cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Storytelling as Transdisciplinarity: An Experiment in First-Year Composition and Communication

In The Myth of the Frontier, Joseph Campbell writes “the rise and fall of civilizations can be seen to have been largely a function of the integrity and cogency of their supporting canons of myth...when the mythology of a culture no longer works, there follows a sense of both disassociation and a quest for new meanings.” In other words, our societies are built upon storytelling. This article examines a transdisciplinary class taught with a cross-departmental team of five faculty members that was centered on the theme of storytelling. This class was organized within the newly proposed transdisciplinary studies program in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute in fall 2014. Titled “Culture, Communication, and Digital Narratives: Storytelling as a Way of Thinking,” the class was a 7-hour class for freshmen that met the university’s core requirements of First-Year Composition and Introductory Oral Communication but also sought to reach beyond the confines of these classes by incorporating visual and audio design (and the technologies associated therewith). This article will first argue the theoretical underpinning of this class that storytelling is a fundamental mode of learning. It will then argue that it is one that works particularly well in the context of transdisciplinary studies (albeit with its share of pratfalls).
The effectiveness of bird feeder cleaning methods with and without debris

ABSTRACT Although feeders provide supplementary food to wild birds, they can be a site of disease transmission. Periodic cleaning of bird feeders is recommended to prevent disease transmission, but little is known about which cleaning methods are most effective. We determined the effectiveness of 3 cleaning methods (scrubbing with soap and water, bleach soak, and scrubbing with soap and water followed by a bleach soak) in removing Salmonella from feeders with debris from normal field use and without debris. Feeders were inoculated with Salmonella enterica in the lab and then swabbed before and after cleaning to determine the percent reduction of Salmonella colony forming units (CFU/mL). All cleaning methods effectively reduced levels of Salmonella on feeders without debris, but the presence of debris significantly lowered the percent log reduction of Salmonella CFU/mL on feeders. The bleach soak and the scrubbing with soap and water plus bleach soak methods had a significantly higher percent reduction in ...
Endometrial carcinoma with cerebellar metastasis: a case report and review of the literature.

Background: Endometrial cancer is the most common malignancy involving the female genital tract in the United States. There is a paucity of reports of brain metastases in this disease, and most of these reports emphasize that this pattern of dissemination is rare. Case: We present a case of a 63-year-old woman who had high-grade endometrial carcinoma treated with surgery and radiotherapy. She had three separate episodes of relapse in the lungs, the first two relapses being treated surgically. Chemotherapy was also administered following surgery for the first relapse. The third pulmonary recurrence was treated with chemotherapy and then consolidated with thoracic radiation. Four years from the date of diagnosis, and a few weeks after completion of thoracic radiotherapy, she had evidence of a solitary cerebellar metastasis. This was treated surgically and followed by whole brain irradiation. She died 6 months after this central nervous system diagnosis with systemic dissemination of her cancer. Conclusion: The existing literature on brain metastases from endometrial cancer is reviewed together with the patterns of spread of endometrial cancer. We call attention to the unusually long course of this patient. Partially successful treatment for metastatic disease may have predisposed eventual development of brain metastases. This occurrence reinforces reports emphasizing their increasing incidence in association with endometrial cancer.
Small-Diameter Tunnels

Conventional tunnels are driven by workers excavating, supporting, and advancing the tunnel at its face. As the tunnel diameter decreases, work becomes more difficult. Thereis less room for personnel. Efficiency and advance rates decrease. It becomes increasingly difficult to erect the tunnel lining system from within the tunnel. At diameters of 60 to 18 in., it becomes more efficient to push the lining into place from a shaft or portal. This lining is a string of pipe sections. This method of tunnel construction, commonly referred to as pipe jacking, was introduced in the United States during the 1890s. Pipe jacking is commonly used at highway and railroad crossings to install conduits or sewers through soft ground instead of trenching. References
Four Products: Predicting Diffusion (2008)

An updated "Four Products" case. This 2008 version includes: sliced peanut butter, foldable bicycle tires, high-end wooden puzzles, and artificial dirt for thoroughbred race tracks. These four products form the basis to assess the drivers of new product adoption. In particular, one of the critical tasks in the marketing of new innovations in predicting demand and rates of diffusion for those products. And while one can speculate on the scope and rate of diffusion for any given product, it's helpful to compare and contrast diffusion across products. Doing so allows one to focus on the drivers or product characteristics that influence product diffusion, making one product a star and another a dog. Specifically, looking across products allows one to pick up on things that get lost in discussing a single product. Note that this case often gets used with HBS Note #505-075, "Note on Innovation Diffusion: Rogers' Five Factors," which either can be distributed along with the case or after the case has been taught.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL FOR IMPROVED PLANT QUALITY WITHIN CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT PLANT PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

Improved seedling quality and uniform growth within controlled environment plant production systems have become crucial, as automated production systems become more prevalent, and as specialized, highly intensive seedling production systems are developed. The environment greatly affects the seedling growth habit, final seedling quality, and ultimately the quality of the mature plant. There is an ever-increasing need to improve environmental control and uniform distribution of environmental parameters such that (1) the effect on the plant’s microenvironment (plant temperature, PPF, and vapor pressure), and (2) the subsequent effect on plant processes such as metabolism, photosynthesis and gaseous transfer, are similar for all plants within the controlled environment system. This presentation will discuss the challenges of developing precise and uniform plant environments within relatively low mass, closed plant growth systems.
Vicarious calibration: A reflectance-based experiment with AirMISR

Abstract A vicarious reflectance-based calibration experiment for the Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) airborne simulator, AirMISR, is described as one precursor experiment of this type planned for postlaunch application to MISR itself. The experiment produces a set of multiangle near-top-of-atmosphere radiances that are compared with the multiangle AirMISR radiances, established using a laboratory calibration. The field and aircraft data were collected as part of an engineering test flight at Moffett Field, CA, on November 5, 1997. A concrete tarmac was used as the field target. Atmospheric optical depth data were collected adjacent to the target throughout the actual overflight period using a single Reagan solar radiometer. For logistical reasons, the surface hemispherical directional reflectance factor (HDRF) was determined 7 days later using the Portable Apparatus for Rapid Acquisition of Bidirectional Observation of the Land and Atmosphere III (PARABOLA III), along with the areally averaged spectral HDRF at normal incidence, obtained with an Analytical Spectral Devices (ASD) FieldSpec moderate resolution field spectrometer. AirMISR overflew the target under clear sky conditions though the aerosol turbidity was high (∼0.3 at 550 nm). Good to fair agreement has been obtained at all angles and wavelengths between the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiances calculated for the measured atmospheric and surface conditions and the radiances incident at AirMISR as determined from the laboratory calibration. Some systematic disagreements are present. The largest disagreements (∼15% in the blue) are found at the highest view angles and the smallest at nadir viewing (
Contrast Media Safety and Managing At-Risk Patients: Update 2008

The use of iodinated contrast media (CM) for radiological and cardiological applications continues to increase. An estimated 50 million computed tomography (CT) exams are performed annually, with almost 50% involving the use of contrast material. Additionally, 500,000 procedures are done annually for peripheral arterial interventions, and 3 million coronary diagnostic and/or therapeutic procedures are done each year in the USA alone. In this chapter, we review recent developments in the field of contrast-induced nephrotoxicity (CIN).
The parallel complexity of randomized fractals

This interdisciplinary research examines several algorithms from statistical physics that generate random fractals. The algorithms are studied using parallel complexity theory. Decision problems based on diffusion limited aggregation and a number of widely used algorithms for equilibrating the Ising model are proved P-complete. This is in contrast to Mandelbrot percolation that is shown to be in (non-uniform) AC0. Our research helps shed light on the intrinsic complexity of these models relative to each other and to different growth processes that have recently been studied using complexity theory. The results may serve as a guide to simulation physics.
The Mantra of Graduate Education Reform: Why the Prayers Aren’t Answered

The regular drumbeat (a mantra) of similar recommendations to advance graduate education by a constant stream of national studies over the past two decades has failed to prompt action. We propose several reasons why the studies have not gained traction, including the fact that the target recipients of the studies—students, faculty, and administrators—have not been asked whether they agree with the studies’ recommendations. A survey we recently conducted of the beneficiaries of the recent national study of graduate education by the American Chemical Society reveals sharp differences in opinion regarding the study’s three dozen recommendations that can be attributed to the pains and values of the various demographic groups that are impacted by the proposed changes. To develop a consensus path forward to reform graduate education, the survey results clearly speak to the need for further conversations that include the entire community of stakeholders, not just those who write the reports.
The next generation of therapy for multiple myeloma: a review of ongoing clinical trials utilizing ClinicalTrials.gov.

The therapeutic armamentarium for multiple myeloma has grown significantly over the past decade. We characterized ongoing multiple myeloma clinical trials utilizing ClinicalTrials.gov . A search of ClinicalTrials.gov on 21 April 2017 returned 239 therapeutic interventional trials in multiple myeloma. A majority (84.1%) of trials are early-phase (I/II). Immunotherapies are significantly more likely to be studied in Phase I trials than Phase II trials (p = 0.0049). Primary sponsor (academic, cooperative group, industry) is significantly associated with phase of trial (p = 0.0334). Quality of life assessment is included as a secondary objective in only 10.1% of trials. Areas of need are continued advancement of immunotherapies, late-phase studies utilizing a triplet control group, and an objective focus on quality of life.
d-Amphetamine and methylmercury exposure during adolescence alters sensitivity to monoamine uptake inhibitors in adult mice.

Abstract Gestational exposure to methylmercury (MeHg), an environmental neurotoxicant, and adolescent administration of d-amphetamine (d-AMP) disrupt dopamine neurotransmission and alter voluntary behavior in adult rodents. We determined the impact of adolescent exposure to MeHg and d-AMP on monoamine neurotransmission in mice by assessing sensitivity to acute d-AMP, desipramine, and clomipramine, drugs that target dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin reuptake, respectively. Male C57Bl/6n mice were given 0 (control) or 3 ppm MeHg via drinking water from postnatal day 21 to 60 (murine adolescence). Within each group, mice were given once-daily injections of d-AMP or saline (i.p.) from postnatal day 28 to 42. This exposure regimen produced four treatment groups (n = 10–12/group): control, d-AMP, MeHg, and d-AMP + MeHg. As adults, the mice lever pressed under fixed-ratio schedules of reinforcement (FR 1, 5, 15, 30, 60, and 120). Acute i.p. injections of d-AMP (.3–1.7 mg/kg), desipramine (5.6–30 mg/kg), and clomipramine (5.6–30 mg/kg) were administered in adulthood after a stable behavioral baseline was established. Adolescent MeHg exposure increased saturation rate and minimum response time, an effect that was mitigated by chronic administration of d-AMP in adolescence. In unexposed mice, the three monoamine reuptake inhibitors had separable behavioral effects. Adolescent d-AMP increased sensitivity to acute d-AMP, desipramine, and clomipramine. Adolescent MeHg exposure alone did not alter drug sensitivity. Combined adolescent d-AMP + MeHg exposure enhanced sensitivity to acute d-AMP’s and desipramine’s effects on minimum response time. Adolescence is a vulnerable developmental period during which exposure to chemicals can have lasting effects on monoamine function and behavior.
What Predicts Outstanding Orthopedic Residents among the Program

Background: An oversupply of qualified applicants leads to intense competition for the limited number offirst year orthopedic residency positions. Therefore, program directors can be more selective in choosingtheir future residents. However, it is unclear if there are resident characteristics that correspond with traineeperformance.Methods: We asked (1) what resident characteristics are associated with subjective residency performancescore? and (2) what resident characteristics are associated with Orthopedic In-Training Examination (OITE)score?A total of 119 orthopedic residents accepted at the Harvard Combined Orthopedic Residency Program from1999 – 2009 were included in this study. The current program director together with two former programdirectors in the selected time period defined the subjective residency performance score based on theclinical skills of the residents during training.Results: Former Olympic or varsity athlete (P=0.018) and Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) status (P=0.014)were associated with a better subjective residency performance score. Higher USMLE step 1 score(P=0.0038), known person within faculty prior to the residency (did a research rotation, or local medicalstudent) (P=0.041), and AOA (P=0.015) status were associated with a higher OITE score.Conclusion: AOA status of the applicant for orthopedic residency is associated with both a higher OITEscore and a better subjective residency performance score.Level of evidence: IV
Is There a Benefit of Metformin after Heart Transplantation

Purpose Approximately 30% of patients undergoing heart transplantation (HTx) may have diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2). More importantly, DM2 may become more prevalent after HTx because of high corticosteroid use. Metformin - an oral anti-hypoglycemic drug for DM2- has also been demonstrated to have immunomodulatory effects. It has been reported that metformin may decrease acute and chronic rejection as well as the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). Therefore, we reviewed our HTx patients placed on metformin pre-HTx and post-HTx to assess potential outcomes and benefits. Methods Between 2010 and 2017, we assessed 229 heart transplant patients with DM2. We divided these diabetic patients in those on metformin post-HTx (n=32) and those not on metformin (n=176). Metformin was continued for at least one-year post-transplant. Endpoints included 1-year survival, 1-year freedom from CAV (as defined by >30% stenosis via angiography), 1-year freedom from non-fatal major adverse cardiac events (NF-MACE: myocardial infarction, new congestive heart failure, percutaneous coronary intervention, implantable cardioverter defibrillator/pacemaker implant, stroke), and 1-year freedom from any-treated rejection (ATR), acute cellular rejection (ACR), and antibody-mediated rejection (AMR). Results There was no significant difference in 1-year survival in DM2 patients on metformin and DM2 patients not on metformin. There was no significant difference in 1-year freedom from CAV, NF-MACE or rejection between the groups (see table). Conclusion The use of metformin does not appear to demonstrate an immunomodulatory benefit. A larger cohort of patients are needed to confirm these findings.
Photonic crystal nanobeam biosensors based on porous silicon

Photonic crystal (PhC) nanobeams (NB) patterned on porous silicon (PSi) waveguide substrates are demonstrated for the specific, label-free detection of oligonucleotides. These photonic structures combine the large active sensing area intrinsic to PSi sensors with the high-quality (Q) factor and low-mode volume characteristic of compact resonant silicon-on-insulator (SOI) PhC NB devices. The PSi PhC NB can achieve a Q-factor near 9,000 and has an approximately 40-fold increased active sensing area for molecular attachment, compared to traditional SOI PhC NB sensors. The PSi PhC NB exhibits a resonance shift that is more than one order of magnitude larger than that of a similarly designed SOI PhC NB for the detection of small chemical molecules and 16-base peptide nucleic acids. The design and fabrication of PSi PhC NB sensors are compatible with CMOS processing, sensor arrays, and integration with lab-on-chip systems.
Antigen modulation of the secondary immune response. VI. Contribution of cells recruited from precursor pool to expression of memory.

Abstract The adoptive transfer system has been used extensively to study the ability of antigen triggered memory cells to become antibody forming cells and/or to proliferate and expand the memory cell population. Selective antigen triggering of the memory cells for low and high affinity antibody formation has also been studied in this way. One of the main counter-arguments to the interpretation of these data is that the presence of antigen in the adoptive host may lead to recruitment of new memory cells from either a host or donor precursor population. In this paper we examined the contribution of both host and donor precursor cells to the total antibody response in adoptive secondary recipients. The following donor-host combinations were used in which the recipients were given 1 mg fluid antigen intravenously: (A) normal (non-immune) donors to normal irradiated recipients; (B) normal donors to carrier primed irradiated recipients; (C) carrier primed donors to normal irradiated recipients; (D) normal donors to carrier primed recipients with challenge and subsequent transfer to additional carrier primed recipients; (E) carrier primed donor to normal recipients to carrier primed recipients; (F) repeat of B and C above with multiple antigen administration; (G) purified immune (DNP-BGG) donor T cells mixed with normal B cells transferred to normal irradiated recipients. In most cases recruitment was seen but this represented less than 4% of the responses seen with immune cells. Thus we conclude that this level of recruitment does not compromise the use of the adoptive transfer system for studying selective antigen triggering of memory cells.
Organizational factors related to attracting job seekers higher in hardiness

Building an organization of workers who thrive in demanding environments begins with recruitment of workers with personality traits predictive of resilience. We integrate fit theories to determine how job advertisement information may attract job seekers higher in psychological hardiness (sense of control, feelings of commitment to many things in life, perceptions of challenge). Across two studies, we manipulated hypothetical job advertisements that were presented to current workers seeking new employment. Job seekers higher in hardiness were more attracted to working with hardy coworkers, less attracted to coping resources, and more attracted to high emotional labor demands compared to job seekers lower in hardiness. A discussion for how organizations may craft job advertisement content to improve their recruitment efforts is provided.
The prognostic significance of white adipose tissue inflammation in advanced-stage, high-grade, and serous endometrial cancers.

5589Background: Obesity is associated with worse outcomes in endometrial cancer, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. In other obesity-related cancers, white adipose tissue inflamma...
The Spectrum of Pregnancy-Associated Heart Failure Phenotypes: An Echocardiographic Study.

Compare echocardiographic phenotypes of women presenting with peripartum heart failure. A retrospective case–control study of pregnant women (n = 86) presenting with PP-HF symptoms (i.e., dyspnea, PND, orthopnea) and objective examination and laboratory findings (lung congestion, elevated JVP and/or HJR, elevated brain natriuretic peptide [BNP] and pulmonary edema on chest X-ray). Three distinct phenotypes based on echocardiographically-defined LVEF were identified: (a) PP-HF with preserved ejection fraction (PP HFpEF, LVEF: > 50%); (b) PP-HF with midrange ejection fraction (PP HFmrEF, LVEF: 40–50%); c) PP-HF with reduced ejection fraction (PP HFrEF, LVEF: < 40%); these were compared with 17 pregnant subjects without PP-HF symptoms/findings. Most patients were African American (n = 63; 73%), with low prevalence of hypertension (n = 15, 17%) or diabetes mellitus (n = 5, 5%); pre-eclampsia was highly prevalent (n = 52, 60%). Echocardiographically-defined phenotypes (HFpEF, n = 37; HFmrEF, n = 18; HFrEF, n = 31) showed progressively worse abnormalities in LV remodeling (LV enlargement, LV hypertrophy), LV diastolic function, and right ventricular function; the three PP-HF groups had comparable abnormalities in increased left atrial size and estimated peak tricuspid valve regurgitation velocity. Compared to controls, all three groups had significantly increased filling pressures, LV mass index and left atrial volume index. Peripartum women presenting with the clinical syndrome of heart failure exhibit a spectrum of echocardiographic phenotypes. Significant abnormalities in LV structure, diastolic function, LA size, peak TR velocity and RV function were identified in women with preserved and mid-range EFs, suggesting pregnancy-related cardiac pathophysiologic derangements.
A scoping review of interventions targeting allostatic load.

Allostatic load (AL) is the manifestation of cumulative responses to chronic stress exposure. Numerous studies have shown the importance of AL in understanding disease risks. Yet little is known ab...
Shape-transformation of polymersomes from glassy and crosslinkable ABA triblock copolymers

Recent developments in the field of polymer vesicles, i.e. polymersomes, have demonstrated that disrupting the equilibrium conditions of the milieu could lead to shape transformation into stable non-spherical morphologies, bringing on-demand shape control to reality and bearing great promise for cell mimicry and a variety of biomedical applications. Here, we studied the self-assembly behavior of glassy amphiphilic triblock copolymers, poly(ethylene glycol)-block-polystyrene-stat-poly(coumarin methacrylate)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-b-P(S-stat-CMA)-b-PEG), and their response to various stimuli. By changing the respective molecular weights of both the hydrophobic P(S-stat-CMA) and the hydrophilic PEG blocks, we varied the hydrophobic volume fraction thereby accessing a range of morphologies from spherical and worm-like micelles, as well as polymersomes. For the latter, we observed that slow osmotic pressure changes induced by dialysis led to a decrease in size while rapid osmotic pressure changes by addition of a PEG fusogen led to morphological transformations into rod-like and tubular polymersomes. We also found out that chemically crosslinking the vesicles before inducing osmotic pressure changes led to the vesicles exhibiting hypotonic shock, atypical for glassy polymersomes. We believe that this approach combining the robustness of triblock copolymers and light-based transformations will help expand the toolbox to design ever more complex biomimetic constructs.
Evaluation of an Air-Stiffened Toroidal Sphere Subjected to Pressure

This paper proposes a framework on which to evaluate the quasi-static structural response of air-stiffened envelopes subjected to pressure loading, and it discusses the numerical response of the to...
Hydrogen Storage for Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles: Expert Elicitation and a Levelized Cost of Driving Model.

A cost-effective and compact hydrogen storage system could advance fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Today's commercial FCEVs incorporate storage that is projected to be heavier, larger, and costlier than targets set by the U.S. Driving Research and Innovation for Vehicle efficiency and Energy sustainability Partnership (U.S. DRIVE). To inform research and development (R&D), we elicited 31 experts' assessments of expected future costs and capacities of storage systems. Experts suggested that systems would approach U.S. DRIVE's ultimate capacity targets but fall short of cost targets at a high production volume. The 2035 and 2050 median costs anticipated by experts were $13.5 and $10.53/kWhH2, gravimetric capacities of 5.2 and 5.6 wt %, and volumetric capacities of 0.93 and 1.33 kWhH2/L, respectively. To meet U.S. DRIVE's targets, experts recommended allocating the majority of government hydrogen storage R&D funding to materials development. Furthermore, we incorporated experts' cost assessments into a levelized cost of driving model. Given technical and fuel price uncertainty, FCEV costs ranged from $0.38 to $0.45/mile ($0.24-$0.28/km) in 2020, $0.30 to $0.33/mile ($0.19-$0.21/km) in 2035-2050, and $0.27 to $0.31/mile ($0.17-$0.19/km) in 2050. Depending on fuel, electricity, and battery prices, our findings suggest that FCEVs could compete with conventional and alternative fuel vehicles by 2035.
The clot thickens: role of mechanical thrombectomy in intermediate to high-risk pulmonary embolism in the peri-operative setting-a case report.

Background European Society of Cardiology (ESC) recommends catheter-directed thrombectomy for management of high-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) with contraindications to thrombolytics or in patients that have failed thrombolytic therapy, as well as intermediate-risk PE with haemodynamic deterioration. In this case report, the role of catheter-directed mechanical thrombectomy is highlighted in the urgent peri-operative setting. Case summary A 71-year-old female presented with 10 days of progressive lower extremity weakness and was found to have malignant cord compression along with incidental saddle, intermediate-high-risk PE that extended to all lobes on chest computed tomography. Given the intermediate to high-risk PE with acute cor pulmonale, urgent need for surgery, and risk of haemodynamic collapse upon induction of general anaesthesia, the decision was made to proceed with urgent percutaneous treatment of the PE. Percutaneous catheter-directed thrombectomy was successfully performed. The patient returned to the intensive care unit in stable condition and was able to then receive urgent cord decompression and further treatment for malignancy with no complication. Discussion In this case, single-session thrombectomy resulted in rapid reduction of pre-operative cardiopulmonary risk by alleviating the right ventricular strain, allowing urgent cord decompression surgery to proceed with optimized haemodynamics, no bleeding events, and no further oxygen requirements. While peri-operative risk stratification for cardiovascular outcomes is well established in current guidelines, there are no clear guidelines for peri-operative risk stratification in the setting of pulmonary embolism. The importance of the multidisciplinary PE Response Team is thus emphasized, as well as the importance of continuous evaluation of clinical decompensation in PE.
Route of Hysterectomy: “Straight-Stick” Laparoscopy

The laparoscopic, or “straight-stick” approach to hysterectomy accounts for ∼30% of hysterectomies performed. Enhanced magnification and visualization, decreased blood loss, and fewer complications...
Detecting incentivized review groups with co-review graph

Abstract Online reviews play a crucial role in the ecosystem of nowadays business (especially e-commerce platforms), and have become the primary source of consumer opinions. To manipulate consumers’ opinions, some sellers of e-commerce platforms outsource opinion spamming with incentives (e.g., free products) in exchange for incentivized reviews. As incentives, by nature, are likely to drive more biased reviews or even fake reviews. Despite e-commerce platforms such as Amazon have taken initiatives to squash the incentivized review practice, sellers turn to various social networking platforms (e.g., Facebook) to outsource the incentivized reviews. The aggregation of sellers who request incentivized reviews and reviewers who seek incentives forms incentivized review groups. In this paper, we focus on the incentivized review groups in e-commerce platforms. We perform the data collections from various social networking platforms, including Facebook, WeChat, and Douban. A measurement study of incentivized review groups is conducted with regards to group members, group activities, and products. To identify the incentivized review groups, we propose a new detection approach based on co-review graphs. Specifically, we employ the community detection method to find the suspicious communities from co-review graphs. We also build a “gold standard” dataset from the data we collected, which contains the information of reviewers who belong to incentivized review groups. We utilize the “gold standard” dataset to evaluate the effectiveness of our detection approach.
Serum Cytokines and Chemokines in Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy Compared to Diabetic Neuropathy, Idiopathic Neuropathy and Other Inflammatory Neuropathies (P2.4-002)

Objective: To identify a pattern of cytokine/chemokine expression that can distinguish chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) from other neuropathies and healthy control. Background: Several proposed diagnostic criteria for CIDP exist, but it remains a diagnostic challenge in some cases. Various changes in cytokine/chemokine expressions have been described in CIDP patients. Furthermore, there has been a report of unique patterns of cytokine expressions in pork abattoir workers with a progressive inflammatory neuropathy. We were interested to determine if a unique pattern of cytokines/chemokines can also be seen in CIDP patients, using a similar approach. Design/Methods: The Luminex platform was used to test 61 different cytokines/chemokines, comparing patients with CIDP, diabetic neuropathy, idiopathic neuropathy, other autoimmune neuropathies (OAN), and healthy controls. General Linear Model (GLM) analysis was performed to assess the relationship of diagnosis, sex and age to levels of individual immune molecules, along with exploratory analyses (one-way ANOVA/t-tests). Results: Interleukin-1 β (IL-1β) was significantly reduced in the CIDP group when compared to healthy controls and the OAN group. IL-4, IL-13, Chemokine C-C ligand7, CXCL1, TGF-α, CSF3, EGF, BDNF, and VCAM1 levels in CIDP were reduced compared to healthy controls but were not significantly different compared to the OAN group. Beta-nerve growth factor (βNGF) was also reduced in the CIDP group compared to the healthy control and OAN group during data exploration, however, this difference was not supported by the multivariable analyses. Conclusions: Our finding of reduced IL-1β level in CIDP patients is consistent with another study’s finding of reduction in IL-1β-producing T-cells in CIDP patients. However, increased serum IL-1β levels in CIDP patients have been reported as well. The utility of IL-1β level alone in CIDP patients is unclear. Additional multivariable comparison along with topological analysis of our data is needed to determine if there is a pattern of cytokine/chemokine expression unique to CIDP patients. Disclosure: Dr. Shije has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ukaigwe has nothing to disclose. Dr. Che has nothing to disclose. Dr. Brannagan has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Grifols, Ionis, Alnylam, and CSL Behring. Dr. Brannagan has received research support from Ionis, Alnyalm, Viromed, Catalyst, Pharnext, Novartis, Grifols. Dr. Hornig has nothing to disclose.
Palestinian Identity: The Construction of Modern National Consciousness - Book Review

This paper is a concise and simplified literary criticism of Rashid Khalidi book Palestinian Identity:The Construction of Modern National Consciousness. It outlines the main ideas of the book highlighting strengths and underlining weaknesses.This paper communicates the author's message without the complexity of historical details and unnecessary prose.
Damage and recovery from drift of synthetic-auxin herbicide dicamba depends on concentration and varies among floral, vegetative, and lifetime traits in rapid cycling Brassica rapa.

Abstract Herbicides can drift from intended plants onto non-target species. It remains unclear how drift impacts plant functional traits that are important for fitness. To address this gap, we conducted an experiment where fast cycling Brassica rapa plants were exposed to one of three drift concentrations (0.5%, 1%, 10%) of synthetic-auxin dicamba. We evaluated damage to and capacity of floral and vegetative traits to recover as well as lifetime fitness by comparing treated plants to controls. Response to dicamba exposure was concentration-dependent across all traits but varied with trait type. At 0.5% dicamba, three out of five floral traits were affected, while at 1% dicamba, four floral traits and one out of two vegetative traits were negatively impacted. At 10% dicamba all floral and vegetative traits were stunted. Overall, floral traits were more responsive to all dicamba drift concentrations than vegetative traits and displayed a wide range of variation ranging from no response (e.g., pistil length) to up to 84% reduction (ovule number). However, despite floral traits were more affected across the dicamba drift concentrations they were also more likely to recover than the vegetative traits. There was also variation among lifetime traits; the onset of flowering was delayed, and reproductive fitness was negatively affected in a concentration-dependent manner, but the final biomass and total flower production were not affected. Altogether, we show substantial variation across plant traits in their response to dicamba and conclude that accounting for this variation is essential to understand the full impact of herbicide drift on plants and the ecological interactions these traits mediate.
The ideality of polydisperse perfluoropolyether lubricants with application to physical vapor deposition

We have used thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to measure the evaporation rate as a function of temperature and molecular weight for an alcohol-derivatized perfluoropolyether (PFPE), Fomblin Zdol. We show that the bulk evaporation rate of a polydisperse Zdol solution during temperature ramp TGA can be numerically simulated by combining molecular weight dependent Arrhenius parameters, the initial molecular weight distribution as measured by size exclusion chromatography, and Raoult’s law of vapor pressures. The simulation is shown to be in good agreement with experiment for both a low molecular weight polydisperse Zdol, and for a mixture of the low molecular weight Zdol with a heavier Zdol fraction. Mixtures of Zdol with non-functionalized Z lubricants are shown qualitatively to deviate substantially from ideality. In the disc drive industry, physical vapor deposition (PVD) is receiving renewed interest as an alternative method of applying the PFPE lubricants commonly employed as topical coatings on thin film magnetic media. In a process involving vaporization of a polydisperse liquid phase lubricant, quantitative prediction of deposition rates and vapor phase molecular weight distributions will in general only be possible with accurate knowledge of liquid phase distributions, component evaporation rates, and the ideality of the solution.
Transnational Migration, Globalization, and Governance: Reflections on the Central America – United States Immigration Crisis

The Central America - U.S. border crisis has stoked the fires of a roaring debate on immigration and immigration reform. At a time when real economic growth in the global North continues to stagnate, and income inequality continues to intensify, conditions favor a certain kind of xenophobia that scapegoats immigrants for socioeconomic ills.Under such understandings, immigration influxes are portrayed as exogenous phenomena, but, in fact, migration from the global South to the global North often operates in a kind of boomerang effect. Current asylum and immigration patterns often reflect reactions to previous political and economic interventions by the global North in the home territories of the migrant populations. This article considers these background dynamics in relation to the immigration and asylum surge from Central America, and reflects on the interrelationship and utility of existing paradigms of migration law. A central finding criticizes the narrow understanding of asylum as established by prevailing legal norms.
Novel OPA1 Mutation in Syndromic Mitochondrial Dominant Optic Atrophy (DOA+): A Case Report (P7.074)

BACKGROUND: OPA1 gene mutation rarely causes syndromic Dominant Optic Atrophy (DOA+), where mitochondrial DNA destabilization results in multi-organ deterioration in a progressive fashion. We present a unique patient with novel OPA1 gene mutation manifesting with severe optic atrophy, progressive hearing and pan-sensory loss, hyperkinetic movements and cognitive decline. DESIGN/METHODS: An index patient is identified and described. A retrospective chart review is performed to gather clinical information and relevant data. RESULTS: Now a 43-year-old man developed progressive visual and sensorineural hearing loss in early childhood, leading to becoming legally blind and deaf by age 6. He also developed progressive ptosis, external ophthalmoplegia, chronic headache and cognitive regression. He has also developed a progressive distal sensory and motor neuropathy with worsening ataxia. His smell and taste have also deteriorated. However, swallowing and bowel/bladder functions remain intact. When attempting ambulation, he exhibits severely discoordinated, staggering gait with ballistic and pseuodoathetoid limb movements leading to falls and injuries. Consequently, he requires continuing safety parameters and supervision, and a wheelchair since age 22. He lost spontaneous and intelligible speech in his early twenties, with communication reduced to reading sign-language via finger-tapping on his palms. Serial MRIs demonstrates symmetric T2/FLAIR hyperintensity below the inferior head of the caudate, increasingly prominent cerebellar volume loss and a small optic chiasm. MR Spectroscopy showed increased lactate/creatinine ratio in the cerebellum. Genetic testing revealed OPA1 mutation at c.1208 T>C, p.Ile403Thr. Muscle biopsy showed cytochrome c deficient fibers and ragged-red fibers. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike previously reported cases of DOA+, our patient has unique pan-sensory deprivation associated with hyperkinetic movements and cognitive regression related to progressive central and peripheral nervous system deterioration. The patient’s mutation is in the sequence that encodes the GTPase domain of OPA1, which is likely responsible for mitochondrial fusion dysfunction, disrupting mitochondrial energy production and mitochondrial distribution. Disclosure: Dr. Thavapalan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Liang has received personsal compensation for activities with Teva Neuroscience as an consultant. Dr. Rakocevic has nothing to disclose.
Scintigraphy, ultrasound and CT scanning of the liver.

Until recently, the liver has been a blind area for most noninvasive radiological imaging procedures, particularly in the presence of moderate degrees of jaundice, the most common sign of liver failure. While it is difficult to assess the size and consistency of the liver clinically, it is a frequent site of inflammatory, metabolic and neoplastic disease, so that imaging techniques are required.
Ultrastructural manifestations of increased hormone release in the neurohypophysis.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the ultrastructural changes that accompany altered hormone release, with current opinions and speculation about the role of the anatomical elements during hormone release. The anatomical elements of the neural lobe show a good deal of change during increased hormone release. The dense core vesicles of the axon terminals can be depleted and those in the axon swelling eventually recruited. Intra-axonal lysosomes increase, smooth endoplasmic reticulum proliferates, and microvesicles re-distribute. The pituicyte processes withdraw from the basement membrane, possibly to provide a greater surface area for hormone release. Pituicytes also unwrap from around axonal processes, probably freeing axon terminals. Blood vessels dilate, filling up more of the perivascular space. All of the classifiable components of the neural lobe show ultrastructural changes during increased hormone release. Studies of the median eminence and magnocellular cell bodies of the hypothalamus suggest that the anatomical flexibility seen in the neural lobe may exist in these regions as well.
Cyclohexane oxidation catalyzed by zeolite encapsulatedruthenium perfluorophthalocyanines

Summary Hexadecafluorophthalocyanine (F 16 Pc) complexes of Ru(II) which were prepared bythe reaction of tetrafluorophthalonitrile and Ru 3 (CO) 12 , have been encapsulated in the supercages of zeolites NaX. The X type zeolites were synthesized around the RuF 16 Pc complexes. The zeolites modified with the metal complexes were characterized by XRD, FT-IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy as well as elemental analysis. The oxidation of cyclohexane using t-butylhydroperoxide was catalyzed by the intrazeolite RuF 16 Pc complexes. Complete conversion to cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol was achieved with nearly 3000 turnovers per day. These ship-in-a-bottle RuF 16 Pc complexes show no signs of deactivation in contrast to the iron analogs, regardless of how the peroxide is administered during the reaction.
1,2,4,5‐Tetrazine

[290-96-0] C2H2N4 (MW 82.07) InChI = 1S/C2H2N4/c1-3-5-2-6-4-1/h1-2H InChIKey = HTJMXYRLEDBSLT-UHFFFAOYSA-N ([4+2] cycloaddition, azadiene, and pyridazine) Alternative Names: s-tetrazine, sym-tetrazine. Physical Data: mp 99 °C.2 Solubility: sol most organic solvents. Form Supplied in: bright red crystals. Analysis of Reagent Purity: 1H NMR, UV/vis. Preparative Methods: available from a few commercial vendors, though preparation is more common.3 Purification: sublimation. Handling, Storage, and Precautions: store at −20 °C to avoid decomposition.
Input–Output Budgets

Because our ecosystems are watersheds, the flux of chemicals into the system may be simplified to that in precipitation (meteorologic vector) and the output to that in drainage waters (geologic vector), at least for those nutrients without a prominent gaseous phase (Bormann and Likens, 1967; Likens and Bormann, 1972). Theoretically, then, the difference between annual input (I) and output (O) for a given chemical constituent tells whether that constituent is being accumulated within the ecosystem, I > O; is being lost from the system, I < O or is quantitatively passing through the system, I = O. By this definition weathering products do not represent an input to the ecosystem; instead, weathering is considered as a process internal to the ecosystem and a part of the intrasystem cycle (Figure 1; Bormann and Likens, 1967; Likens and Bormann, 1972).
Out‐of‐Hospital Death: Advance Care Planning, Decedent Symptoms, and Caregiver Burden

Objectives: To examine the end-of-life experiences of elderly decedents dying out of the hospital and their family caregivers in a state in which the vast majority of Medicare deaths occur in community settings. Design: Telephone survey of family caregivers 2 to 5 months after decedents' deaths. Setting: Statewide (Oregon) random sample of death certificates. Participants: One thousand one hundred eighty-nine family caregivers of decedents aged 65 and older who died of natural deaths in community settings between 2000 and 2002. Measurements: A 69-item telephone questionnaire with single-item indicators and embedded scales that indexed advance directives, use of life-sustaining treatments, hospice enrollment, decedent symptom experience and perceived distress, family financial hardship, out-of-pocket expenses, and caregiver strain. Results: Most decedents had advance directives (78.3%) and were enrolled in hospice (62.4%). Although perceived decedent symptom distress was low overall, certain symptoms (e.g., pain, dyspnea, constipation) were distressing for approximately half of decedents experiencing them. Financial hardship, out-of-pocket expenses, and caregiver strain were frequently reported. American Indian race and younger age were associated with decedent symptom distress. Greater perceived decedent symptom distress, hospice enrollment, more caregiver involvement, and more financial burden were associated with greater caregiver strain. Conclusion: Despite high rates of advance directives and hospice enrollment, perceived symptom distress was high for a subset of decedents, and caregiver strain was common. As location of death increasingly shifts nationwide from hospital to community, unmet decedent and family needs require new clinical skills and healthcare policies.
Program Analysis Using Mixed Term and Set Constraints

There is a tension in program analysis between precision and efficiency. In constraint-based program analysis, at one extreme methods based on unification of equality constraints over terms are very fast but often imprecise. At the other extreme, methods based on the resolution of inclusion constraints over set expressions are quite precise, but are often inefficient in practice. We describe a parameterized framework for constraint-based program analyses that allows the analysis designer to embed terms and set expressions within each other. Constraints over these mixed expressions are partially between equality and inclusion, which enables an entire spectrum of program analyses with varying degrees of precision and efficiency to be expressed. We also show that there are interesting analyses that take advantage of this mixture. In particular, we report on the design and implementation of an uncaught exception analysis for core ML. Our results show that the analysis approaches the efficiency of algorithm W.
Mapping America: Exploring the Continent. Edited by Tom Howells and Duncan McCorquodale

The title and visually arresting cover of Mapping America: Exploring the Continent will no doubt lead a reader to expect a thoughtful, if not ‘cutting-edge’, examination of the printed maps that ha...