similar to that of the adult brain). PeMT (PtdMe2Etn-methylating) activity per g of brain increased 2-fold between the 5th and the 20th postnatal days and remained constant thereafter; it was higher than that of PeMT (PtdEtn-methylating) activity at all ages studied, and its affinity for AdoMet was low (apparent Km 99 microM). No sexual dimorphism in brain PeMT activity was observed at any age. We conclude that PeMT (PtdEtn-methylating) catalyses the rate-limiting step in PtdCho synthesis in rat brain, and that PtdCho formation via this pathway may be greatest during the neonatal period.
Progress in study of the important role of osteoclasts in inflammation-induced bone loss

Osteoclasts are derived from pluripotent stem cells in bone marrow and spleen.They play a critical role in inflammation-induced bone loss and joint destruction because in the absence of them,bone de- struction does not occur even when inflammation exists.Synovioblasts in an inflamed joint can secrete numerous inflammatory factors,including tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α)and interleukin-1(IL-1)which not only induce inflammatory reactions but also elevate osteoclast formation and function indirectly or directly through promoting RANKL expression.In this wdy the inflammatory reactions are associated with bone loss and destruction. In this article,we focus on the recent progress in study of TNF-α,IL-1 and osteoclast-target therapies in management of osteoclast-mediated inflammatory bone loss.TNF-αpromotes differentiation of osteoclast precursor cells in the peripheral blood and spleen,which causes a marked increase in mature osteoclasts in a diseased joint.However, IL-I supports osteoblast survival and regulates the recombination of osteoclast cytoskeleton,which further stimulates bone resorption.Since osteoclast-target therapies may inhibit osteoclast formation and function,they are becoming more and more important for inflammation-induced bone loss and joint destruction.
Mathematics Professors’ Evaluation of Students’ Proofs: A Complex Teaching Practice

This article reports on an exploratory study of mathematics professors’ proof evaluation practices and the characteristics they value in good proof writing. Four mathematicians were interviewed twice. In the first interview, they evaluated and scored six proofs of elementary theorems written by undergraduate students in a discrete mathematics or geometry course, assigned each proof a score out of 10 points, and responded to questions about the characteristics they value in a well-written proof and how they communicate these characteristics to students. In the second interview, they reevaluated three of the earlier proofs after reading the marks and comments written by the other professors, and evaluated and scored a seventh proof. The results reveal that proof grading is a complex teaching practice requiring difficult judgments about the seriousness of errors and the student’s cognition that led to errors or other flaws. For five of the seven proofs the scores varied by at least 3 points, and the article discusses reasons for this variation. These professors agreed that the most important characteristics of a well-written proof are logical correctness, clarity, fluency, and demonstration of understanding of the proof. Although the professors differed in the attention they gave to fluency issues, such as mathematical notation, layout, grammar, and punctuation, they agreed in giving these characteristics little weight in the overall score.
RECENT OBSERVATIONS OF THE WHALE SHARK (RHINCODON TYPUS) IN THE NORTHCENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus Smith, 1828) is the world’s largest fish, reaching 15 meters (m) and 18 metric tons (Colman 1997) and is found in all tropical and warm temperate seas (Compagno 2001). The whale shark is listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN 2004) and is included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES 2004). Little is known about whale sharks in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf). Only reports on the occurrence of whale sharks off Texas (Baughman 1950, Baughman and Springer 1950, and Hoffman 1981) and accounts of the occurrence and feeding in the northcentral Gulf (Gudger 1939, Springer 1957) are available. Due to the lack of information on whale sharks in the Gulf, we developed a survey (http://www.usm.edu/gcrl/whaleshark_survey) to compile records of recent sightings and associated observations that are summarized here.
Automated fault-management in a simulated spaceflight micro-world

BACKGROUND: As human spaceflight missions extend in duration and distance from Earth, a self-sufficient crew will bear far greater onboard responsibility and authority for mission success. This will increase the need for automated fault management (FM). Human factors issues in the use of such systems include maintenance of cognitive skill, situational awareness (SA), trust in automation, and workload. This study examine the human performance consequences of operator use of intelligent FM support in interaction with an autonomous, space-related, atmospheric control system. METHODS: An expert system representing a model-base reasoning agent supported operators at a low level of automation (LOA) by a computerized fault finding guide, at a medium LOA by an automated diagnosis and recovery advisory, and at a high LOA by automate diagnosis and recovery implementation, subject to operator approval or veto. Ten percent of the experimental trials involved complete failure of FM support. RESULTS: Benefits of automation were reflected in more accurate diagnoses, shorter fault identification time, and reduced subjective operator workload. Unexpectedly, fault identification times deteriorated more at the medium than at the high LOA during automation failure. Analyses of information sampling behavior showed that offloading operators from recovery implementation during reliable automation enabled operators at high LOA to engage in fault assessment activities CONCLUSIONS: The potential threat to SA imposed by high-level automation, in which decision advisories are automatically generated, need not inevitably be counteracted by choosing a lower LOA. Instead, freeing operator cognitive resources by automatic implementation of recover plans at a higher LOA can promote better fault comprehension, so long as the automation interface is designed to support efficient information sampling.
Abstract LB-146: TGF-β-induced tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance of cancer stem cells

Among the most common and life-threatening cancers world-wide, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) exhibit high rates of tumor recurrence following anti-cancer therapy. Subsets of cancer stem cells (CSCs) often escape anti-cancer therapeutics and promote recurrence. However, its sources and mechanisms that generate tumor heterogeneity and therapy-resistant cell population are largely unknown. Tumor microenvironment may drive intratumor heterogeneity by transmitting signaling factors, oxygen and metabolites to tumor cells depending on their proximity to the local sources. While the hypothesis is attractive, experimental evidence is lacking, and non-genetic mechanisms that drive functional heterogeneity remain largely unknown. As a potential non-genetic factor, we focused on TGF-β because of its multiple roles in tumor progression. Here we devise a functional reporter system to monitor, track and modify TGF-β signaling in mouse skin SCC in vivo. Using this approach, we found that perivascular TGF-β in the tumor microenvironment generates heterogeneity in TGF-β signaling in neighboring CSCs. This heterogeneity is functionally important: small subsets of TGF-β-responding CSCs proliferate more slowly than their non-responding counterparts. They also exhibit invasive morphology and a malignant differentiation program compared to their non-responding neighbors. By lineage tracing, we show that although TGF-β-responding CSCs clonally expand more slowly they gain a growth advantage in a remarkable ability to escape cisplatin-induced apoptosis. We show that indeed it is their progenies that make a substantial contribution in tumor recurrence. Surprisingly, the slower proliferating state of this subset of CSCs within the cancer correlated with but did not confer the survival advantage to anti-cancer drugs. Using transcriptomic, biochemical and genetic analyses, we unravel a novel mechanism by which heterogeneity in the tumor microenvironment allows a subset of CSCs to respond to TGF-β, and evade anti-cancer drugs. Our findings also show that TGF-β established ability to suppress proliferation and promote invasion and metastasis do not happen sequentially, but rather simultaneously. This new work build upon the roles of this factor in tumor progression, and sets an important paradigm for a non-genetic factor that produces tumor heterogeneity. Citation Format: Naoki Oshimori, Daniel Oristian, Elaine Fuchs. TGF-β-induced tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance of cancer stem cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-146. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-LB-146
Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for patients with high-risk extremity and truncal sarcomas: A 10-year follow-up study.

10058 Background: Patients with high-risk extremity and truncal soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are at considerable risk for recurrence. A regimen of preoperative mesna, doxorubucin hydrochloride (Adria...
Recent Applications of the Quantum Trajectory Method

The hydrodynamic formulation of quantum mechanics leads to an attractive approach for solving the Schrodinger time-dependent wave equation. An initial wavepacket is discretized into an ensemble of fluid elements and equations of motion are integrated to find the probability density and action function (wavefunction phase) along the trajectories followed by the fluid elements. Fluid elements propagating along the quantum trajectories are correlated with each other through the nonlocal Bohm quantum potential. These equations of motion are integrated in the Lagrangian picture of fluid motion. The equations of motion are reviewed and then the following four applications are described: barrier tunneling and above barrier reflection; electronic nonadiabiatic processes, multi-mode system-bath dynamics, and the suppression of quantum interference (the process known as decoherence).
Haem-binding-site heterogeneity and haem Cotton effects of Glycera dibranchiata monomeric haemoglobins.

The five major components of the monomeric haemoglobin from Glycera dibranchiata were separated and characterized by absorption spectroscopy, isoelectric focusing, azide-binding affinities and nitrosyl autoreduction kinetics. The differences found among the components are discussed in terms of haem-pocket variations. In addition, the Fourier-transform i.r. spectra of pooled monomeric haemoglobin carbonyl (HbmCO) and the major component carbonyl are reported. The c.d. spectra of the carbonyl and azide derivatives of the five components are compared and found to be similar. The c.d. spectra of myoglobin(II) carbonyl [Mb(II)CO] and of apomyoglobin (apoMb) reconstituted with a symmetric synthetic iron porphyrin carbonyl, meso-tetra-(p-carboxyphenyl)porphinatoiron(II) carbonyl [TCPPFe(II)CO], are compared with the c.d. spectra of pooled HbmCO and its TCPPFe(II)CO analogue. HbmTCPPFe(II)CO shows a negative Soret c.d. band whereas MbTCPPFe(II)CO produces both a negative and a positive Soret c.d. band. Displacement of the symmetric porphyrin by 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulphonate and the resulting fluorescence emission are reported.
Hegel on Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and the Moral Accountability of Ancient Tragic Heroes

This paper argues that Hegel’s account of subjectivity and agency as historically coined is essential to an accurate understanding of his theory of tragedy. Focusing on Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, I argue that Hegel’s historical account of agency is necessary for understanding his theory of the ancient tragic hero. Although Hegel’s theory of ancient tragedy is often described in terms of a conflict between ethical spheres embodied in two individuals, the conflict in Oedipus is between Oedipus’ deeds and his later knowledge of what has actually occurred. I show how this seemingly subjective conflict is in keeping with Hegel’s theory. Further, while Hegel sees Oedipus as wrong to take full moral accountability for the consequences of his deeds, at the same time, for Hegel, this is the right action for a tragic hero, and the very thing that renders Oedipus timelessly and tragically heroic, rather than a mere victim of fate.
MRI-guided interventional natural killer cell delivery for liver tumor treatment

While natural killer (NK) cell-based adoptive transfer immunotherapy (ATI) provides only modest clinical success in cancer patients. This study was hypothesized that MRI-guided transcatheter intra-hepatic arterial (IHA) infusion permits local delivery to liver tumors to improve outcomes during NK-based ATI in a rat model of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Mouse NK cells were labeled with clinically applicable iron nanocomplexes. Twenty rat HCC models were assigned to three groups: transcatheter IHA saline infusion as the control group, transcatheter IHA NK infusion group, and intravenous (IV) NK infusion group. MRI studies were performed at baseline and at 24 h, 48 h, and 8 days postinfusion. There was a significant difference in tumor R2* values between baseline and 24 h following the selective transcatheter IHA NK delivery to the tumors (P = 0.039) when compared to IV NK infusion (P = 0.803). At 8 days postinfusion, there were significant differences in tumor volumes between the control, IV, and IHA NK infusion groups (control vs. IV, P = 0.196; control vs. IHA, P < 0.001; and IV vs. IHA, P = 0.001). Moreover, there was a strong correlation between tumor R2* value change (∆R2*) at 24 h postinfusion and tumor volume change (∆volume) at 8 days in IHA group (R2 = 0.704, P < 0.001). Clinically applicable labeled NK cells with 12-h labeling time can be tracked by MRI. Transcatheter IHA infusion improves NK cell homing efficacy and immunotherapeutic efficiency. The change in tumor R2* value 24 h postinfusion is an important early biomarker for prediction of longitudinal response.
Tapentadol in pain management: a μ-opioid receptor agonist and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor.

Several mechanisms can be proposed to explain an apparent synergistic analgesic action between μ-opioid and α2-adrenergic receptor agonists. Combining both effects in a single molecule eliminates the potential for drug-drug interactions inherent in multiple drug therapy. Tapentadol is the first US FDA-approved centrally acting analgesic having both μ-opioid receptor agonist and noradrenaline (norepinephrine) reuptake inhibition activity with minimal serotonin reuptake inhibition. This dual mode of action may make tapentadol particularly useful in the treatment of neuropathic pain. Having limited protein binding, no active metabolites and no significant microsomal enzyme induction or inhibition, tapentadol has a limited potential for drug-drug interactions. Clinical trial evidence in acute and chronic non-cancer pain and neuropathic pain supports an opioid-sparing effect that reduces some of the typical opioid-related adverse effects. Specifically, the reduction in treatment-emergent gastrointestinal adverse effects for tapentadol compared with equianalgesic pure μ-opioid receptor agonists results in improved tolerability and adherence to therapy for both the immediate- and extended-release formulations of tapentadol.
Informational and Non-Informational Advertising Content

We investigate the relationship between both advertising content and quantity and several stages of consumers' decision-making, namely, unaided and aided awareness, consideration, and purchase. Understanding how the amount and content of advertisements affect consumers' decision-making is crucial for companies to effectively and efficiently use their advertising budgets. Spanning a time period from 2010 to 2016, we combine a unique data set on TV advertising content and quantities with individual-level data containing information on purchases, consideration and awareness sets, demographic variables, and perceived prices. Our results reveal that advertising quantity significantly increases consumer (unaided and aided) awareness, but has no effect on conditional consideration and conditional purchase. However, when measuring the separate effects of different types of advertising content, we find a more nuanced set of results: advertising only containing non-informational content increases unaided awareness, while advertising only containing informational content increases aided awareness. Advertising with both informational and non-informational content affects shoppers' but not non-shoppers' awareness and the awareness of other groups of involved consumers.
Comment on “Genomic signals of selection predict climate-driven population declines in a migratory bird”

Bay et al . (Reports, 5 January 2018, p. 83) combine genomics, spatial modeling, and future climate scenarios to examine yellow warbler population trends in response to climate change, and they suggest that their methods can inform conservation. We discuss problems in their statistical analyses and explain why the concept of “genomic vulnerability” needs further validation before application to real-world conservation problems.
Moneylending in Myth and Practice in Twentieth-Century Mexico

This article demonstrates that ejidatarios sometimes actively sought loans from moneylenders alongside other lenders, such as the Banco Ejidal, as one strategy for managing the uncertainties that shaped their lives. It asserts that moneylenders proved to be very important financial intermediaries for rural borrowers. By explicating how and why they continued existing alongside formal financial intermediaries such as the Banco Ejidal, this article offers a more nuanced way of understanding financial intermediation. Este articulo demuestra que en ciertas ocasiones los ejidatarios buscaron activamente los servicios de prestamistas–asi como de otras entidades de credito, por ejemplo, el Banco Ejidal–como estrategia para manejar la incertidumbre que caracterizaba sus vidas. El articulo reafirma que los prestamistas resultaron ser intermediarios financieros de gran importancia para los prestatarios rurales. Al explicar como y por que continuaron existiendo estos prestamistas al lado de intermediarios financieros formales como el Banco Ejidal, este articulo contribuye a un entendimiento mas matizado sobre la intermediacion financiera.
Weakly symmetric spaces

A Riemannian manifold M is called weakly symmetric, if for any two points p and q in M, there exists an isometry f of M which interchanges p and q. An equivalent condition is that for every geodesic γ(t) in M, there exists an isometryfwhich reverses the geodesic, i. e.f(γ(t)) = γ(-t). A Riemannian symmetric space is clearly weakly symmetric. These manifolds were first studied by A.Selberg [S] who showed that for a weakly symmetric space, the algebra of isometry invariant differential operators is commutative.
Critical Examination of the Role of STEM in Propagating and Maintaining Race and Gender Disparities

At a time when underrepresented and racial/ethnic populations in the U.S. are growing rapidly, it is critical to examine the historical roots of why they continue to be underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. This chapter reviews the literature regarding how race and racism have contributed to modern-day STEM cultures utilizing a conceptual framework guided by critical race theory and Hurtado, Alvarez, Guillermo-Wann, Cuellar and Arellano’s (2012) Model of Diverse Learning Environments. Science is a key contributor to the historical construction of racial differences, and this logic continues to the present day in the way merit is constructed and evaluated in STEM. The lack of progress toward substantially lessening gender and race disparities in many STEM fields can be partially attributed to the culture of the STEM academic fields. We draw connections between science’s role in the construction and application of race in society to the culture of STEM, which can feel exclusionary and isolating to underrepresented students. The chapter concludes with a discussion of interventions that have been shown to have an impact on the transformation of institutional (and disciplinary) cultures to better support the educational outcomes of underrepresented students.
The clay fraction of soils.

Publisher Summary Well-crystallized clay minerals remain the principal subject of fundamental studies concerning the minerals occurring in soils. From such research, much has been learned that is applicable to soil systems. Apart from the studies of pure minerals, studies of the clays in soils also may be very fruitful. These more complex assemblages of minerals are receiving considerable attention with respect to identifying and grouping the minerals. More attention should be given to the specific properties of clay minerals as they exist in soils. This chapter attempts to bring together some of the information on the physicochemical reactions of soils as influenced by the minerals making up the clay fraction. Elucidation of the chemical and physical reactions of the clay minerals is a difficult chore at best, made even more troublesome by the plethora of organic compounds and of amorphous and crystalline oxides found in the clay fractions of soils.
Vascular Thrombosis Leading to Graft Failure Following Pediatric Liver Transplantation

Abstract Background: Vascular thrombosis is an uncommon but devastating complication following pediatric liver transplantation and is a major cause of graft failure, re-transplantation, and death. Hematologic complications of transplant occur more frequently in children compared to adults; however, existing data regarding risk factors and outcomes are limited and rely on single center series. The purpose of this study is to investigate the risk factors for vascular thrombosis leading to graft failure after pediatric liver transplant using a population-based sample. Methods: We queried the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) database from 2003-2014 for pediatric liver transplant recipients (age 0-18 years). Recipients were stratified by post-transplant vascular thrombosis causing graft failure, including hepatic artery thrombosis, portal venous thrombosis, and other or unknown vascular thrombosis. Thrombosis and non-thrombosis groups were compared by univariate analysis of demographic characteristics, pre-transplant characteristics, and transplant characteristics. P-values Results: Of 11,656 children undergoing liver transplantation, 581 (4.9%) were identified with postoperative arterial or venous thrombosis leading to graft failure (Table 1). Children that developed vascular thromboses were younger (3 [IQR 1-9] vs. 6 [IQR 2-13], p Conclusion: This study, the largest national study to date, confirms that pediatric liver transplant recipients are at significant risk for vascular thrombosis, which greatly increases the rate of re-transplantation. Factors associated with increased risk of thrombosis include age, indication for transplant, and MELD/PELD score, suggesting interplay between mechanical factors, underlying disease process, and the complex and overlapping interactions that make up the pediatric coagulome, inadequately assessed by standard lab tests. Further study is needed to characterize these interactions in order to better identify patients at risk and direct anti-thrombotic therapy. Download : Download high-res image (189KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Woody Plant Cover Estimation in Texas Savanna from MODIS Products

AbstractWoody plant cover, the area of the vertical projection of woody plants (trees, shrubs, and bushes), plays an important role in the structure and function of savanna ecosystems and is needed...
[Prevalence of malnutrition status in children and adolescents in Guangdong Province, 2002-2012].

Objective To investigate the prevalence and change of growth retardation, weight loss and malnutrition among children and adolescents aged 6-17 years in Guangdong Province in 2002-2012. Methods A total of 7264 children and adolescents(3804 boys and 3460 girls) aged 6-17 years were selected in thirteen monitoring points of Guangdong for nutritional survey in 2002, and a total of 2319 children and adolescents(1158 boys and 1161 girls) aged 6-17 years were selected in nine counties/districts of Guangdong for nutritional survey during 2009-2012 through multistage random cluster sampling. The body height and weight of all the children and adolescents were measured. Results The prevalence of growth retardation, weight loss and malnutrition decreased from 10. 0% to 1. 6%, 18. 1% to 8. 0%, and 24. 7% to 9. 3%among children and adolescents in Guangdong from 2002 to 2009-2012. The result of2009-2012 survey indicated the average prevalence of growth retardation were higher in boys(1. 9%) than in girls(1. 1%), and the average prevalence of weight loss and malnutrition was higher in girls(10. 4% and 11. 3%) than in boys(6. 0% and 7. 7%). And the average prevalence of growth retardation, weight loss and malnutrition were all higher in those living in rural area(2. 5%, 12. 4% and 14. 5%) than in city area(0. 8%, 4. 4% and 5. 1%). Conclusion Compared with 2002, the prevalence of growth retardation, weight loss and malnutrition in children and adolescents aged 6-17 in Guangdong Province all decreased significantly. The prevalence was still high in girls and those living in rural, and children aged 6-17, thus more attention should be paid to them.
Nutritional Management of Cholestasis.

Patients with both acute and chronic cholestasis are at risk for several nutritionally relevant complications. These patients are at high risk for poor oral intakes, nutrient deficiencies due to malabsorption, MBD, and lipid derangements. Ongoing evaluation of a patient’s nutrition status is crucial in the management of cholestasis. Patients with cholestasis should be referred to a registered dietitian to assist in nutrient optimization and to provide close monitoring of nutrition status.
Post-transarterial Chemoembolization Tumor Rupture in a Patient with Autoimmune Hepatitis Cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a generally well-tolerated and safe procedure that is increasingly being used in the management of intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Tumor rupture is a rare major complication of TACE. Predisposing factors for tumor rupture include large tumor size and peripherally located tumors; in cases of HCC in cirrhosis secondary to autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), tumor rupture may occur more frequently because of the phenomenon of peliosis that occurs in AIH leading to higher propensity to rupture. Management of tumor rupture can be surgical or conservative depending on the individual case. We describe the first documented case of tumor rupture post-TACE in a patient with AIH cirrhosis and HCC.
Performance Evaluation of TOA Positioning in Asynchronous Cellular Networks Using Stochastic Geometry Models

Time-of-arrival (TOA) based positioning of a user equipment (UE) in asynchronous cellular networks is analyzed. Three different cases of prior knowledge of the UE clock bias statistics are considered. The squared-position error bound (SPEB) for each case is derived as a function of the ideal case SPEB: no UE or base station (BS) clock biases. Analytical relationships between the SPEB of the three studied cases are established. The cumulative density function (cdf) of the SPEB for each case is analyzed numerically via Monte Carlo simulations using stochastic geometry models.
A Focus Group Evaluation of Breathe Easier: A Mindfulness-Based mHealth App for Survivors of Lung Cancer and Their Family Members.

Purpose:To explore attitudes and acceptance (i.e., intent for future adoption) of survivors of lung cancer and their family members toward a dyad-focused mHealth mindfulness-based intervention (MBI...
Abstract 229: Family Caregiver Stress and Patient Symptom Severity in Heart Failure

Background: In chronic illness caregiving, greater family caregiver exposure to patient symptoms is predictive of greater caregiver psychological and physiological stress. Although heart failure (H...
Unilateral Spouse Therapy to Reach the Treatment-Resistant Alcohol Abusing Partner: A Randomized Controlled Trial:

Purpose:The aim of this research was to implement and evaluate unilateral family therapy (UFT) for alcohol abuse, an approach that assists the nonalcoholic spouse to induce their alcohol-abusing pa...
Fatigue behavior and modeling for additive manufactured 304L stainless steel: The effect of surface roughness

Abstract The fatigue strength of additively manufactured metallic parts in their as-built surface condition is mainly dominated by the surface roughness. Post-processing is often inevitable to reduce surface roughness effects even though post-processing diminishes the main advantage of additive manufacturing, which is net-shaped direct-to-service production. This study investigates the underlying mechanisms responsible for fatigue failure of additively manufactured 304L stainless steel parts in as-built and machined/polished surface conditions. Both strain- and force-controlled, fully reversed fatigue tests were conducted to gain a comprehensive understanding of surface roughness effects on fatigue behavior. The sensitivity to surface roughness is shown to be dependent on the control mode, with stress-based fatigue tests showing greater sensitivity than strain-based fatigue tests. Moreover, the fatigue life estimation for as-built specimens was performed based on surface roughness parameters as well as the fatigue properties of the specimens in machined/polished surface condition of the material without using any fatigue data of specimens in as-built surface condition. Accordingly, the effect of surface roughness on the fatigue behavior could be estimated reasonably well in both strain-life and stress-life approaches.