cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Ebola Outbreak: Catalyzing a “Shift” in Global Health Governance?

As the 2014 Ebola virus disease outbreak (EVD) transitions to its post-endemic phase, its impact on the future of global public health, particularly the World Health Organization (WHO), is the subject of continued debate. Criticism of WHO’s performance grew louder in the outbreak’s wake, placing this international health UN-specialized agency in the difficult position of navigating a complex series of reform recommendations put forth by different stakeholders. Decisions on WHO governance reform and the broader role of the United Nations could very well shape the future landscape of 21st century global health and how the international community responds to health emergencies. In order to better understand the implications of the EVD outbreak on global health and infectious disease governance, this debate article critically examines a series of reports issued by four high-level commissions/panels convened to specifically assess WHO’s performance post-Ebola. Collectively, these recommendations add increasing complexity to the urgent need for WHO reform, a process that the agency must carry out in order to maintain its legitimacy. Proposals that garnered strong support included the formation of an independent WHO Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response, the urgent need to increase WHO infectious disease funding and capacity, and establishing better operational and policy coordination between WHO, UN agencies, and other global health partners. The recommendations also raise more fundamental questions about restructuring the global health architecture, and whether the UN should play a more active role in global health governance. Despite the need for a fully modernized WHO, reform proposals recently announced by WHO fail to achieve the “evolution” in global health governance needed in order to ensure that global society is adequately protected against the multifaceted and increasingly complex nature of modern public health emergencies. Instead, the lasting legacy of the EVD outbreak may be its foreshadowing of a governance “shift” in formal sharing of the complex responsibilities of global health, health security, outbreak response, and managing health emergencies to other international structures, most notably the United Nations. Only time will tell if the legacy of EVD will include a WHO that has the full support of the international community and is capable of leading human society in this brave new era of the globalization of infectious diseases.
Physical Spill Countermeasures on Water—Response in Fast Currents

Response to oil spill in fast currents can be very dangerous and responders need large amounts of experience and practice. Responder first needs to understand the oil characteristics, know the conditions, select the appropriate tactics, and then safely execute the tactic. There are variations of each tactic depending upon the situation. The available equipment and location will influence the tactic selection as well.
The relationship of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors to age-related maculopathy. The Beaver Dam Eye Study.

Purpose: To examine the association between cardiovascular disease and its risk factors to age-related maculopathy in a population-based study of people between the ages of 43 and 86 years (n = 4926) between 1988 and 1990. Methods: Population-based prevalence study using standardized protocols for physical examination, blood collection, administration of a questionnaire, and stereoscopic color fundus photography to determine age-related maculopathy. Standard univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Results: After controlling for age, early age-related maculopathy was related to low total serum cholesterol levels in women and a high high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level and a low total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio in men. After controlling for age and sex, age-related exudative macular degeneration was associated with higher hematocrit values (odds ratio, 1.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.00, 1.19) and higher leukocyte count (odds ratio, 1.10; 95% confidence interval, 1.00, 1.19). There was no statistically significant relationship between blood pressure, hypertension, or history of cardiovascular disease and exudative macular degeneration or geographic atrophy. Conclusion: With the exception of relationships between serum lipids and early age-related maculopathy, and hematocrit values, leukocyte counts, and exudative macular degeneration, these data suggest that most cardiovascular disease risk factors are not related to age-related maculopathy. Further longitudinal study is needed.
Urgent colonoscopy in patients with lower GI bleeding: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and Aims Lower GI bleeding (LGIB) is a common cause of morbidity and mortality. Colonoscopy is indicated in all hospitalized patients with LGIB, yet the time frame for performing colonoscopy remains unclear. Prior studies of outcomes in urgent versus elective colonoscopy have yielded conflicting results and were often underpowered. Our study objective was to compare several outcomes between urgent and elective colonoscopy in patients hospitalized for LGIB. Methods Systematic review and meta-analysis were performed on studies that compared urgent and elective colonoscopy in patients with LGIB. Pooled rates were calculated for specific outcomes, and rate ratios were determined for selected comparison groups. Results Twelve studies met inclusion criteria, with a total sample size of 10,172 patients in the urgent colonoscopy arm and 14,224 patients in the elective colonoscopy arm. Urgent colonoscopy was associated with increased use of endoscopic therapeutic intervention (RR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.08-2.67). There were no significant differences in bleeding source localization (RR, 1.08; 95% CI, .92-1.25), adverse event rates (RR, 1.05; 95% CI, .65-1.71), rebleeding rates (RR, 1.14; 95% CI, .74-1.78), transfusion requirement (RR, 1.02; 95% CI, .73-1.41), or mortality (RR, 1.17; 95% CI, .45-3.02). Conclusions Urgent colonoscopy appears to be safe and well tolerated, but there is no clear evidence that it alters important clinical outcomes.
A Long Day’s Journey into Liberal Arts Pedagogy

Emphasis is given to critical thinking in liberal arts pedagogy, but critical thinking is a floating signifier often used in ambiguous ways. The problem with liberal arts pedagogy is not the subjects taught, but the proliferation of subjects taught, which encourages surface learning. A revised curriculum focused on fewer subjects would encourage learning of subjects in depth. Transparency is required with independent audits of teaching, learning, and assessment to circumvent the gaming of administrators, faculty, and students all of whom have different desires and relevant self-interest. Independent audits would remove the pressure for faculty to pander to students in fear of student evaluations of teaching (SET). The chapter makes use of the author’s SET to illustrate the lack of SET validity. Consistent high scores on SET may indicate poor teaching, which belies the definition of named excellent teaching found in most liberal arts institutions.
Evaluation of a mock interview session on residency interview skills.

Abstract Background and purpose To evaluate the impact of student pharmacist participation in a mock interview session on confidence level and preparation regarding residency interview skills. Educational activity and setting The study setting was a mock interview session, held in conjunction with student programming at the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Annual Meeting. Prior to the mock interview session, final year student pharmacists seeking residency program placement were asked to complete a pre-session survey assessing confidence level for residency interviews. Each student pharmacist participated in up to three mock interviews. A post-session survey evaluating confidence level was then administered to consenting participants. Following the American Society for Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Pharmacy Resident Matching Program (RMP), a post-match electronic survey was sent to study participants to determine their perception of the influence of the mock interview session on achieving successful interactions during residency interviews. Findings A total of 59 student pharmacists participated in the mock interview session and completed the pre-session survey. Participants completing the post-session survey (88%, n = 52) unanimously reported an enhanced confidence in interviewing skills following the session. Thirty responders reported a program match rate of 83%. Approximately 97% (n = 29) of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the questions asked during the mock interview session were reflective of questions asked during residency interviews. Discussion Lessons learned from this mock interview session can be applied to PGY1 residency mock interview sessions held locally, regionally, and nationally. Summary Students participating in the ACCP Mock Interview Session recognized the importance of the interview component in obtaining a postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residency.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Human Parietal Lobe Relieves Induced Pain through Endorphin Release

Recent reports have shown that repetitive electrical stimulation of the precentral cortex relieves chronic central “deafferentiation type” pain (Hosobuchi, 1993; Tsubokawa et al., 1993; Peyron et al. 1995). The possibility that the Neglect Syndrome (Heilman and Van Den Abel, 1980), associated especially with nondominant parietal association cortical lesions, might also include a reduced sensitivity to induced pain was suggested by our observations on a patient. Clinically, the patient, a 62 year old male, had left-sided neglect and left-sided lower facial weakness, but normal motor functions bilaterally in both extremities; the CT scan confirmed the presence of a right-sided parietal lobe vascular lesion. As the pain measure, we used the number of contractions for pain onset in ischemic forearm flexor muscles, because the pain is easily produced in normal subjects, can be self-induced to a distinct but tolerable level and is maintained after contractions are stopped (Lewis et al., 1931). When the patient made simultaneous repetitive digit flexions after brachial artery occlusions in both arms, a clear asymmetry occurred in number of contractions before the patient stopped contracting, the left side (contralateral to the lesion) continuing for 40% more contractions than on the right. Based on this preliminary observation, the hypothesis to be tested was that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), by extended inhibition of cortical function (Amassian et al, 1993; Pascual-Leone et al., 1994), might lead to temporary neglect, with diminution of the induced pain.
Harry Potter and the Border Crossing Analogy: An Exploration of the Instructional Use of Analogy in a TESOL Methods Course

The following exploratory study examines the effects of a Harry Potter–inspired “border crossing” analogy (HPBCA) on preservice teachers' (n = 25) Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (T...
Cost and Design Impact of Robotic Construction Finishing Work

The purpose of this paper is to explore the application potential of robotics in the field of construction finishing works, both to existing practice and with the possibility of altered designs. Finishing work includes cleaning, scrubbing, shot-creling, de-rusting, de-scaling, coating, painting, sand-blasting and other surtace applications. Apart from hazardous environments, surface finishing works may offer the most promising construction domain for rapid economic payoff, since surface finishing work closely resembles some of the arduous, repetitive work tasks already automated or roboticized in the manufacturing industries. Existing and foreseeable robotic capability in this domain are reviewed including generic system designs. Potential cost savings and quality improvements from introduction of robot automation is summarized with respect to existing work. In addition, implications for the design of buildings, particularly large-scale, complex architectural projects, are explored.
MEMS, Their Features, and Modeling Challenges

MEMS are devices and systems of distinguished properties and unique characteristics. In this chapter, we attempt to shed light on the main aspects of this technology and its desirable features. Then, we discuss the main challenges that face MEMS engineers in modeling and simulating the static and dynamic behavior of these systems. After that, we give an overview for some of the common phenomena of MEMS that designers and researchers encounter when studying their mechanical behavior. We end the chapter with some remarks on the state-of-the-art of MEMS modeling and simulations.
The Macroeconomic Consequences of Early Childhood Development Policies

The macroeconomic consequences of large-scale early childhood development policies depend on intergenerational dynamics, general equilibrium (GE) effects on labor and capital markets, and the deadweight loss of raising taxes to finance the policies. To study these policies, this paper extends a standard GE heterogeneous-agent overlapping-generations macro model with earnings risk and credit constraints to incorporate early childhood investments (parental time and money) and estimates it using US data. We validate the model by performing an RCT evaluation of a short-run small-scale government program that funds early childhood investments and showing that the effects on children’s education and adult income in the model are similar to the empirical evidence. We then evaluate a permanent large-scale version of this early childhood program, taking into account GE and taxation effects, and find that it yields a 10% welfare increase (in consumption equivalence terms), reduces inequality by 7%, and increases intergenerational mobility of income by 30%—approximately enough for the US to achieve Canadian or Australian levels of inequality and mobility. Welfare gains are twice the ones obtained by introducing the same early childhood program as a short-run partial-equilibrium policy—similar to an RCT. Although GE and taxation effects reduce the gains by one-tenth each, the long-run change in the distribution of parental characteristics more than compensates for those reductions. Key to this welfare gain is that investing in a child not only improves her skills but also creates a better parent for the next generation. Although earlier generations gain less, welfare gains are positive for every new generation and grow rapidly during the transition.
Report of Cancer Incidence and Mortality in China,2011

[Purpose] To estimate the cancer incidence and mortality in China in 2011. [Methods]On basis of the methods and criteria of data quality control made by NCCR,177 registries' data qualified from 234 submitted registries after data clearance and assessment as pooled data. The data was stratified by area(urban/rural),gender,age group and cancer site,incidence and mortality were calculated combined with national population in 2011. Chinese population census in 2000 and Segi's population were used for age-standardized incidence/mortality rates. [Results] All 177 cancer registries(77 in urban and 100 in rural) covered a total of 175 310 169 population(98 341 507 in urban areas and 76 968 662 in rural areas),accounted for 13.01% of whole national population in 2011. The morphology verified cases(MV%) accounted for 70.14%,and 2.44% of incident cases were identified through death certifications only(DCO%) with mortality to incidence ratio(MI ratio) of0.63. It was estimated that new cancer cases and cancer deaths were 3 372 175 and 2 113 048 in2011,respectively. The crude incidence in China was 250.28/105(male 277.77/105,female 221.37/105),age-standardized incidence by Chinese standard population(ASR China) and by world standard population(ASR world) were 186.34/105 and 182.76/105 with the cumulative incidence(0~74 age years old) of 21.20%. The cancer incidence and ASR China were 261.38/105 and 189.89/105 in urban areas, whereas 238.60/105 and 182.10/105 in rural areas,respectively. The crude mortality in China was 156.83/105(male 194.88/105,female 116.81/105),age-standardized mortalities by Chinese standard population(ASR China) and by world standard population(ASR world) were 112.88/105 and 111.82/105 with the cumulative mortality(0~74 age years old) of 12.69%. The crude cancer mortality and ASR China were 154.37/105 and 108.20/105 in urban areas, and 159.42/105and117.97/105 in rural areas,respectively. Cancers of lung cancer,female breast,stomach,liver,colon and rectum,esophagus,cervix,uterus,pancreas and ovary were the most common cancers,accounting for about 75% of all cancer new cases. Lung cancer,liver cancer,gastric cancer,esophageal cancer,colorectal cancer,breast cancer,pancreatic cancer,brain tumor,cervical cancer and leukemia were the leading causes of cancer death,accounted for about 80% of all cancer deaths.[Conclusions] The coverage of cancer registration population had a greater increase than that in the last year. The data quality and representativeness are gradually improved. As the basic work of cancer prevention and control,cancer registry is playing an irreplaceable role. The disease burden of cancer is increasing,the health department has to take effective measures to contain the increased cancer burden in China.
Health Care Costs and Opioid Use Associated With High-impact Chronic Spinal Pain in the United States.

Study design A descriptive analysis of secondary data. Objective The aim of this study was to estimate health care costs and opioid use for those with high-impact chronic spinal (back and neck) pain. Summary of background data The US National Pain Strategy introduced a focus on high-impact chronic pain-that is, chronic pain associated with work, social, and self-care restrictions. Chronic neck and low-back pain are common, costly, and associated with long-term opioid use. Although chronic pain is not homogenous, most estimates of its costs are averages that ignore severity (impact). Methods We used 2003 to 2015 Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (MEPS) data to identify individuals with chronic spinal pain, their health care expenditures, and use of opioids. We developed prediction models to identify those with high- versus moderate- and low-impact chronic spinal pain based on the variables available in MEPS. Results We found that overall and spine-related health care costs, and the use and dosage of opioids increased significantly with chronic pain impact levels. Overall and spine-related annual per person health care costs for those with high-impact chronic pain ($14,661 SE: $814; and $5979 SE: $471, respectively) were more than double that of those with low-impact, but still clinically significant, chronic pain ($6371 SE: $557; and $2300 SE: $328). Those with high-impact chronic spinal pain also use spine-related opioids at a rate almost four times that of those with low-impact pain (48.4% vs. 12.4%), and on average use over five times the morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD) in mg (15.3 SE: 1.4 vs. 2.7 SE: 0.6). Opioid use and dosing increased significantly across years, but the increase in inflation-adjusted health care costs was not statistically significant. Conclusion Although most studies of chronic spinal pain do not differentiate participants by the impact of their chronic pain, these estimates highlight the importance of identifying chronic pain levels and focusing on those with high-impact chronic pain. Level of evidence 3.
Medicare Beneficiaries With a Specialist as Their Personal Doctor Report Better Experiences With Care.

BACKGROUND Health plans often require that patients have a personal doctor. Older adults rely on specialists for much of their care and may use a specialist in this role, but little is known about how many or which Medicare beneficiaries use specialists as their personal doctor and how their care experiences differ from others'. OBJECTIVE To examine the prevalence and characteristics of Medicare beneficiaries with a specialist as a personal doctor and compare their patient experiences and immunization to other beneficiaries'. RESEARCH DESIGN Logistic regression predicted having a specialist as a personal doctor from beneficiary characteristics. Doubly-robust models compared 7 patient experience and 2 immunization measures for beneficiaries with and without a specialist as their personal doctor. Interactions of a specialist indicator and beneficiary characteristics tested for moderators. STUDY POPULATION A total of 227,642 Medicare beneficiaries aged 65+ who reported having a personal doctor on the 2014 Medicare CAHPS survey. RESULTS In total, 20% of beneficiaries reported that their personal doctor was a specialist, fewer than previously reported for the most frequently visited physician (43%); beneficiaries who were older, less healthy, less educated, racial/ethnic minorities, had fee-for-service coverage, or had lower income were more likely to do so. They also reported better patient experiences than those with nonspecialist personal physicians on 6 of 7 measures and more immunizations; the largest difference was for care coordination. Having a specialist personal doctor was associated with particularly positive patient experience for low income, Black, Hispanic, and less healthy beneficiaries. CONCLUSION Future research should investigate whether specialists as personal doctors may reduce patient-experience disparities for vulnerable patients.
Major Stressful Life Events and Risk of Developing Lung Cancer: A Case-Control Study.

Background:Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality and is strongly linked with smoking. We sought to determine whether major stressful life events (e.g. divorce) are also a ris...
Outcomes of patients with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML-CP) after discontinuation of frontline ponatinib therapy

AbstractConsidering the risk of arterio-thrombotic adverse events (AEs), ponatinib trials in previously untreated chronic myeloid leukemia chronic phase (CML-CP) were terminated. We conducted a ret...
Within but Without: Involuntary Displacement and Economic Development

Between 1995 and 2010, China's Three Gorges Dam uprooted more than one million people, resulting in the largest involuntary displacement from dam construction in history. This paper provides the first evidence of the causal impact of dam-induced inundation on migration and labor market outcomes by combining micro-level census and satellite data. Using a novel identification strategy and remote sensing techniques to capture exogenous variations in flooding intensity, I find that inundation has imposed large and enduring costs on the local economy. Rising water levels in the dam's reservoir displaced between 1.5 and 1.9 million people. Most migrants in partially flooded counties relocated to other towns or villages within the same county. Flooded counties saw a steep and persistent decline of employment by 30 to 50 percent in the manufacturing sector and capital-intensive occupations, and the effects were more harmful to residents that did not move. In the long run, the decline in manufacturing was partly offset by reallocating workers to agriculture. Industrial firms in flooded counties responded by downsizing the workforce and reducing compensation. Overall, these findings highlight the need for policy evaluations to carefully weigh the broad benefits of infrastructure against the concentrated costs to local communities.
A dynamic link between high-intensity precipitation events in southwestern North America and Europe at the Last Glacial Maximum

Abstract Both hydroclimate proxies and modeling studies alike present compelling evidence for abundant precipitation in southwestern North America and Europe at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). However, model simulations exhibit an apparent disagreement between changes in precipitation and the orientation of the midlatitude jet streams relative to modern. This is surprising, as it is well known from modern observations that the jet streams and storm tracks closely follow one another in the time mean. The present study shows that a substantial fraction (between 35 and 50%) of the precipitation along the western seaboards of the Northern Hemisphere continents at the LGM is due to short lived high-intensity events, rather than a permanent rearrangement of the circulation. Moreover, these precipitation events are shown to be dynamically linked by a wavenumber-5 stationary wave packet that is trapped in a midlatitude waveguide. When the wave energy is concentrated in the eastern North Pacific, an atmospheric river is excited that makes landfall along the North American west coast. Days later, when the wave packet has reached Europe, the North Atlantic jet stream assumes a zonally oriented state that brings abundant precipitation to the western Mediterranean sector. Understanding the dynamics of this teleconnection pattern is not only key for interpreting proxy-data signals in past climates, but may also be important for improving predictions of storm track dynamics and water resources availability in the face of climate variability and change.
Virus, Vaccine, and Value in a Curved Universe

Don’t we need to flatten the death rate that results from our differential valuation of human beings? In a curved universe, everyone is both in front of us and behind us, and always within our reach. I want to say that our wealth, our income, and our value accrue to us simply because we are all human beings – parts of a whole. Human beings have a right to life.
Understanding the Early Years of Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Couples’ Marriages

Recent research has identified significant differences in how satisfaction in newlywed relationships progress, with the majority of spouses reporting relatively high marital satisfaction. However, most studies have focused on white, middle class, childless couples, and it is not clear whether these findings hold for socioeconomically disadvantaged couples (those with low educational attainment or income). Further, previous work has largely ignored differences between spouses within the same marriage and the circumstances under which interpersonal processes between spouses are influential to prospective marital satisfaction. Using dyadic growth-mixture modeling and three waves of data from 530 newlywed couples in the Supporting Healthy Marriages study, we simultaneously modeled husbands' and wives' marital satisfaction and identified two classes of couples, labeled the Relatively satisfied class and Husbands' moderate intercept, wives' low, and increasing satisfaction class. Husbands consistently reported better marital satisfaction than their wives regardless of class membership. Wives' perceptions of interpersonal processes during experiences of financial stress predicted class membership. Dissolution rates also differed between classes. We conclude by providing practical implications for working with socioeconomically disadvantaged families.
H-alpha Imaging of Early-type (Sa-Sab) Spiral Galaxies II. Global Properties

New results, based on one of the most comprehensive H-alpha imaging surveys of nearby Sa-Sab spirals completed to date, reveals early-type spirals to be a diverse group of galaxies that span a wide range in massive star formation rates. While the majority of Sa-Sab galaxies in our sample are forming stars at a modest rate, a significant fraction (~29%) exhibit star formation rates greater than 1 M(solar/yr), rivaling the most prolifically star forming late-type spirals. A similar diversity is apparent in the star formation history of Sa-Sab spirals as measured by their H-alpha equivalent widths. Consistent with our preliminary results presented in the first paper in this series, we find giant HII regions (L(H-alpha)>10^{39}erg/s) in the disks of 37% of early-type spirals. We suspect that recent minor mergers or past interactions are responsible for the elevated levels of H-alpha emission and perhaps, for the presence of giant HII regions in these galaxies.
The COVID-19 Student WorkForce at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: A Model for Rapid Response in Emergency Preparedness

PROBLEM: In accordance with guidelines from the Association of American Medical Colleges, medical schools across the United States suspended clerkships and transitioned preclinical courses online in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals and health systems faced significant burdens during this time, particularly in New York City. APPROACH: Third- and fourth-year medical students at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai formed the COVID-19 Student WorkForce to connect students to essential roles in the Mount Sinai Hospital System and support physicians, staff members, researchers, and hospital operations. With the administration's support, the WorkForce grew to include over 530 medical and graduate students. A methodology was developed for clinical students to receive elective credit for these volunteer activities. OUTCOMES: From March 15, 2020 to June 14, 2020, student volunteers recorded 29,602 hours (2,277 hours per week) in 7 different task forces which operated at 7 different hospitals throughout the health system. Volunteers included students from all years of medical school as well as PhD, master's, and nursing students. The autonomous structure of the COVID-19 Student WorkForce was unique and contributed to its ability to quickly mobilize students to necessary tasks. The group leaders collaborated with other medical schools in the New York City area, sharing best practices and resources and consulting on a variety of topics. EXT STEPS: Going forward, the COVID-19 Student WorkForce will continue to collaborate with student leaders of other institutions and prevent volunteer burnout; transition select initiatives into structured, precepted student roles for clinical education; and maintain a state of readiness in the event of a second surge of COVID-19 infections in the New York City area.
Flexible Reinforcement Learning Framework for Building Control using EnergyPlus-Modelica Energy Models

In recent years, reinforcement learning (RL) methods have been greatly enhanced by leveraging deep learning approaches. RL methods applied to building control have shown potential in many applications because of their ability to complement or replace conventional methods such as model-based or rule-based controls. However, RL-based building control software is likely tailored either to one target building system or to a specific RL method so that significant additional effort would be required to customize the RL-based controller for use in other building systems or with other RL approaches. Also, RL-based building controls usually depend on building energy simulations to train controllers, so emulating building dynamics (i.e., thermal dynamics and control dynamics) and capturing sub-hourly dynamic profiles are crucial to further the development of effective RL-based building control methods. To address these challenges, we present an RL-based control software employing a high-fidelity hybrid EnergyPlus-Modelica building energy model that emulates building dynamics at 1 minute resolution. This software consists of decoupled components (environment, building emulator, control agent, and RL algorithm), which allows for quick prototyping and benchmarking of standard RL algorithms in different systems; for example, a single component can be replaced without revising the software. To demonstrate this software framework, we conducted a benchmark study using an EnergyPlus-Modelica building energy model for a Chicago office building with an RL-based controller to dynamically control the chilled water temperature setpoint and the air handling unit supply air temperature setpoints.
Defining Robotic Autonomy in the Context of Tort Liability 2020

In its first iteration, this paper recommended a variation of Ugo Pagallo’s ‘digital peculium’ liability scheme for hard cases in which fully autonomous robots make decisions absent appropriate linkage to the original programmer outside the scope of pre-programmed uncertainty. Situating Pagallo’s ‘hard cases’ in the larger abstraction laid out by HLA Hart and Ronald Dworkin, this paper concluded by considering whether determination of a right answer or conclusive indetermination of any exists for application of legal accountability to ever-increasing robotic autonomy. Among other reasons, advances in the global framework for automated driving necessitate an update. Reflecting issues arising from the United Nations global framework for automated driving as well as developments in autonomous vehicle testing in the United States, future discussions shall be practical and the question more discrete: At what point ought the law hold supply chain actors liable as opposed to consumers because the decision creating the harm was not a function of consumer misuse but a failure of consumer education? Narrowing the question further, the next iteration operates wholly within the context of autonomous vehicles. But this future discussion also lends itself to extrapolation within the larger field of robotic liability. An updated iteration of this paper prioritizes consumer education at the industry level and standardized nomenclature across jurisdictions. Analogizing to voluntary over-the-air software updates, which remain controversial in some circles, the updated paper shall argue that voluntarily standardized nomenclature at the industry level is imperative for two reasons. First, it is important for the certainty levels required to provide insurance for autonomous vehicles. Second, it is a matter of good business. Selling the product and staying in business once the product is on the market presupposes consumer trust. Placing a premium on public education establishes the transparency needed to build consider trust in innovative technologies. This paper shall also recommend future emphasis on explainable artificial intelligence and deliberate shifting of industry resources to address algorithmic bias.
Modernism, Nationalism, and the Novel

In Modernism, Nationalism, and the Novel, first published in 2000, Pericles Lewis shows how political debates over the sources and nature of 'national character' prompted radical experiments in narrative form amongst modernist writers. Though critics have accused the modern novel of shunning the external world, Lewis suggests that, far from abandoning nineteenth-century realists' concern with politics, the modernists used this emphasis on individual consciousness to address the distinctively political ways in which the modern nation-state shapes the psyche of its subjects. Tracing this theme through Joyce, Proust and Conrad, amongst others, Lewis claims that modern novelists gave life to a whole generation of narrators who forged new social realities in their own images. Their literary techniques - multiple narrators, transcriptions of consciousness, involuntary memory, and arcane symbolism - focused attention on the shaping of the individual by the nation and on the potential of the individual, in time of crisis, to redeem the nation.
Studies on the biosynthesis of ergosterol in yeast. Formation of methylated intermediates.

Cell-free extracts of yeast convert 14C-mevalonic acid into squalene, lanosterol, zymosterol, and sterols more polar than ergosterol. Formation of two of the more polar sterols (Es1 and Es2) has also been demonstrated with methyl-labeled methionine and with 14C-adenosylmethionine as precursors. The two polar sterols, Es1 and Es2, formed from radioactive methyl donors yield labeled formaldehyde on chemical degradation. Es2 is reduced to a mixture of ergosterol and ergostanol on partial reduction with Raney nickel and hydrogen. The tentative structure 5,7,22,24(28)-ergostatetraene-3β-ol is assigned to one of the sterols (Es2). Intact yeast cells convert zymosterol to Es2 anaerobically, and aerobically they convert Es2 to ergosterol. Evidence for the role of Es1 and Es2 as intermediates in ergosterol biosynthesis is discussed, and it is suggested that a C27 sterol is the acceptor in the transmethylation reaction.
Shared-storage clusters

Clusters represent a collection of interconnected computers that collaborate on executing an application and present themselves as one unified computing resource. They are becoming an important segment in the computer industry. The two main flavors of cluster architectures are shared-storage and shared-nothing. This article presents host and I/O implementation details, and performance trade-offs that need to be enforced due to sharing data in shared-storage clusters. Sharing data requires the need for global concurrency and coherency protocols to maintain consistency of the database, and enforce data consistency in the local node’s buffers, respectively. Various shared-storage architectures will be investigated, including the Virtual Shared and Shared-Intermediate Memory models. This article also presents few selected shared-storage clusters, including the DEC VAXCluster, IBM parallel Sysplex and Compaq/Tandem ServerNet.
Abstract 4421: PTEN-deficient tumors depend on Akt2 for maintenance

PTEN deficiency is frequently found in solid tumors. Since PTEN is yet to be effectively targeted with drugs, its downstream target Akt may provide more viable therapeutic strategies. The essential role of Akt in PTEN-null tumor initiation has been demonstrated in a number of studies. However, the role of Akt in the maintenance of established PTEN-deficient tumors is not known. Moreover, whether PTEN-null tumors depend on a specific Akt isoform for survival signaling remains elusive. In this study, we have developed a tet-on inducible system for expressing Akt1/2/3 shRNAs to determine the role of Akt isoforms in PTEN-deficient cancer progression. Three-dimensional (3D) matrigel cultures are employed to better recapitulate tumors growing in vivo. Administration of doxycycline (dox) in Akt1 or Akt2 shRNA PTEN-null prostate tumor cells at the start of culture resulted in the inhibition of spheroid formation, suggesting an important role of both Akt1 and Akt2 in the initial growth of spheroids. Conversely, when spheroids were allowed to form for 7 days, followed by dox for further 10 days, no difference was observed between Akt1-depleted and control spheroids. In contrast, silencing of Akt2 resulted in complete disintegration of spheroids. Confocal microscopy studies show a significant induction of active caspase-3 and fragmented nuclei in Akt2-silenced cells. Moreover, whereas Akt1 is uniformly expressed, Akt2 is localized in the cytoplasm and/or on the plasma membrane. Interestingly, the differences of effect of Akt isoforms on cell survival in conventional 2D culture are considerably more modest. The exclusive requirement of Akt2 for survival is also observed in other PTEN-deficient solid tumors, including breast cancer and glioblastoma. Importantly, shRNA silencing of Akt2 but not Akt1 promotes regression of prostate cancer xenografts. Mechanistically, we show that Akt2 silencing up-regulates p21 and the pro-apoptotic protein Bax and downregulates the insulin-like growth factor receptor-1. We also show that p21 is an effector of Akt2 in mediating prostate tumor cell survival. These results indicate that Akt2, but not Akt1, plays a critical role in PTEN-deficient tumor maintenance, and provide a rationale for developing therapeutics targeting Akt2. Current efforts are aimed at identifying novel Akt isoform-specific substrates that contribute to cancer progression using a genome-wide proteomic screen. The results of these studies could point to new targets for anti-cancer therapeutics. This work was supported by grants from NIH (A.T., CA092644; R.C., K99CA157945, T32 CA081156-09; S.B., P01 CA163227), the Department of Defense (S.B., W81XWH-09-1-0435) and a sponsored research grant from ImClone/Eli Lilly Inc. (A.T and R.C.). Citation Format: Rebecca Chin, Steve P. Balk, Alex Toker. PTEN-deficient tumors depend on Akt2 for maintenance. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4421. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4421
Liver Fibrosis Predicts Cognitive Function Following Bariatric Surgery: A Preliminary Investigation

Objective Obesity is a well-established risk factor for poor neurological outcomes, and bariatric surgery has been shown to improve many aspects of cognitive function. Factors underlying improved cognition following surgery are not yet fully established. A recent study of bariatric surgery patients demonstrated lower preoperative alkaline phosphatase concentrations were linked to greater postoperative cognitive improvement, but this link has not been examined via liver biopsy. The current study examined postoperative cognitive function in individuals with and without fibrosis at the time of bariatric surgery. It expected that those with fibrosis would demonstrate poorer postoperative cognition. Methods Thirty-six bariatric surgery patients underwent routine liver biopsy at the time of surgery and completed cognitive testing 1 month postoperatively. Results Bariatric surgery patients with fibrosis demonstrated poorer performance on a task of executive function (maze errors, P = 0.01) and verbal memory (recognition memory, P = 0.01). Conclusions Bariatric surgery patients with fibrosis demonstrated poorer cognition following surgery, providing further evidence for the connection between liver disease and cognitive function. Future work examining mechanisms underlying bariatric postoperative cognitive changes should include examination of broader metabolic functions, particularly liver function.
Cerebellar histogenesis is disturbed in mice lacking cyclin D2

Formation of brain requires deftly balancing primary genesis of neurons and glia, detection of when sufficient cells of each type have been produced, shutdown of proliferation and removal of excess cells. The region and cell type-specific expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins, such as demonstrated for cyclin D2, may contribute to these processes. If so, regional brain development should be affected by alteration of cyclin expression. To test this hypothesis, the representation of specific cell types was examined in the cerebellum of animals lacking cyclin D2. The loss of this cyclin primarily affected two neuronal populations: granule cell number was reduced and stellate interneurons were nearly absent. Differences between null and wild-type siblings were obvious by the second postnatal week. Decreases in granule cell number arose from both reduction in primary neurogenesis and increase in apoptosis of cells that fail to differentiate. The dearth of stellate cells in the molecular layer indicates that emergence of this subpopulation requires cyclin D2 expression. Surprisingly, Golgi and basket interneurons, thought to originate from the same precursor pool as stellate cells, appear unaffected. These results suggest that cyclin D2 is required in cerebellum not only for proliferation of the granule cell precursors but also for proper differentiation of granule and stellate interneurons.
Regulation of Succinate Dehydrogenase Activity by SIRT3 in Mammalian Mitochondria

A member of the sirtuin family of NAD(+)-dependent deacetylases, SIRT3, is identified as one of the major mitochondrial deacetylases located in mammalian mitochondria responsible for deacetylation of several metabolic enzymes and components of oxidative phosphorylation. Regulation of protein deacetylation by SIRT3 is important for mitochondrial metabolism, cell survival, and longevity. In this study, we identified one of the Complex II subunits, succinate dehydrogenase flavoprotein (SdhA) subunit, as a novel SIRT3 substrate in SIRT3 knockout mice. Several acetylated Lys residues were mapped by tandem mass spectrometry, and we determined the role of acetylation in Complex II activity in SIRT3 knockout mice. In agreement with SIRT3-dependent activation of Complex I, we observed that deacetylation of the SdhA subunit increased the Complex II activity in wild-type mice. In addition, we treated K562 cell lines with nicotinamide and kaempferol to inhibit deacetylase activity of SIRT3 and stimulate SIRT3 expression, respectively. Stimulation of SIRT3 expression decreased the level of acetylation of the SdhA subunit and increased Complex II activity in kaempherol-treated cells compared to control and nicotinamide-treated cells. Evaluation of acetylated residues in the SdhA crystal structure from porcine and chicken suggests that acetylation of the hydrophilic surface of SdhA may control the entry of the substrate into the active site of the protein and regulate the enzyme activity. Our findings constitute the first evidence of the regulation of Complex II activity by the reversible acetylation of the SdhA subunit as a novel substrate of the NAD(+)-dependent deacetylase, SIRT3.
The disposition of p-nitroanisole by the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratusI. Kinetics

Abstract Investigation of the disposition kinetics of p-nitroanisole (PNA) by the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, demonstrated the usefulness of our proposed protocol for assessing the disposition of xenobiotics in aquatic species. The protocol consists of four steps: toxicity rangefinding, acute static, dynamic (flowing water) and steady-state investigations of xenobiotic metabolism, and kinetics. Elimination kinetics from acute static investigations fit the form dQ w dt = K 1 Q a − K 2 Q w , where Qw is the quantity of compound in the water, Qa the quantity in the animal, K1 the elimination rate constant, and K2 the uptake rate constant. Estimates of the elimination and uptake rate constants were 0.57 ± 0.23 and 0.09 ± 0.05 hr−1 (n = 32), respectively, for studies covering 1.5 years. A simpler method for estimating these rate constants is described. The elimination halflife was dependent on time held after collection and season, corresponding to the reproductive cycle. Steady-state studies indicated that the elimination of PNA is an active process. The turnover rate constant (1.3 ± 0.6 hr−1) was not different from the acute elimination rate constant. Overall the rapid elimination of PNA and the rapid approach to steady state (approximately 8 hr) will be the prime factors in the fate of PNA in sea urchins. For short-term exposure, upon termination the sea urchin will rapidly and actively eliminate the compound. For chronic, long-term exposures, the sea urchin will rapidly achieve steady state and the fate will be dependent upon biotransformation.
High resolution P‐wave surface seismic profiling to delineate flow units in carbonate aquifers of South Florida: A feasibility study

High-resolution surface seismic, acquired at a south Florida aquifer, delineated flow units associated with permeability between 14 Darcy and porosity between 30 to 45 percent. The impedance image determined by inversion from Preflection data resolves most of the boundaries between facies. The facies properties are based on the integration of the lithology and the well logs, and they consist of vuggy carbonate units and sandstones. At this aquifer, the low permeability zones are sandstones and the permeable zones are carbonates with interconnected vuggy porosity. Porosity and permeability images determined from the impedance images and the well log information suggest that high-resolution surface seismic can delineate and map the stratigraphy as well as the rock physical properties of the south Florida aquifer.