cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Procedures to determine part mix ratios for independent demands in flexible manufacturing systems

The problem of determining the part mix ratios at which a set of part types should be produced over the next production period is addressed. Integer programming is used to solve this problem, with computations based on machine utilizations. Several objectives are discussed, each applicable in different FMS situations. One objective balancing machine workload to eliminate bottlenecks, is illustrated. The ratios provide input into more detailed models that can be used to evaluate these part mix ratios. Three complementary models are suggested: a stochastic, multiclass, closed queuing network model, providing pessimistic, aggregate, and steady-state performance evaluation results: a deterministic, timed Petri net model, and its associated algebraic representation, which provides optimistic results: simulation, which provides the detailed modeling capabilities necessary to evaluate the performance of the ratios for research purposes. Either of the first two models is adequate to evaluate the ratios in practice. The part mix ratios can help solve other planning and operating problems. >
A SAND—BOTTOM EPIFAUNAL COMMUNITY OF INVERTEBRATES IN SHALLOW WATER

A community of nine species of epifaunal invertebrates living on sand in shallow water was censuscd fo,r six years. The community consisted of three coclenteratcs, three gastropods, two echinoderms and one decapod. Seven of the species had aggregated distributions, but individuals of the first and fourth most abundant ones were randomly distributed, The relationship of distribution to settlement and mortality is discussed. The importance of each species population in relation to its demands on the environment, and its effects on it, was assessed in terms of frequency, density, biomass, cover, and motility. The results suggest that it is often misleading to label some species in a community “important” and others “unimportant,” especially if this means that the latter are ignored in studies of community structure and dynamics. community remained constant Populations of the nine species comprising the (within sampling variability) over the six years. This community of few species, thus, appears to be a steady-state system. This was unexpected in view of the short species list, the lack of indication of substantial interspecific interactions, and the rigorous conditions in the environment.
Chemical-Enzymatic Synthesis of Carbohydrates

This paper describes the use of three types of enzymes in carbohydrate synthesis. Aldolases are a useful class of catalysts for the synthesis of aza sugars and related compounds. Glycosyltransferases have been developed for the synthesis of oligosaccharides. The enzymatic oligosaccharide synthesis has been proven effective and practical when coupled with in situ regeneration of sugar nucleotides. A subtilisin variant prepared via site-directed mutagenesis is stable and active in dimethylformamide and is useful for regioselective acylation of sugars.
Investigating the TLB Behavior of High-end Scientific Applications on Commodity Microprocessors

The floating point portion of the SPEC CPU suite and the HPC Challenge suite are widely recognized and utilized as benchmarks that represent scientific application behavior. In this work we show that while these benchmark suites may be representative of the cache behavior of production scientific applications, they do not accurately represent the TLB behavior of these applications. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the difference can have a significant impact on performance. In the first part of the paper we present results from implementation-independent trace-based simulations which demonstrate that benchmarks exhibit significantly different TLB behavior for a range of page sizes than a representative set of production applications. In the second part we validate these results on the AMD Opteron implementation of the x86 architecture, showing that false conclusions about choice of page size, drawn from benchmark performance, can result in performance degradations of up to nearly 50% for the production applications we investigated..
Linear Reconstruction of Quantized and Sampled Random Signals

Techniques for optimal mean-square linear reconstruction from quantized samples of a random signal and the resulting errors are discussed in this paper. The signal is assumed to be wide-sense stationary with Gaussian statistics. The shape of the sample pulse is arbitrary. It is shown that the pulse shape has no effect upon the minimum mean-square error. An optimal linear filter for reconstruction from quantized samples and the resulting error are obtained. The mean-square error that arises when the optimal filter for unquantized samples reconstructs from quantized samples is also obtained. The errors of the above-mentioned filters are then compared. It is shown that, for sufficiently high sampling rates, the filter that takes quantizing into account can achieve a significant reduction in quantizing error relative to the filter for unquantized samples. However, when a constraint of constant channel capacity is imposed, there is essentially no difference between the optimal performances of the two filters.
QUALITY, TECHNOLOGY, AND GLOBAL MANUFACTURING*

In spite of early contributions (Juran, 1951; Feigenbaum, 1956; Deming, 1950; Dodge, 1969), the quality movement has only been ablaze for slightly more than ten years in the United States (e.g., Crosby, 1979; Deming, 1986). Results have been mixed. Total Quality Management (TQM) has been practised since the 1980s in the US (Dean and Evans, 1994). Although quality levels have improved in selected industries such as automobiles, customer satisfaction is still higher with Japanese and European cars (Rechtin, 1994).
The Use of Distributions in SBML Models

In this technical note we describe modifications to Antimony (Biochemical model specification language) that allows modelers to use the SBML distributions package. In addition the article describes best practice for using distributions, including when they should and should not be used.
Crevasse Roulette. The First Trans-Antarctic Crossing 1957–58

Crevasse Roulette describes the crossing of the Antarctic continent by the Trans-Antarctic Expedition (TAE), led by Sir Vivian Fuchs. It is a compelling story of navigating through difficult crevas...
Association of Insurance Status with Severity and Management in ED Patients with Asthma Exacerbation

Introduction Previous studies have demonstrated an association of low socioeconomic status with frequent asthma exacerbations. However, there have been no recent multicenter efforts to examine the relationship of insurance status – a proxy for socioeconomic status – with asthma severity and management in adults. The objective is to investigate chronic and acute asthma management disparities by insurance status among adults requiring emergency department (ED) treatment in the United States.
Patent Claim Construction: An Appeal for Chevron Deference

In 1998, the Federal Circuit decided Cybor Corp. v. FAS Technologies, holding that patent claim construction was a purely legal issue subject to de novo appellate review. This highly controversial decision has since become the focus of intense scrutiny and empirical studies exposing the problematic nature of de novo review. In November 2006, the Federal Circuit issued a divided opinion indicating its most significant movement towards reconsidering Cybor, prompting some observers to forecast the impending demise of de novo review. This Note presents a previously unexplored approach to patent claim construction and its appellate review. Briefly summarized, the Note suggests that Chevron deference is the proper standard of review for patent claim construction, and the narrowest reasonable claim interpretation should be adopted whenever ambiguities arise. Together, these rules would simultaneously address the inefficiency, indeterminacy, and information costs which currently plague the patent system. Ultimately, this proposal would achieve sweeping, multi-institutional patent reform from both ex ante and ex post perspectives. The argument proceeds in several parts. Part I introduces the concept of claim construction, its central role in patent law, and recent controversies. Part II questions the popular assumption that the Federal Circuit's alarmingly high claim construction reversal rate reflects erroneous interpretations by trial courts, and suggests instead that trial courts may actually be deriving equally reasonable alternative interpretations. Part III builds upon that analysis to demonstrate why Chevron deference should replace the current regime of de novo review. Part IV explains how narrowly interpreting ambiguous patent claims serves as a crucial adjunct to Chevron deference, by acting as a vital information-forcing rule. Part V responds to potential criticisms, while Part VI assesses the broad reform potential of this Chevron-based approach, emphasizing its comparative advantages over previous patent reform proposals.
Brain activity mapping at multiple scales with silicon microprobes containing 1,024 electrodes

The coordinated activity of neural ensembles across multiple interconnected regions has been challenging to study in the mammalian brain with cellular resolution using conventional recording tools. For instance, neural systems regulating learned behaviors often encompass multiple distinct structures that span the brain. To address this challenge we developed a three-dimensional (3D) silicon microprobe capable of simultaneously measuring extracellular spike and local field potential activity from 1,024 electrodes. The microprobe geometry can be precisely configured during assembly to target virtually any combination of four spatially distinct neuroanatomical planes. Here we report on the operation of such a device built for high-throughput monitoring of neural signals in the orbitofrontal cortex and several nuclei in the basal ganglia. We perform analysis on systems-level dynamics and correlations during periods of conditioned behavioral responding and rest, demonstrating the technology's ability to reveal functional organization at multiple scales in parallel in the mouse brain.
Case Study on Applications of Structural Fuses in Bridge Bents

AbstractIn seismic design, bridges are typically designed to undergo inelastic deformations during a severe earthquake. In those instances, most of the seismic energy is dissipated through hysteretic behavior of the critical load-resisting components, which results in permanent system deformations and damage and could make repairs expensive or, in some cases, impossible. Thus, concentrating earthquake damage in structural fuses inserted in bridge bents is desirable; the performance objective is for the main gravity load-bearing members (the columns, in this case) to be intact after an earthquake, limiting repairs to fuses that can be removed and replaced easily. This paper presents results from case studies that considered the use of buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) as hysteretic energy-dissipation devices inserted in bridge bents to dissipate earthquake energy and improve structural performance by minimizing inelastic demands on the columns. A typical California bridge was used for this purpose. For str...
Return to Sports and Physical Activities After the Modified Lapidus Procedure for Hallux Valgus in Young Patients

Background:The modified Lapidus procedure has successfully relieved pain and corrected deformity in patients with hallux valgus, but its effect on participation in specific sports and physical acti...
Developing an End-to-End Planning Application from a Timeline Representation Framework

This paper describes aspects of a project aiming at creating a general, flexible and reusable software architecture to address planning problems in space missions. It introduces recent work to realize an open software framework for supporting development of planning and scheduling space applications. The framework, which is named TRF (Timeline-based Representation Framework), aims at supporting application development within different space missions for the European Space Agency (ESA). It is currently being tested on three problem examples, all solved on top of the TRF functionalities. This paper describes the TRF three-layered software architecture and shows how it has been used to deploy a complete application, named MrSPOCK, an interactive system for Long Term Planning in the MARS EXPRESS operational mission.
SOCS-1 rescues IL-1β-mediated suppression of epithelial sodium channel in mouse lung epithelial cells via ASK-1

// Lakshmi Galam 1 , Ramani Soundararajan 1 , Mason Breitzig 1 , Ashna Rajan 1 , Rajashekar Reddy Yeruva 1 , Alexander Czachor 1 , Francine Harris 1 , Richard F Lockey 1 , Narasaiah Kolliputi 1 1 Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA Correspondence to: Narasaiah Kolliputi, email: nkollipu@health.usf.edu Keywords: SOCS-1, edema, lung injury, inflammation, ASK-1 Received: March 01, 2016 Accepted: March 16, 2016 Published: April 1, 2016 ABSTRACT Background: Acute lung injury (ALI) is characterized by alveolar damage, increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and impaired alveolar fluid clearance. Recently, we showed that the deletion of Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) protects against hyperoxia-induced acute lung injury (HALI) by suppressing IL-1β and TNF-α. Previously, our data revealed that the suppressor of cytokine signaling-1 (SOCS-1) overexpression restores alveolar fluid clearance in HALI by inhibiting ASK-1 and suppressing IL-1β levels. Furthermore, IL-1β is known to inhibit the expression of epithelial sodium channel α-subunit (ENaC) via a p38 MAPK signaling pathway. Objective: To determine whether SOCS-1 overexpression in MLE-12 cells would protect against IL-1β-mediated depletion of αENaC by suppressing ASK-1 expression. Methods: We co-transfected MLE-12 cells with SOCS-1 overexpressing plasmid with or without IL-1β in the presence or absence of sodium channel inhibitor, amiloride. We measured potential difference, transepithelial current, resistance, and sodium uptake levels across MLE-12 cells. We studied the effect of ASK-1 depletion, as well as ASK-1 and SOCS-1 overexpression on αENaC expression. Results: SOCS-1 overexpression sufficiently restored transepithelial current and resistance in MLE-12 cells treated with either IL-1β or amiloride. The αENaC mRNA levels and sodium transport were increased in SOCS-1 overexpressing MLE-12 cells exposed to IL-1β. Depletion of ASK-1 in MLE-12 cells increased αENaC mRNA levels. Interestingly, SOCS-1 overexpression restored αENaC expression in MLE-12 cells in the presence of ASK-1 overexpression. Conclusion: Collectively, these findings suggest that SOCS-1 may exert its protective effect by rescuing αENaC expression via suppression of ASK-1.
REGIONAL CONTRACTION HETEROGENEITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH PERSISTENT MYOCARDIAL DYSFUNCTION AND UNFAVORABLE CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH PERIPARTUM CARDIOMYOPATHY

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) has a variable and unpredictable clinical course. We tested the hypothesis that left ventricular (LV) regional contraction heterogeneity is a marker for subsequent LV dysfunction and unfavorable outcomes. Of 100 PPCM patients in the multicenter Investigation in
Digitizing collections: A meshing of minds, methods, and materials

Several special collection departments at Temple University have been involved with a major digitization project with funding provided by the Institute of Museum and Libraries Services. The goals of the project were to digitize, catalog, index, and preserve three very different collections of visual materials. These materials included photographs from the most heavily used categories housed in the Urban Archives' photograph collections; posters from World War I and World War II housed in the Special Collections Department; and horticultural slides depicting annuals, biennials, perennials, and bulbs from the collection housed at the Temple Ambler campus. The experiences of how each of these three departments managed their selected materials for digitization are relayed. Collaborative effort - the sharing of ideas, techniques, and the equipment of archivists, librarians, administration, faculty, and staff-was the key factor in making this project the success it has become.
Sickle cell dactylitis: histopathologic observations.

The histopathologic features of sickle cell dactylitis observed at autopsy in a 9-month-old Negro infant with sickle cell disease (homozygous S) are described. The changes observed included extensive infarction of the marrow, medullary trabeculae, and inner layers of the cortical bone. This was associated with circumferential periosteal elevation and subperiosteal new bone formation. In addition, there was significant alteration in the morphology of the growth zone at the osteochondral junction. These features are similar to those observed in experimental models in which the medullary blood supply is completely interrupted with sparing of the periosteal vascular bed.
Partial Discharge Property of Artificial Defects at Medium Pressure Cross Linking Polyethylene Cables Joints

The faults of the medium voltage cross-linked polyethylene(XLPE) cable system(cable accessories) are mostly attributed to the partial defects caused by the production manufacturing and the improper installation technology.The joint defects caused by the improper installation technology were described,seven kinds of 35 kV XLPE joints artificial defects were made in the laboratory,and typical discharge maps were obtained.This provided the defects sample date for the diagnosis of the on-line detected the discharged map.
Back to Our Philosophical Roots: A Journal Review of Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society

Connections between behaviorism and the philosophies of William James, George Herbert Mead, and other late 19th and early 20th century American philosophers have been discussed in other works. The journal published by the Charles S. Peirce Society promotes the study of these scholars, and thus contains material of relevance to behavior analysis. Representative articles are described in (a) philosophy of science, (b) philosophy and psychology, and (c) history of philosophy and psychology.
Private anonymous messaging

We identify a set of requirements in broadcasting messages among a set of untrusted peers connected to an entity. We propose a scheme for those peers to obtain messages of the entity from each other using a pull mechanism where the contacts' identities are maintained anonymous. We propose a modification to the hierarchical identity based encryption scheme proposed by Boneh et. al where a peer can request and obtain messages of a common peer from another peer while remaining anonymous. This scheme further allows changes in group composition using public data.
Resilience in the Face of Crisis: A Comparison of State Response in Chad and Burkina Faso

Muammar Qaddafi’s fall in 2011 precipitated an unprecedented regional crisis in northern Mali. The Malian crisis continues to threaten further destabilization in Sahelian Africa as Libyan-armed Islamist rebels are dispersed throughout the region by a French led military intervention. This paper assesses the ability of state institutions in Chad and Burkina Faso to remain resilient in face of intensified social, economic, and security pressures. The paper analyzes the social debates concerning religion, state responses to the Malian crisis and French intervention, and the history of state building in each country from a comparative framework. In Chad the successful involvement of the military alongside the French intervention has concretized its position as a Franco-Sahelian military power. In Burkina Faso the ability of the state to provide basic services at the local level has reinforced the state’s legitimacy further entrenching the legacy of stability President Compaore’s twenty-six years in power has established. Despite that significant risks of destabilization exist, the response of the state in Chad and Burkina Faso has mitigated the potential threats of the crisis. The paper will draw on fieldwork in the summer of 2013 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and N’Djamena, Chad.
Conclusion: Woolf, Rhys, and Narratives of Obscurity

We begin in a room. It is full of books and a writing desk and a brown ring on the carpet left by a hot kettle.1 This room in which Virginia Woolf works is nothing like the quarters occupied by her predecessors. Woolf declares her bald and unapologetic ownership in her manifesto A Room of One’s Own, in which she re frames the conventional definition of the interior. Woolf’s professional freedom is gained through her study, a location dedicated to and for woman’s intellectual work that essentially promises freedom of thought. Victoria Rosner argues that A Room of One’s Own provides a set of ‘shifting locations [that] take the reader on a tour of obstacles to female authorship and finally show that nothing is more essential for women writers than a traditional, masculine study — a somewhat unsettling conclusion for a text committed to the construction of a separate female literary tradition .…’2 However, the room is not simply a reenactment of patriarchal privilege. Woolf suggests that the room connotes a recognition of women’s intellectual vocation and intellectualism, a space for work. It is not necessarily masculine — or at least, the study is masculine only insofar as intellectual work is gendered as such. Of course, this is exactly the kind of coding that Woolf attempts to overturn. When she claims a room of her own, she reclaims that social space because the body within it is feminine and equally intellectual.
Patients With Nonpolypoid (Flat and Depressed) Colorectal Neoplasms at Increased Risk for Advanced Neoplasias, Compared With Patients With Polypoid Neoplasms

Background & Aims Nonpolypoid colorectal neoplasms (NP-CRNs) are more likely to contain high-grade dysplasia or early-stage cancer than polypoid neoplasms. We aimed to determine the long-term outcomes of patients with at least 1 NP-CRN. Methods We performed a longitudinal cohort study of 4454 patients at a Veterans' Affairs hospital who underwent colonoscopy from 2000 through 2005; 341 were found to have 1 or more NP-CRNs and were matched (3:1) with patients found to have 1 or more polypoid neoplasms (controls, n = 1025). We collected and analyzed data on baseline colonoscopy findings and first follow-up colonoscopy results through August 2014. We calculated the incidence of advanced neoplasia at first follow-up colonoscopy, as defined by the presence of ≥1 tubular or sessile serrated adenomas ≥10 mm in diameter, tubulovillous adenoma, high-grade dysplasia, or invasive cancer. Results A significantly higher proportion of patients with 1 or more NP-CRNs (16.0%) were found to have advanced neoplasia at their first follow-up colonoscopy than controls (8.6%); the adjusted risk ratio was 1.6 (95% confidence interval, 1.05–2.6; P = .03). A significantly higher proportion of patients with 1 or more NP-CRNs were found to have additional NP-CRNs at the follow-up colonoscopy (17%) than controls (7%; relative risk, 2.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.5–3.5; P Conclusions In a longitudinal cohort study, we found that patients with NP-CRN were more likely to develop additional NP-CRNs and to have advanced neoplasms at their first follow-up colonoscopy than patients with only polypoid neoplasms. However, patients with NP-CRN were not more likely to develop cancers after colonoscopy when surveillance guidelines were followed. Larger studies are needed to determine risk of colorectal cancer in patients with NP-CRN.
Management of human immunodeficiency virus-associated lymphomas

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with a variety of malignancies including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-defining and non-AIDS-defining lymphomas. Collectively, they may be referred to as HIV-associated lymphomas. AIDS-defining non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) include diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), Burkitt’s lymphoma, primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma, and less commonly primary effusion lymphoma and plasmablastic lymphoma. Approximately 10 % of HIV patients will develop a NHL. Non-AIDS-defining lymphomas, which have an increased prevalence in HIV-infected individuals, include Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). The risk of developing a HIV-associated lymphoma correlates directly with the degree of immune dysfunction.
Hand postures in primary and secondary generalized tonic-clonic seizures.

Objective: To evaluate and identify the frequency of hand postures during generalized convulsions in patients with genetic generalized epilepsy (GGE), localization-related epilepsy (LRE), and nonepileptic attacks (NEA). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 98 consecutive videos of generalized convulsions in 62 patients who were admitted for diagnostic video-EEG monitoring. Demographics were recorded, and hand postures were subdivided into fanning, fisting, index-finger pointing (IFP), clawing, and flaccid posturing. Hand postures were then compared between patients with GGE, LRE, and NEA for each stage of the convulsion and for the whole event. Results: In patients with LRE, 96% had IFP, where fanning occurred in 91.3% of GGE (and only at onset), and the flaccid hand posture occurred in 56.0% of NEA. Fisting, fanning, and IFP postures all occurred significantly more frequently during epileptic seizures than during NEA (74.0% vs 32.0%, p = 0.0003; 60.3% vs 20.0%, p = 0.0005; 83.6% vs 12.0%, p p = 0.0001). Conclusions: Distinct ictal hand or finger posturing is present in patients with GGE, LRE, and NEA. The presence of any fisting, fanning, clawing, IFP, or flaccid hand posturing can help distinguish epileptic seizures from NEA. IFP suggests LRE while fanning with evolution suggests GGE. Overall, hand posturing during seizures provides unique information and aids in the differential diagnosis and classification of epilepsy.
Of rhetoric, reason, and revelation: Ibn al-Jawzī’s Maqāmāt as an anti-parody and Sefer Taḥkemoni of Yehudah al-Ḥarīzī

ABSTRACTThe Maqāmāt of Ibn al-Jawzī may be viewed as a sustained effort to rectify and reform the parodic and irreverent features of earlier works in the maqāmāt genre, particularly those of al-Hamadhānī and al-Ḥarīrī. An understanding of this facet of his work confirms the interpretation of al-Hamadhānī’s Maqāmāt in particular as a parody of religious discourse. Ibn al-Jawzī’s work presents rhetoric as an effective tool for analysis and comprehension in the search for the truth, rather than as a tool for concealment, deception, and subterfuge, undoing the writings of al-Hamadhānī and al-Ḥarīrī. In the use of rhetoric for pious purposes, in championing the side of seriousness over frivolity, and in the personification of reason, Ibn al-Jawzī’s work likely was an important source for Yehudah al-Ḥarīzī’s collection of Hebrew maqāmāt, the Sefer Taḥkemoni.
Timing measurements of a micro-channel plate photomultiplier incorporating a novel equal-time anode structure

We have measured the timing properties on two new 2-inch micro-channel plate photomultiplier tubes from Photonis; one tube with 25 micron pores and the other tube having 10 micron pores. The 10 micron pore tube uses a novel charge- collection scheme at the anode to provide equal arrival time of the signal independent of the hit position of incident light on the face of the tube. We have performed these measurements using a Hamamatsu PLP-10 picosecond laser and a commercial Camac readout electronics system. We present these results, and compare timing properties to a standard Burle/Photonis 85011 micro-channel plate photomultiplier tube having 25 micron pores. We set an upper limit on the resolution of 9.1psec with Npe approximately 50.
ACE inhibitors, left ventricular mass and renal cyst growth in ADPKD

The review focuses on the common kidney disorder of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD). The potential pathogenetic role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in the renal cyst growth, the accompanying hypertension, and the frequency of increased left ventricular mass is considered. The therapeutic benefit of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition (ACEI) in diminishing the renal cyst growth, treatment of the hypertension, and reversing the increased left ventricular mass in ADPKD is supportive of this possibility. The effects of ACEI related and unrelated to control of blood pressure are discussed.
Compensatory upregulation of PD-1, LAG-3, and CTLA-4 limits the efficacy of single-agent checkpoint blockade in metastatic ovarian cancer

ABSTRACTTumor-associated or -infiltrating lymphocytes (TALs or TILs) co-express multiple immune inhibitory receptors that contribute to immune suppression in the ovarian tumor microenvironment (TME). Dual blockade of PD-1 along with LAG-3 or CTLA-4 has been shown to synergistically enhance T-cell effector function, resulting in a delay in murine ovarian tumor growth. However, the mechanisms underlying this synergy and the relative contribution of other inhibitory receptors to immune suppression in the ovarian TME are unknown. Here, we report that multiple immune checkpoints are expressed in TALs and TILs isolated from ovarian tumor-bearing mice. Importantly, blockade of PD-1, LAG-3, or CTLA-4 alone using genetic ablation or blocking antibodies conferred a compensatory upregulation of the other checkpoint pathways, potentiating their capacity for local T-cell suppression that, in turn, could be overcome through combinatorial blockade strategies. Whereas single-agent blockade led to tumor outgrowth in all a...
Understanding Iran Through Music: A New Approach

Within the realm of Iranian studies, music remains mostly outside the purview of larger social and political discussions of the region. At first glance this may seem appropriate, since even musicians often consider their work beyond the reach of sociological discussions. But the behavior of Iranians suggests that music has a broader social and political role beyond narrowly defined musical contexts. Music is a common part of everyday life in Iran. In traditional contexts such as weddings and other family gatherings as well as in modern settings such as the car, the computer, or the concert hall, most Iranians experience music on a daily basis. Music's influential role in Iranian society has made it the target of constant government scrutiny both before and after the Islamic Revolution. The current Islamic government's need to control and approve of every aspect of music making demonstrates a keen understanding of music's influence in the country. Hence whether Iranians are listening to it, dancing to it, performing it, or banning it, the message is the same: music is a powerful force that affects key aspects of Iranian society. For this reason music can offer a unique perspective on a variety of topics relevant to students and scholars of modern Iran.
Marriage to a Co-Worker in an Academic Setting

An analysis of the behavior of individuals and institutional policy toward married colleagues in an academic setting is presented. These policies and behaviors toward married couples and toward co-workers are directed by different stimuli and different histories. Escape and avoidance of these stimulus settings and distinctive formal and informal behaviors toward the married co-workers are among the results. The causes and effects are analogous to the difficulties accompanying the ascendance of women in the professional workplace.
Magnetic resonance imaging of the scrotum: pictorial review with ultrasound correlation

The purpose of this review is to showcase the added value of scrotal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the workup of neoplastic and non-neoplastic entities. While ultrasound (US) remains the first-line imaging modality for evaluating scrotal pathology, MRI may add valuable information, particularly when US findings are equivocal. The inherent soft tissue resolution characteristics of MRI, as well as the ability to detect subtle enhancement and provide wider field-of-view imaging, can prove useful in evaluating inconclusive US findings. The added value of MR in these instances is critical as it may have a significant impact on patient management.
Sparse Minimum Discrepancy Approach to Sufficient Dimension Reduction with Simultaneous Variable Selection in Ultrahigh Dimension

Sufficient dimension reduction (SDR) is known to be a powerful tool for achieving data reduction and data visualization in regression and classification problems. In this work, we study ultrahigh-d...
Outcomes in Occult Spinal Dysraphism

Occult dysraphic lesions vary significantly. Some give rise to focal tether, and others can induce harm via more than one pathophysiological mechanism. Dermal sinus tracts threaten both by focal tether and as potential portals for infection. The tethering tract is distinct from the neural elements, so risks of neurological injury from surgical untethering are very low though the natural history is threatening. Similarly, split cord malformations (types I and II) are well-established sources of focal tether that demonstrate adverse natural histories when untreated. They can be complex and often accompany open forms of dysraphism but almost uniformly respond favorably to surgical untethering.
Exploring smoking behavior and desire for smoking cessation counseling among gynecologic cancer survivors using social media.

e20611 Background: Gynecologic cancer survivors are at increased risk for second cancers, especially smoking-related cancers. Providers do not consistently provide smoking cessation education. We c...
Conceptualisation and validation of system use reduction as a self-regulatory IS use behaviour

Focusing on social networking site (SNS) users, this research conceptualizes, theorizes on and tests information systems (IS) use reduction herein defined as users’ attempt to reduce their use of a...
Isotopic niche of the American pika (Ochotona princeps) through space and time

Anthropogenic climate change is influencing the ecology and distribution of animals. The American pika (Ochotona princeps (Richardson, 1828)) is considered a model species for studying the effects ...
Teaching Home Cleaning Skills to a Blind Client

Four household cleaning tasks were taught to a blind woman of average intelligence using procedures to compensate for her blindness. General and specific task analyses were compared as assessment t...
The Great ESKAPE: Exploring the Crossroads of Bile and Antibiotic Resistance in Bacterial Pathogens

Throughout the course of infection, many pathogens encounter bactericidal conditions that threaten the viability of the bacteria and impede the establishment of infection. Bile is one of the most innately bactericidal compounds present in humans, functioning to reduce the bacterial burden in the gastrointestinal tract while also aiding in digestion. It is becoming increasingly apparent that pathogens successfully resist the bactericidal conditions of bile, including bacteria that do not normally cause gastrointestinal infections. This review highlights the ability of Enterococcus, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter (ESKAPE), and other enteric pathogens to resist bile and how these interactions can impact the sensitivity of bacteria to various antimicrobial agents. Given that pathogen exposure to bile is an essential component to gastrointestinal transit that cannot be avoided, understanding how bile resistance mechanisms align with antimicrobial resistance is vital to our ability to develop new, successful therapeutics in an age of widespread and increasing antimicrobial resistance.
Evaluating Neural Network-Inspired Analog-to-Digital Conversion With Low-Precision RRAM

Recent work has demonstrated great potentials of neural network-inspired analog-to-digital converters (NNADCs) in many emerging applications. These NNADCs often rely on resistive random-access memory (RRAM) devices to realize basic NN operations, and usually need high-precision RRAM (6–12 b) to achieve moderate quantization resolutions (4–8 b). Such an optimistic assumption of RRAM precision, however, is not well supported by practical RRAM arrays in the large-scale production process. In this article, we evaluate two new designs of NNADC with low-precision RRAM devices. They take advantage of traditional two-stage/pipelined hardware architecture and a custom deep-learning-based building block design methodology. Results obtained from SPICE simulations demonstrate a robust design of an 8-b subranging NNADC using 4-b RRAM devices, as well as a 14-b pipelined NNADC using 3-b RRAM devices. The evaluations on the two NNADCs suggest that pipelined architecture is better to achieve higher-resolution using lower precision RRAM. We also perform design space exploration on the building blocks of NNADCs to achieve a balanced performance tradeoff. Comprehensive comparisons reveal improved power, speed performance, and competitive figure of merits (FoMs) of the pipelined NNADC, compared with state-of-the-art NNADCs and traditional ADCs. In addition, the proposed pipelined NNADC can support reconfigurable high-resolution nonlinear quantization with high conversion speed and low conversion energy, enabling intelligent analog-to-information interfaces for near-sensor processing.
Evaluating the Reliability and Validity Evidence of the RIME (Reporter-Interpreter-Manager-Educator) Framework for Summative Assessments Across Clerkships.

Purpose The ability of medical schools to accurately and reliably assess medical student clinical performance is paramount. The RIME (reporter-interpreter-manager-educator) schema was originally developed as a synthetic and intuitive assessment framework for internal medicine clerkships. Validity evidence of this framework has not been rigorously evaluated outside of internal medicine. This study examined factors contributing to variability in RIME assessment scores using generalizability theory and decision studies across multiple clerkships, thereby contributing to its internal structure validity evidence. Method Data were collected from RIME-based summative clerkship assessments during 2018-2019 at Virginia Commonwealth University. Generalizability theory was used to explore variance attributed to different facets through a series of unbalanced random-effects models by clerkship. For all analyses, decision (D-) studies were conducted to estimate the effects of increasing the number of assessments. Results From 231 students, 6,915 observations were analyzed. Interpreter was the most common RIME designation (44.5%-46.8%) across all clerkships. Variability attributable to students ranged from 16.7% in neurology to 25.4% in surgery. D-studies showed the number of assessments needed to achieve an acceptable reliability (0.7) ranged from 7 in pediatrics and surgery to 11 in internal medicine and 12 in neurology. However, depending on the clerkship each student received between 3 and 8 assessments. Conclusions This study conducted generalizability- and D-studies to examine the internal structure validity evidence of RIME clinical performance assessments across clinical clerkships. Substantial proportion of variance in RIME assessment scores was attributable to the rater, with less attributed to the student. However, the proportion of variance attributed to the student was greater than what has been demonstrated in other generalizability studies of summative clinical assessments. Overall, these findings support the use of RIME as a framework for assessment across clerkships and demonstrate the number of assessments required to obtain sufficient reliability.
Periprocedural complications in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to those without infection: A nationwide propensity-matched analysis.

Abstract Background Reports on emergency surgery performed soon after a COVID-19 infection that are not controlled for premorbid risk-factors show increased 30-day mortality and pulmonary complications. This contributed to a virtual cessation of elective surgery during the pandemic surge. To inform evidence-based guidance on the decisions for surgery during the recovery phase of the pandemic, we compare 30-day outcomes in patients testing positive for COVID-19 before their operation, to contemporary propensity-matched COVID-19 negative patients undergoing the same procedures. Methods This prospective multicentre study included all patients undergoing surgery at 170 Veterans Health Administration (VA) hospitals across the United States. COVID-19 positive patients were propensity matched to COVID-19 negative patients on demographic and procedural factors. We compared 30-day outcomes between COVID-19 positive and negative patients, and the effect of time from testing positive to the date of procedure (≤10 days, 11–30 days and >30 days) on outcomes. Results Between March 1 and August 15, 2020, 449 COVID-19 positive and 51,238 negative patients met inclusion criteria. Propensity matching yielded 432 COVID-19 positive and 1256 negative patients among whom half underwent elective surgery. Infected patients had longer hospital stays (median seven days), higher rates of pneumonia (20.6%), ventilator requirement (7.6%), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS, 17.1%), septic shock (13.7%), and ischemic stroke (5.8%), while mortality, reoperations and readmissions were not significantly different. Higher odds for ventilation and stroke persisted even when surgery was delayed 11–30 days, and for pneumonia, ARDS, and septic shock >30 days after a positive test. Discussion 30-day pulmonary, septic, and ischaemic complications are increased in COVID-19 positive, compared to propensity score matched negative patients. Odds for several complications persist despite a delay beyond ten days after testing positive. Individualized risk-stratification by pulmonary and atherosclerotic comorbidities should be considered when making decisions for delaying surgery in infected patients.
Palatal Surgery for OSA Patients

The soft palate is considered the most common site of obstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Palatal surgery for management of OSA may be considered in continuous positive airway pressure-intolerant patients. Success of various palatal surgeries is contingent upon appropriate selection criteria based on localizing the site(s) of obstruction. All surgical candidates must be counseled regarding expected outcomes and complications of various palatal surgical techniques. Patients would benefit from education on early and late complications with uvulopalatopharyngoplasty and other surgical interventions.
Reshaping the world. Debates on Mesoamerican cosmologies: edited by Ana Díaz, Louisville: University Press of Colorado, 2020. (ISBN 9781607329435)

The questioning of a ‘Mesoamerican cosmos as unitary’ (xiii) is the central claim of this volume, edited by Ana Diaz, and which puts together and expands collaborative efforts developed in Mexico. ...
Benchmark on Themselves: Ceo-Directors’ Influence on the CEO Compensation

Situated within the context of recent research that examines the decision-making process of executive compensation contract design, this paper further explores this process by investigating the compensation structure of a special group of firm insiders: the directors who are CEOs of other firms. With both annual and excess compensation, we find strong evidence that CEO-directors’ compensation is related to the compensation of the CEO. Causally, when CEO-director overturns her excess compensation from negative to positive, the CEO is more likely to have similar upward change in the following year, while more interestingly, the opposite does not hold. These findings are persistent over time and remain robust to various additional tests.
Radionuclide Imaging Studies in Pediatric Neurology

Functional imaging modalities, such as positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), can noninvasively provide very useful qualitative (visual) and quantitative information about a variety of physiological and biological processes in the brain, which may be altered during disease conditions. The use of these techniques not only can shed light upon the underlying pathology but can also help in the diagnosis, localization, follow-up, treatment development, and/or treatment response evaluation and prognostication in various diseases. PET and SPECT have been used clinically in the evaluation of medically refractory cases for epilepsy surgery, especially when structural imaging (CT, MRI, etc.) is normal or discordant with other localizing information. In addition, functional neuroimaging can assist evaluation of some specific epileptic syndromes, such as tuberous sclerosis, to noninvasively identify the epileptic tuber, or conditions like infantile spasms or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, to reveal a focal region for surgical resection in otherwise cryptogenic cases. Similarly, these techniques are instrumental to investigate the underlying basis for various neurocognitive and behavioral abnormalities, where other imaging modalities are often normal. Even when structural imaging is abnormal, PET and SPECT abnormalities may precede or extend beyond the structural changes, which can have immense therapeutic and prognostic implications.
Characterization of the Functional Activities of the Subunits of 3-Deoxy-d-arabinoheptulosonate 7-phosphate Synthetase-Chorismate Mutase from Bacillus subtilis 168

Abstract The interrelationships between the 3-deoxy-d-arabinoheptulosonate 7-phosphate (DAHP) synthetase-chorismate mutase enzyme and shikimate kinase were studied. Attempts were made to distinguish between the various catalytic and regulatory activities of this ternary enzyme complex by a variety of techniques. Limited trypsin treatment specifically cleaved the active region of chorismate mutase and the region required for the activation of shikimate kinase activity while most of the catalytic activity of DAHP synthetase remained intact. The loss of catalytic activity of chorismate mutase paralleled the loss of feedback control of DAHP synthetase and substrate binding studies revealed only one site for prephenate binding on each polypeptide chain. Anti-serum to DAHP synthetase-chorismate mutase specifically inhibited chorimate mutase and shikimate kinase activity but did not inhibit DAHP synthetase activity. These data indicate that DAHP synthetase activity does not depend on a catalytically functional chorismate mutase activity. The data further suggest that the chorismate mutase active site is identical with the feedback inhibition site for DAHP synthetase, thus facilitating feedback control of the aromatic amino acid biosynthetic pathway. The distribution of the catalytic and regulatory activities of this enzyme on one polypeptide chain is discussed.
Re-viewing 3D - implications of the latest developments in stereoscopic display technology for a new iteration of 3D interfaces in consumer devices

The wide-spread interest in 3D imagery that was proliferated by successful recent film experiences has triggered a wave of research and investment in immersive 3D visualization techniques. A new domain of deployment for these display systems will be that of handheld mobile devices with diverse and heterogeneous usage scenarios. The design of interfaces for these devices and usage patterns will pose a complex set of research questions revolving around the integration of virtual space, real space and social space. This article identifies some of the main threads and research directions in this complex.