cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biotreatment of copper and isopropyl alcohol in waste from semiconductor manufacturing

The generalized use of copper chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) in integrated circuits manufacturing is increasing as the industry moves from previous technology to copper technology. With CMP being one of the main water consumers and producers of wastewater in the fab, more low energy/cost effective methods are being developed to avoid a future risk of violating discharge regulations for copper-containing wastewater. In addition, with the expected increase in water consumption, there is an incentive to find better ways to treat and recycle wastewaters. The possibility of using biological organisms to treat copper and organic-containing wastewater is studied. Two different approaches are combined to create a treatment strategy: adsorption on immobilized cells to treat copper and biodegradation by immobilized cells to treat organics [specifically isopropyl alcohol (IPA)]. Two previously developed bacterial systems are used. In addition, predictive models for the two cases developed in previous work are evaluated in this combined treatment. Continuous flow experiments were performed. Copper adsorbed to the immobilized cells and the binding capacity is comparable to other systems found in the literature. The IPA was totally degraded.
Union Membership and Political Participation in the United States

This article examines the effect of union membership on civic and political participation in the late 20th century in the United States. We discuss why and how unions seek to mobilize their members and where mobilization is channeled. We argue that union membership affects electoral and collective action outcomes and will be larger for low socioeconomic status individuals. Statistical analyses find that union membership is associated with many forms of political activity, including voting, protesting, association membership, and others. Union effects are larger for less educated individuals, a group that otherwise exhibits low levels of participation. Union membership is not associated with outcomes distant from union political agendas, such as general volunteering and charitable giving, suggesting that unions generate political capital rather than generalized social capital.
Learning the ideal evaluation function

Designing an adequate fitness function requires substantial knowledge of a problem and of features that indicate progress towards a solution. Coevolution takes the human out of the loop by dynamically constructing the evaluation function based on interactions between evolving individuals. A question is to what extent such automatic evaluation can be adequate. We define the notion of an ideal evaluation function. It is shown that coevolution can in principle achieve ideal evaluation. Moreover, progress towards ideal evaluation can be measured. This observation leads to an algorithm for coevolution. The algorithm makes stable progress on several challenging abstract test problems.
Microwave-frequency response of an optical-fibre delay-line filter

The frequency response of a single-mode fibre recirculating delay-line filter has been measured from 0 to 18 GHz using a broadband measurement system that includes an inteferometric waveguide modulator and a high-speed photodetector. An optical-fibre notch filter having a fundamental passband at 740 MHz exhibited 23 overtones that were uniform to within ±1.5 dB over the entire measurement range.
Abstract 2669: Chaetoglobosin K, an Akt pathway inhibitor, prevents proliferation and migration of prostate carcinoma cells

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA Chaetoglobosin K (ChK) is an indolylcytochalasin isolated from the fungus Diplodia macrospora that has shown anti-tumorigenic effects in multiple human lung and ovarian carcinoma cell lines. We have previously reported that ChK decreases Akt activation and modulates key downstream Akt/mTOR pathway effectors in tumorigenic cells. The down-regulation of Akt activation by ChK is independent of class I PI3K enzyme inhibition or the upstream mediators PDK1, PTEN, and mTORC2. The purpose of these studies was to investigate the effect of ChK on the proliferation and migration of prostate carcinoma cells of various metastatic potential and PTEN status. The activation of Akt was monitored to assess the ability of ChK to inhibit Akt in prostate carcinoma cells. In these studies, MTT assays were used to measure the number of viable PC3, DU145, and LNCaP cells treated with ChK. Scratch wound and transwell migration assays were utilized to examine the effect of ChK on cell migration. To assess Akt activation, western blot analysis was performed to measure changes in Akt phosphorylation at the ser473 and thr308 sites after cells were treated with ChK or vehicle. ChK was found to inhibit the number of viable PC3, DU145, and LNCaP cells with IC50 values in the 3-5μM range. ChK inhibited migration of PC3 cells into the wound space at 1μM by approximately 60% after 72 hours as compared to vehicle treated controls. ChK inhibited transwell migration of PC3 cells by greater than 90% compared to controls after 5 hours. Additionally, ChK treatment lowered Akt phosphorylation at key activation sites. In summary, ChK inhibits the proliferation, migration, and Akt activation of prostate carcinoma cells in vitro. Further mechanistic studies of ChK will substantiate its therapeutic potential in the treatment of prostate and other cancers. Citation Format: Amna Ali, Silvia Caggia, Diane F. Matesic, Shafiq A. Khan. Chaetoglobosin K, an Akt pathway inhibitor, prevents proliferation and migration of prostate carcinoma 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 2669. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2669
American International Group (AIG)

Numerous actors helped deliver one of the world’s largest insurance firms, American International Group, Inc. (“AIG”) to the brink of failure. Efforts to assign blame resemble Murder on the Orient Express in which twelve individuals, each inflicting a separate wound with the same dagger, were individually and collectively responsible for the stabbing death of a fellow traveler. However, unlike the case of the fugitive-turned-murder victim in Agatha Christie’s mystery novel, many of AIG’s wounds were self-inflicted. Management and the board of directors weakened AIG over many years, well in advance of the financial crisis. As the firm showed early warning signs of trouble, some, including its shareholders, attempted to intervene to restore the firm’s health. Near the end, in addition to management and the board, professional gatekeepers, counterparties, and regulators each played a part in AIG’s collapse. Fortunately for AIG, and those dependent upon its survival, life did not imitate art. On Tuesday, September 16, 2008, just one day after 158-year-old Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (“Lehman”) filed for bankruptcy protection, the Bush Administration revived AIG at great public expense. In exchange for $85 billion, AIG became a ward of the state, with the US government entitled to nearly 80% of its stock. The AIG bailout grew to a $182 billion commitment. Even with the taxpayer-funded rescue, AIG posted a gigantic $61.7 billion loss for the 4th quarter of 2008, an historical record for any U.S. corporation. On the heels of the bailout and huge loss, in March 2009, it was revealed that $165 million in bonuses had been paid to employees of AIG Financial Products. This was the London-based business unit with approximately 400 employees that had accumulated massive risk that threatened the entire global financial system. Instantly, AIG became a lightning rod for populist anger. Fueling the outrage was the added revelation that AIG’s counterparties were paid 100 cents on the dollar, about $62 billion of the bailout funds, when they should have and would have taken substantially less. In 2010, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank”) became law. Many key provisions of this legislation were designed in response to AIG. Even if the government is ultimately paid back in full, the firm may remain a symbol for the worst corporate governance problems of the day including pay-for-failure, imperial CEOs, inadequate board oversight of risk management systems, and the propensity of firms to privatize gains and socialize losses.
Characterization of deformation and physical force in uniform low contrast anatomy and its impact on accuracy of deformable image registration

Purpose: Little is known about the effect of force on organ deformation and consequently its impact on precision dose delivery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the fundamental relationship between anatomic deformation and its causative physical force to ascertain if a threshold limit exists for deformable image registration (DIR) accuracy in uniform low contrast anatomy, beyond which its applicability may be clinically inappropriate. Methods: To simulate a simplified model, a tissue equivalent deformable bladder phantom with 21 implanted fiducial markers was developed using a viscoelastic polymer. The bladder phantom was deformed by applying a force in increments from 10 to 70 N. DIR accuracy was studied using intensity based mim and Velocity B-spline algorithms by comparing the 3D vector of the 21 marker locations at the original target image with the synthetically derived marker positions from each target image obtained from DIR. Results: The relationship between applied force in 1D deformation along the axis of applied force and 3D deformation of the phantom showed a linear response. The maximum and average displacements of markers exhibited a nonlinear response to the applied force. In the absence of implanted markers, DIR performance was suboptimal with a threshold limit of only 20 N (5 mm deformation) beyond which the average marker error was ≥3 mm. DIR performance improved significantly with the addition of only one marker for the intensity based mim algorithm. In contrast, the Velocity B-spline algorithm showed reduced sensitivity to the number of markers introduced in both the source and target images. Conclusions: The limits of applicability of DIR are strongly dependent on the magnitude of deformation. There is a threshold limit beyond which the accuracy of DIR fails in uniform low contrast anatomy. The sensitivity of the DIR performance to the number of fiducial markers present indicates that if DIR performance is solely assessed with the contrast rich features present in clinical anatomy, the results may not be reflective of the true DIR performance in uniform low contrast anatomy.
Good News or Bad News? Information Acquisition and Applicant Screening in Competitive Labor Markets

We model a competitive labor market with heterogeneous firms of varying productivities, and consider two information-collection processes: searching for "good news" about applicants, and searching for "bad news." Under the former, firms seek positive signals to qualify applicants, and under the latter, negative signals to disqualify them. When searching for good news, firms collect too little information in equilibrium; however, aggregate profits are positive and applicants' choice of firms is efficient. When searching for bad news, firms collect too much information, profits dissipate, and applicants inefficiently match with firms of lower productivities. In both cases, too few applicants are admitted. We show that firms tend to search for good (bad) news for low (high) revenue positions. Moreover, as the cost of acquiring information decreases, applicants' expected payoffs rise and more firms search for good news.
Epidemic Characteristics and Preventive Measures of Infectious Respiratory Disease

Infectious respiratory disease is defined as the disease caused by invasion and spread of pathogens through respiratory tract,such as measles,rubella,influenza,epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis,mumps and varicella.Most infectious respiratory diseases spread through droplet and short-distance contact,and herd are generally susceptible.The outbreak or epidemic of infectious respiratory diseases may not only affect people' health,but also result in many social problems,and even affecting teaching arrangement,work and social stability,etc.In order to better prevent and control the outbreak or epidemic of common infectious respiratory diseases,the author summarizes the concept,epidemic characteristic,comprehensive protective measure,stringency mechanism,etc.
Prospects for Truly Unimolecular Devices

This review discusses some of the issues that have occupied the attention of several recent conferences on “Molecular Electronics” (ME). The term ME has been popularized by the late Forrest L. Carter, who chaired three international workshops on ME devices in Washington in 1981 [1], 1983 [2], and 1986 [3]. There was also a conference in Varna, Bulgaria in 1986 [4]. A recent conference on ME elucidated the present challenges [5]. By now several conferences world-wide have used ME in all or part of their title, so the term has gained respectability. There is a Journal of ME. Several Centers for ME have appeared (at Carnegie-Mellon University in the US, at Cranfield Institute of Technology in the UK, etc.). A fair assessment of the present status has recently appeared in a publication for the “lay audience” [6].
Certain aspects of hypothyroidism in childhood.

(1956). Certain Aspects of Hypothyroidism in Childhood. Postgraduate Medicine: Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 256-261.
Less Emissions and Less Waste: An Economic Analysis of a Waste-to-Energy Project for Bekasi City

Waste-to-energy (WTE) can be a potential solution for Indonesia allowing for improved waste management, reduced emissions, and less waste in landfills. An economic analysis comparing WTE and landfilling using Bekasi City, Indonesia, as a case study is examined. Waste amounts are projected for 2015–2035 with baseline costs and emissions estimated. Next, parameters for the WTE scenario are presented followed by economic analysis with IRRs calculated. Sensitivity analyses are also conducted to assess changes on the returns, given different relative price changes in future. The WTE scenario considers three incineration plant sizes and two major revenue sources – per ton of cleaning benefit and electricity sales – not currently implemented under two different scopes: independent introduction of WTE and its reference to current landfilling strategy. The results show that there are possible conditions that make WTE financially feasible especially larger scale of projects with large collection volumes. The IRRs would then be largely improved by further aggressive feed-in tariff policy. Waste management should not be viewed solely as private sector service but a public good with social costs and benefits taken into account, since environmental benefits also improve the IRRs. National-level initiatives such as the National Waste Policy and the feed-in tariff provide a push and pull strategy for innovation in WTE, but additional policies for enhancing environmental awareness of the citizens can help hasten WTE adoption.
Continuum modeling of rate-dependent granular flows in SPH

We discuss a constitutive law for modeling rate-dependent granular flows that has been implemented in smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH). We model granular materials using a viscoplastic constitutive law that produces a Drucker–Prager-like yield condition in the limit of vanishing flow. A friction law for non-steady flows, incorporating rate-dependence and dilation, is derived and implemented within the constitutive law. We compare our SPH simulations with experimental data, demonstrating that they can capture both steady and non-steady dynamic flow behavior, notably including transient column collapse profiles. This technique may therefore be attractive for modeling the time-dependent evolution of natural and industrial flows.
How do H-bonding interactions control viscoelasticity and thixotropy of molecular gels? Insights from mono-, di- and tri-hydroxymethylated alkanamide gelators.

Abstract The structural and dynamic properties of molecular gels, made from 9 structurally-related mono-, di, and tri-hydroxymethylated alkanamide gelators, have been examined at different distance scales. The subtle changes in the gelator structures, in terms of the number of hydroxymethyl groups and the length of the alkanamide chain, have been correlated with the type of the self-assembled fibrillar networks and the viscoelasticity of the gels as well as the characteristics of the liquid as indicated by Hansen solubility parameters. Some of the gels exhibit high degrees of thixotropy and very rapid recovery after the cessation of destructive strain. Gelation efficiencies—based upon the range of liquids gelated, the critical gelator concentrations, and the gel-sol transition temperatures—depend upon both the length of the fatty acid chain and the number of hydroxymethyl groups: the best gelator of the series contains the longest alkyl chain examined (hexadecyl) and two hydroxymethyl groups (i.e., better than the gelators with one or three groups). FT-IR and powder X-ray diffraction data indicate that hydrogen-bonding and molecular packing modes in the gels and the neat gelator powders are very similar. Polarizing optical microscopy images of the gels show that the morphology of the gel networks can be tuned by changing the cooling processes used to transform the sols into gels. In total, the observations and conclusions derived provide useful insights into the relationship between gelator structure and gel properties. These data will be useful to those interested in the a priori design of new gelators or other molecules undergoing a variety of self-assembly processes that lead to robust thermal- and mechano-reversible materials.
Variation in Vaccination Data Available at School Entry Across the United States.

Objectives. To compile substate-level data on US school-age children’s vaccination rates.Methods. For states that did not have suitable data online, in 2015 we submitted information requests to the state health department and followed up with the state’s Freedom of Information Act when necessary.Results. The accessibility, scale, and types of vaccination data varied considerably. Whereas 26 states provided data online, 14 released data only after a Freedom of Information Act request. School or school-district data were available for 24 states, 19 at the county level, 2 at the health department level, and 6 provided no substate-level data.Conclusions. Effective vaccination policy requires a robust understanding of vaccination behavior. Some states make it difficult to access data or provide low-resolution data of limited value for identifying vaccination behavior.
MERTK Inhibition Induces Polyploidy and Promotes Cell Death and Cellular Senescence in Glioblastoma Multiforme

Background MER receptor tyrosine kinase (MERTK) is expressed in a variety of malignancies, including glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Our previous work demonstrated that inhibition of MERTK using RNA interference induced cell death and chemosensitivity in GBM cells, implicating MERTK as a potential therapeutic target. Here we investigate whether a novel MERTK-selective small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor, UNC2025, has similar anti-tumor effects in GBM cell lines. Methods Correlations between expression of GAS6, a MERTK ligand, and prognosis were determined using data from the TCGA database. GBM cell lines (A172, SF188, U251) were treated in vitro with increasing doses of UNC2025 (50-400nM). Cell count and viability were determined by trypan blue exclusion. Cell cycle profiles and induction of apoptosis were assessed by flow cytometric analysis after BrdU or Po-Pro-1/propidium iodide staining, respectively. Polyploidy was detected by propidium iodide staining and metaphase spread. Cellular senescence was determined by β-galactosidase staining and senescence-associated secretory cytokine analysis. Results Decreased overall survival significantly correlated with high levels of GAS6 expression in GBM, highlighting the importance of TAM kinase signaling in GBM tumorigenesis and/or therapy resistance and providing strong rationale for targeting these pathways in the clinic. All three GBM cell lines exhibited dose dependent reductions in cell number and colony formation (>90% at 200nM) after treatment with UNC2025. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated accumulation of cells in the G2/M phase and development of polyploidy. After extended exposure, 60–80% of cells underwent apoptosis. The majority of surviving cells (65–95%) were senescent and did not recover after drug removal. Thus, UNC2025 mediates anti-tumor activity in GBM by multiple mechanisms. Conclusions The findings described here provide further evidence of oncogenic roles for MERTK in GBM, demonstrate the importance of kinase activity for MERTK tumorigenicity and validate UNC2025, a novel MERTK inhibitor, as a potential therapeutic agent for treatment of GBM.
Element identification in organic samples utilizing a benchtop X-ray fluorescence emission tomography (XFET) system

Synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence computed tomography (XFCT) is a common technique for mapping metal ions in biological specimens. In recent years, it has been demonstrated that various metal ions could play critical roles in disease and general biological functions. In this work, we are developing a benchtop x-ray fluorescence emission tomography system that utilizes combines charge-coupled device (CCD) detectors and special emission tomography apertures to obtain 3-D mapping of elemental distribution in intact biological samples. We have carried out a series of studies that utilize multiple slit apertures and a monochromatic pencil beam x-ray source to image a triple-tube sample and an osmium stained zebrafish.
Non-canonical RNA-directed DNA methylation

A Review discusses the currently known non-canonical RNA-directed DNA methylation mechanisms, their diversity and interconnections, and puts forward the key unanswered questions in this field.
A Final Note from the Outgoing Editor-in-Chief

![Figure][1] Dominique Delbeke This issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine concludes my 5-year term as Editor-in-Chief. JNM is one of the educational flagships of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. The JNM mission statement is “[to advance] the knowledge and
Abstract 1500: Syndecan-1 targeted mesoporous silica-coated gold nanorods act as theranostic agents forin vivodetection of orthotopic pancreatic tumors using multispectral optoacoustic tomography

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA Detection of pancreatic cancer is especially challenging in comparison to many cancers due to severe limitations of both contrast agent delivery to pancreatic tumors and limitations of traditional imaging techniques such as poor resolution and low depth penetration. Theranostic nanoparticles encompassing both therapeutic and diagnostic capabilities can overcome limitations associated with conventional cancer diagnosis and therapy. In this study, we compared mesoporous silica coated gold nanorods (MS-GNR) and polyacrylic acid coated gold nanorods (PAA-GNR) targeted to tumor cells via Syndecan-1 ligand for detection of orthotopic pancreatic cancer in vivo. Because one of the major difficulties for translation of theranostic nanoparticles to the clinic is an inability track performance of nanoparticles in vivo, especially at depths required of orthotopic tumors, we will overcome this impediment by utilizing multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT). Multispectral optoacoustic tomography provides high optical contrast images at a microscale resolution and reasonable penetration depth by combining the advantages of optical (high sensitivity) and ultrasound (increased depth of penetration). Our results indicate that the Syndecan-1 MS-GNR were superior to Syndecan-1 PAA-GNR, untargeted MS-GNR, or untargeted PAA-GNR as contrast agents to identify pancreatic cancer in vivo via MSOT. The Syndecan-1 MS-GNR particles also resulted in reduced off-target accumulation compared to Syndecan-1 PAA-GNR. This study is among the first to evaluate biodistribution of ligand-targeted nanoparticles in the context of orthotopic pancreatic cancer using multispectral optoacoustic tomography. The MS GNR can be utilized as theranostic platform due to ability of mesoporous silica to encapsulate drug and easy surface modification with cancer recognizing motif peptide. Citation Format: Anil Khanal, Charles W. Kimbrough, Nichola C. Garbett, Joseph A. Burlison, William E. Grizzle, Lacey R. McNally. Syndecan-1 targeted mesoporous silica-coated gold nanorods act as theranostic agents for in vivo detection of orthotopic pancreatic tumors using multispectral optoacoustic tomography. [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 1500. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-1500
Contemporary Management of Early-Stage Melanoma: A Systematic Review.

Importance The incidence of melanoma is increasing, with 76 380 new cases of invasive melanoma and 68 480 new cases of melanoma in situ expected in 2016. Objective To review the contemporary manage...
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Schizophrenia: A Quantitative Review of Cognitive Outcomes

Cognitive deficits are a core and disabling feature of psychotic disorders, specifically schizophrenia. Current treatments for impaired cognition in schizophrenia remain insufficient. Recent research suggests transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex can potentiate cognitive improvements in healthy individuals and those with psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia. However, this burgeoning literature has not been quantitatively evaluated. Through a literature search and quantitative review, we identified 194 papers on tDCS, psychosis, and cognition. Selection criteria included pre/post design and sham control to achieve specific sham-adjusted effect sizes. The 6 retained studies all address schizophrenia populations and include single and repeated stimulation, as well as within and between subject designs. Small positive effects were found for anodal stimulation on behavioral measures of attention and working memory, with tentative findings for cognitive ability and memory. Cathodal stimulation yielded a small positive effect on behaviorally measured cognitive ability. Neurophysiological measures of attention showed a small to medium down-modulation effect for anodal stimulation. Implications of these findings and guidelines for future research are discussed. As revealed by this report, due to the paucity of data available, much remains unknown regarding the clinical efficacy of tDCS in schizophrenia.
Training Agricultural Economic Majors for Business Careers

ACOLLEGE course of study designed to train people for busiA JAness careers should have two primary objectives in mind. The first should be to prepare the student to get a job upon completion of his formal training. The second should be to provide the student with a background which will enable him to advance as rapidly as possible in the business or occupation of his choice. Every student should have something to sell when he asks for a job. Technical departments in colleges and universities have for years trained students in specialized fields so that they might enter a particular type of business or department of a business upon leaving school. While the market for such students has not always been assured, these students at least have had the advantage of having something to sell when the prospective employer asks "What can you do?" Agricultural Economics courses, in the main, have prepared college students to enter several fields-farm organization and operation, business, and graduate study. Experience shows that this program has been very successful over the years. While the future market for graduates in farm management seems favorable, no one knows for how long departments may train and place graduate students to advantage at the present mass production rate. At least there is reason to believe that agricultural economics curricula should be broadened to provide specialized training which agricultural and related businesses can use to advantage. A fundamental question may be raised at this point. What can an agricultural economics department contribute in training a student for a position in the dairy industry, the poultry industry, or the feed industry that a commodity department cannot do as well or better? Why should a dairy concern, for example, look to an agricultural economics department instead of a dairy department for a man? It is interesting to note that a large number of the executives in present day agricultural businesses are men who were trained in technical and not economic subject matter. The
Breaking the Constraints of Modernist Psychologizing: Mathematics Education Flirts with the Postmodern.

Mathematics education emerged as a field in the height of modernism in science and mathematics. For decades, modernist psychology provided the dominant framework for inquiry in the field. Recently, this framework has started to sustain questions, leading to an ongoing conversation in the literature about the identity of the field. We join this conversation via a critical notice of a volume that proposes to package postmodern theorists for mathematics educators. We argue that the book falls short of providing a substantive contribution to the conversation, and we present an argument for the role of postmodernism in mathematics education.
Diastereo- and enantioselective additions of α-nitro esters to imines for anti-α,β-diamino acid synthesis with α-alkyl-substitution.

The discovery that a C2-symmetric bis(AMidine) [BAM] catalyst promotes an anti-selective addition of α-substituted α-nitro esters to imines is described, providing α-substituted α,β-diamino ester products with high diastereo- and enantioselectivity. When compared to the function of a BAM catalyst reported previously, the pair offer a rare example of diastereodivergence using a bifunctional Bronsted acid-base organocatalyst.
Giardia Infection of the Small Intestine Induces Chronic Colitis in Genetically Susceptible Hosts

The lumen-dwelling protozoan Giardia is an important parasitic cause of diarrheal disease worldwide. Infection can persist over extended periods with minimal intestinal inflammation, suggesting that Giardia may attenuate host responses to ensure its survival, although clearance eventually occurs in most cases. IL-10 is an anti-inflammatory regulator critical for intestinal homeostasis and controlling host responses to bacterial exposure, yet its potential role in coordinating antiprotozoal host defense in the intestine is not known. In this study, we found that murine infection with the natural enteric pathogen Giardia muris induced a transient IL-10 response after 2-4 wk at the primary site of infection in the upper small intestine, but parasite colonization and eradication were not affected by the absence of the cytokine in gene-targeted mice. However, IL-10 was critical for controlling infection-associated immunological sequelae in the colon because severe and persistent diarrhea and colitis were observed in IL-10-deficient mice within 1-2 wk postinfection but not in uninfected littermate controls. Inflammation was characterized by epithelial hyperplasia, neutrophil and macrophage expansion, and Th1 induction and could be prevented by blockade of IL-12/IL-23 p40 but not depletion of CD11c+ dendritic cells. Furthermore, the intestinal microbiota underwent characteristic shifts in composition and was required for disease because antibiotics and loss of TLR signaling in MyD88-deficient mice protected against colitis. Together, our data suggest that transient infection by a luminal and seemingly noninflammatory pathogen can trigger sustained colitis in genetically susceptible hosts, which has broader implications for understanding postinfectious syndromes and other chronic intestinal inflammatory conditions.
CCD linearity measurement by incremental binning (Conference Presentation)

The traditional method for measuring CCD non-linearity using constant flux and variable exposure time is compared to a faster and potentially more accurate method that requires just two exposures at low intensity. Signal is varied by parallel-binning a successively greater number of lines. The binned image is compared to a conventional image with identical illumination, co-added digitally in the same pattern. This method requires no shutter calibration and is insensitive to illumination drift or charge transfer inefficiency. With some additional software effort, it can be arranged to tolerate illumination non-uniformity. We present data obtained by both methods for the 64 CD231-C6 outputs and discuss automated performance optimization. We find that the widely held assumption that non-linearity only affects high signals is incorrect when optimizing for minimum gain change over the full signal range, in which case slope increases with signal initially, then peaks in the mid-range before dropping again.
High-Order Extended Maximum Principles for Optimal Control Problems with Non-Regular Constraints

In this paper we present high-order generalizations of the Maximum Principle for an optimal control problem with terminal data when the linearization around the reference trajectory is not completely controllable. They apply to both singular and abnormal cases and give nontrivial conditions in these cases. The proofs rely on high-order approximations. Specifically, a high-order generalization of the Lyusternik theorem is used to describe high-order tangent directions for non-regular equality constraints.
What’s the problem with Europe’s flagships Galileo and GMES?

The general impression today is that the two European space flagships initiatives, Galileo and the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programmes, are progressing quite slowly, if not even stalled for the first one, since they were started nearly ten years ago; they are still far from entering an operational mode for delivering the projected services. Indeed, the idea of having a European positioning, navigation and timing system based on a constellation of satellites comparable to GPS (Global Positioning System) was floated in the nineties and pushed by the transport commissioner Neil Kinnock (1995–1999) in 1998 mainly for security and sovereignty needs in Europe. The GMES concept was aired through the Baveno declaration in May 1998, calling for Europe to have its own system for monitoring environment and security worldwide on a 24/7/365 basis. Both initiatives would give Europe the appropriate strategic tools to participate fully in the information revolution that would ensure Europe’s grip on geopolitical issues; economic competitiveness and sustainable development.
Concatenated Spatially Coupled LDPC Codes for Joint Source-Channel Coding

In this paper, a method for joint source-channel coding (JSCC) based on concatenated spatially coupled low-density parity-check (SC-LDPC) codes is investigated. A construction consisting of two SC-LDPC codes is proposed: one for source coding and the other for channel coding, with a joint belief propagation-based decoder. Also, a novel windowed decoding (WD) scheme is presented with significantly reduced latency and complexity requirements. Simulation results show a notable performance improvement compared to existing state-of-the-art JSCC schemes based on LDPC codes.
Combustion phasing modeling and control for compression ignition engines with high dilution and boost levels

Because fuel efficiency is significantly affected by the timing of combustion in internal combustion engines, accurate control of combustion phasing is critical. In this paper, a nonlinear combusti...
Cortical cholinergic denervation in primary progressive aphasia with Alzheimer pathology.

Objective To investigate the status of the basal forebrain cholinergic system in primary progressive aphasia (PPA) as justification for cholinergic therapy. Methods A cohort of 36 brains from PPA participants with the neuropathology of Alzheimer disease (PPA-AD, n = 14) or frontotemporal lobar degeneration (PPA-tau, n = 12; PPA-TDP, n = 10) were used for semiquantitative rating of degeneration and gliosis of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCN). A subpopulation of 5 PPA-AD and 7 control brains underwent detailed analysis of BFCN pathology and cortical cholinergic axonal loss employing immunohistochemical and histochemical methods and stereologic analysis. Results Semiquantitatively, 11 (∼80%) PPA-AD participants were rated as having moderate/severe BFCN loss and gliosis, whereas none of the PPA-tau and only 1 (10%) PPA-TDP participant received such a rating. Detailed analysis in the subpopulation of PPA-AD participants revealed substantial tangle formation, loss of BFCN, and degeneration of cortical cholinergic axons. Compared to controls, loss of p75 low affinity neurotrophin receptor-positive BFCN was detected in the PPA-AD participants (p Conclusions Our results demonstrate prominent depletion of BFCN and cortical cholinergic axons in PPA-AD when compared with normal control or other neuropathologic variants of PPA. The demonstration of cholinergic denervation with an anatomy that fits the clinical picture suggests that cholinergic treatment is justified in patients with PPA who have positive AD biomarkers.
Biomechanical Analysis of Instability in Rotational Distal Fibula Fractures (OTA/AO 44-B1) With an Intact Deltoid Ligament.

Objectives:To biomechanically analyze instability in supination external rotation (SER) II/III patterns.Methods:Nineteen cadaver legs were tested in a mechanical jig. One, 2, 3, and 4 Nm of external rotation were applied to intact ankles, SER II injuries, and SER III injuries. The talar position rel
Spread Sampling and Its Applications on Graphs

Efficiently finding small samples with high diversity from large graphs has many practical applications such as community detection and online survey. This paper proposes a novel scalable node sampling algorithm for large graphs that can achieve better spread or diversity across communities intrinsic to the graph without requiring any costly pre-processing steps. The proposed method leverages a simple iterative sampling technique controlled by two parameters: infection rate, that controls the dynamics of the procedure and removal threshold that affects the end-of-procedure sampling size. We demonstrate that our method achieves very high community diversity with an extremely low sampling budget on both synthetic and real-world graphs, with either balanced or imbalanced communities. Additionally, we leverage the proposed technique for a very low sampling budget (only 2%) driven treatment assignment in Network A/B Testing scenario, and demonstrate competitive performance concerning baseline on both synthetic and real-world graphs.
A revolution in the offing

We've learned so much about the origin and evolution of the universe over the past century, cosmologist Dan Hooper told a recent New Scientist online event – but there are signs our theories might soon have to radically change
Evaluating Adjuvant Therapy With Chemoradiation vs Radiation Alone for Patients With HPV-Negative N2a Head and Neck Cancer.

Importance The American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system (Cancer Staging Manual, 8th Edition) for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) now categorizes human papillomavirus (HPV)–negative HNSCC in a single positive lymph node smaller than 3 cm with pathologic extranodal extension (ENE) as N2a. The standard of care for pathologic ENE is adjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT). Whether adding chemotherapy concurrent with adjuvant radiation therapy improves survival in this clinical scenario is unknown. Objective To assess whether adjuvant CRT relative to radiation therapy alone is associated with improved survival among patients with pN2a HPV-negative HNSCC with ENE. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort study included 504 patients with pN2a HPV-negative HNSCC with ENE who had undergone margin-negative surgery and adjuvant therapy. The patients were identified from the National Cancer Database from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2015. Statistical analyses were conducted from September 1, 2019, to April 16, 2020. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary end point was overall survival. The association of adjuvant CRT with overall survival was analyzed using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses. Planned subset analyses were conducted in patients younger than 70 years with no comorbidities (the subset most likely to be eligible for a clinical trial of cisplatin-based chemoradiation) and in patients with pT3/T4 disease classification. Results Of 504 patients (mean [SD] age, 60.5 [12.7] years; 319 [63.3%] men; 434 [86.1%] White) with pN2a HPV-negative HNSCC with ENE who had undergone margin-negative surgery and adjuvant therapy, 298 patients (59.1%) received adjuvant CRT. For the overall cohort of patients with pN2a ENE, adjuvant CRT was not associated with improved overall survival relative to adjuvant radiation therapy alone in a multivariate analysis (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.74-1.30). Adjuvant CRT was still not associated with improved overall survival in a subset analysis of 304 patients younger than 70 years with no comorbidities (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.66-1.45) nor in a subset of 220 patients with pT3/T4 disease classification (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.70-1.54). Conclusions and Relevance This study found that for patients with pN2a HPV-negative HNSCC with ENE who underwent margin-negative surgery and adjuvant therapy, adding chemotherapy concurrent with adjuvant radiation therapy was not associated with improved overall survival. Additional research is necessary to identify the optimal treatment paradigm for this clinical scenario.
Donaldson Polynomials of Algebraic Surfaces

Let S be an algebraic surface and C a smooth algebraic curve on S. In this chapter we shall give a recipe for computing the Donaldson polynomial γc (S) evaluated on C, based on the enumerative geometry of certain divisors in the moduli space M c ,(S, L) which represent the divisors µ(C).This recipe will be used in Chapter VII to make calculations for elliptic surfaces. The divisors representing µ(C) are supported on the set of vector bundles in the moduli space where certain sheaf cohomology groups are nonvanishing. The situation is thus identical to the discussion in Chapter III which identified geometric representatives for µ(C) in terms of the cohomology groups of an elliptic complex formed from the coupled Dirac operator instead of the sheaf cohomology of holomorphic vector bundles (i.e. the \( \bar \partial\)-operator). Indeed, as we shall see in Section 3, the Dirac operator may be identified with the \( \bar \partial\)-operator, so that the divisors described above are in fact the same divisors as those described in Chapter III. However, the viewpoint of algebraic geometry gives us some extra information. The sets in the moduli space described above are naturally divisors, that is complex hypersurfaces with integer multiplicities. As we shall see, algebraic geometry provides a natural method for calculating these multiplicities. Often, however, we could avoid some of the more technical arguments given in this chapter and make shorter ad hoc arguments, for instance by working purely within algebraic geometry or by evaluating the multiplicities by looking at compact 2-cycles contained in the (non-compactified) moduli space. Still, it seems worthwhile to have a very general framework for describing the multiplicities for future applications. Our main result is Theorem 1.9, which gives a general method for evaluating the Donaldson polynomial of an algebraic surface on cohomology classes represented by algebraic curves. For the applications in Chapter VII, we will need a more specialized variant of this result, Theorem 1.12. We also discuss analogous results when the moduli space has the expected dimension but is nonreduced. Section 2 is devoted to a proof of Donaldson’s theorem that the polynomial invariants do not all vanish for a simply connected algebraic surface. The proof draws on many of the ideas described in the first section and in Chapter IV. The last section is a somewhat technical appendix which defines and compares various notions of determinant line bundles.
Thermal comfort modeling when personalized comfort systems are in use: Comparison of sensing and learning methods

Abstract Centralized HVAC systems are usually unable to cater to individual requirements when multiple occupants are present in the same zone. Personalized Comfort Systems (PCS) such as local fans and heaters, heated/cooled chairs, local ventilation systems, have shown to be useful for maintaining comfortable thermal conditions by creating a microclimate around each occupant. Previous studies have mostly focused on personalized thermal comfort modeling under regular HVAC operations, and there is a lack of work that focuses on personalized thermal comfort modeling when PCS devices are in use. In this study, we compare different sensing and machine learning methods to build personal comfort models when a local fan or heater is in use. The experiment was conducted in a controlled environment with three segments: regular (no fan/heater), fan on, and heater on. Our results indicate that the data from environmental sensors results in 2%–5% higher prediction accuracy compared to using a wearable device to monitor wrist skin temperature or thermal imaging to monitor skin temperature from different regions of the face. Furthermore, environmental sensors are more affordable and have relatively fewer privacy concerns compared to the physiological sensors. Overall, the results of this study support the use of environmental sensors for building personalized thermal comfort models with or without PCS. Furthermore, the results also highlight the need for building separate personalized thermal comfort models when PCS devices are in use, and when PCS devices are not in use.