cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Beautiful Imperative Code

The beauty of functional programs stems from clear semantics, referential transparency, and the high-level of abstraction that permits programmers to focus on problem solving. In contrast, this beauty is rarely seen or appreciated in imperative code. In addition to solving a problem, imperative programmers focus on the bug-prone sequencing of assignment statements to obtain efficient code. Imperative programmers that learn functional programming, however, can derive an efficient imperative program from a functional program. This is achieved through a small series of meaning-preserving transformations. This article illustrates the transformations using a small example that yields code that is beautiful and efficient.
‘Grandmas’ in debate: A first-person story told in Taiwan’s presidential debate as a rhetorical device and public reactions to its credibility

This study examines data from a 2016 presidential debate in Taiwan to explore the use of first-person narrative in political discourse as a rhetorical device, and how public reactions to its credibility are influenced by the narrative's context. While previous studies of political debate discourse (e.g. Kuo 2001) investigate, for example, the use of "constructed dialogue" (Tannen 2007), there is a lack of studies focusing on first-person narrative in political debates. Using three-level positioning as outlined by Bamberg (1997), I analyze a narrative featuring a grandma character told by presidential candidate Eric Chu, also comparing it to another candidate James Soong's "grandma narrative." I argue that the context places constraints on the effects of their narratives. Whereas Chu's narrative, a traditional Labovian first-person story, is widely ridiculed with memes for its lack of credibility, Soong's narrative, a habitual narrative, receives little attention. The analysis shows how Chu's narrative serves his rhetorical purposes and suggests why the public doubts its credibility. At level 1 (characters positioned vis-a-vis one another), Chu presents himself as non-agentive with constructed dialogue, thereby excusing an earlier decision he made – failing to keep his promise to finish his term as a mayor. At level 2 (speaker positioned to audience), he switches from Mandarin to Taiwanese, a local dialect, which can be seen as an appeal to his current audience. At level 3 (identity claims locally instantiated), the grandma character draws on the archetype of elderly women in Taiwanese culture, fundamental to national economic growth, while his description of praying at a temple casts him against the local tradition of religious practices in Taiwan. The study helps fill the knowledge gap regarding first-person narrative in political discourse, while highlighting the context in which political narratives are embedded and contributing to understanding positioning in Taiwanese public discourse.
Authorship Attribution Using Diversity Profiles

We propose a new methodology for testing whether two writing samples were written by the same author. While many such tests are based on an index of lexical richness, we propose to use an entire pr...
A power-efficient biomimetic intra-branch dendritic adder

In neurons, the essence of nonlinear dendritic computations cannot be neglected as some neural behaviors depend heavily on these functions. In this paper, a power-efficient biomimetic intra-branch dendritic adder is introduced to emulate dendritic computations within the branches of the dendritic arbor. The proposed adder is implemented using 45nm CMOS technology. While exhibiting nonlinear behavior to post-synaptic input potentials, our simulation results shows that the adder consumes 2.95X and 10.8X less power, in processing of EPSPs and IPSPs, respectively, compared to the traditional adder used extensively in the BioRC project when implemented in the same technology.
Abstract 5852: DUOX2, a key player for chemopotentiation by low-dose fractionated radiation therapy in gastric cancer cells

One of the most conventional therapy for solid tumors is radiotherapy. Still, this modality presents a challenge when it comes to managing highly disseminated gastrointestinal cancers due to increased toxicity to surrounding tissues. Recent laboratory and clinical data indicate that Low Dose Fractionated Radiation Therapy (LDFRT) can potentiate systemic chemotherapy and presents the possibility to revisit the concept of Whole Abdominal Radiotherapy (WART) for disseminated intra-abdominal gastric cancers. Earlier work considered LDFRT ineffective for tumor removal but we now know that LDFRT induces hyper-radiosensitivity (HRS) in a number of proliferating cells. We have recently shown that dual oxidase (DUOX2) is a major contributor to induce HRS at radiation doses as low as 0.15 Gy and sensitize human gastric cancer cells to chemotherapy. The aim of our study is to determine the utility of DUOX2 as a potential biomarker for the clinical application of chemopotentiation by LDFRT. First, we performed immunohistochemistry (IHC) on 48 human gastric samples with progressive grades. Our data indicate that only about 50% of human gastric cancers are positive for DUOX2. The reason for DUOX2 variability of expression is not clear but may be linked to inflammation since six of the seven (86%) gastritis samples we examined expressed strong levels of DUOX2 in the surface of epithelial cells. Our data also indicate that expression of DUOX2 significantly increases the levels of macrophages infiltration in tissue expressing DUOX2 as well as in the stroma surrounded by cells expressing DUOX2. This suggests that expression of DUOX2 could impact on the dynamic of the tumor microenvironment. Expression of DUOX2 in response to LDFRT is conserved since we also observed this in mice primary gastric cancer cells as well as cancer stem cells. Furthermore, as a first step to develop DUOX2 as an accessible biomarker, we studied DUOX2 activity by measuring the accumulation of oxidative serum proteins in gastric cancer cells media. Our data indicate that down regulation of DUOX2 significantly reduces the levels of serum protein oxidation. Taken together these data suggest that DUOX2 could potentially be used as a biomarker to stratify patients and follow the efficiency of clinical application of chemopotentiation by LDFRT. Citation Format: Palak R. Parekh, Elizabeth Chang, Navesh K. Sharma, France Carrier. DUOX2, a key player for chemopotentiation by low-dose fractionated radiation therapy in gastric cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5852. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-5852
Self-explanatory simulations: scaling up to large models

Qualitative reasoners have been hamstrung by the inability to analyze large models. This includes self-explanatory simulators, which tightly integrate qualitative and numerical models to provide both precision and explanatory power. While they have important potential applications in training, instruction, and conceptual design, a critical step towards realizing this potential is the ability to build simulators for medium-sized systems (i.e., on the order of ten to twenty independent parameters). This paper describes a new method for developing self-explanatory simulators which scales up. While our method involves qualitative analysis, it does not rely on envisioning or any other form of qualitative simulation. We describe the results of an implemented system which uses this method, and analyze its limitations and potential.
Using direct visual augmentation to provide people with low vision equal access to information

Low vision is a visual impairment that cannot be corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses. Low vision people have functional vision and prefer using that vision instead of relying on audition and touch. Existing approaches to low vision accessibility enhance people's vision using simple "signal-to-signal" techniques that do not take into account the user's context. There is thus a major gap between low vision people's needs and existing low vision technologies. My doctorial research aims to address this gap by augmenting low vision people's visual experience with direct and optimal visual feedback based on the user's context. I will design and study novel methods for visual augmentation, which involves visual feedback beyond simple enhancements. My research considers two dimensions: visual condition and task. By understanding the visual perception of people with different visual abilities and exploring their needs in different visual tasks, I will design applications with visual feedback that is optimal for specific context to maximize people's access to information. My research will yield design insights and novel applications for people with all visual abilities.
Which Explains an Equity Index’s Return Better, the Change in its Own Implied Volatility or that for a Broader Index?

This study examines the proper risk proxy for an equity index. For each of nine indexes, an implied volatility index (VI) is computed from its options. For each, it determines whether the indexes’ return is explained better by the contemporaneous change in its own VI or that for a broader index. Overall, the broader indexes’ VI explains the indexes’ contemporaneous return better. We also find that the difference between the broader indexes’ VI and the individual indexes’ VI contributes to explaining the indexes’ contemporaneous return. Finally, we determine that the forward return differential between the indexes’ returns associated with high and low VI quintiles ranked by both the indexes’ VI and the broader indexes’ VI is positive. We also find that the differential is higher when ranked by the broader indexes’ VI.
Synthesis and characterization of tritium-labelled substances

This article reviews the methods and strategies to radiolabel and characterise substances with tritium.
Youth Poverty in the Industrialized World

Despite high rates of economic growth and improvement in the standard of living in industrialized nations throughout the twentieth century, a significant percentage of American children are still living in families so poor that normal health and growth are at risk …. It does not have to be this way: in many other countries child poverty afflicts only one-half to one-quarter as many children as the United States.
System architectures with virtualized resources in a large-scale computing infrastructure

While system virtualization provides a new vehicle of consolidating computer systems, simply virtualizing existing servers does not realize all of the benefits, resulting in inefficient resource usage and underperforming systems. In this thesis, we design key components for three different applications on large-scale virtualized infrastructures. Unlike physical servers, the amount of resources allocated to a virtual machine (VM) can be changed dynamically after its creation. We first design a web server cluster that uses a hash-based request distribution algorithm to improve scalability and locality. To handle uneven request distribution, resource allocations are adapted according to current demand. We also develop a scheme to improve fault-tolerance by retaining existing locality in surviving VMs as much as possible and transferring the workload on the failed node with the virtual resources that were allocated to the failed node. We then design a distributed proportional-share CPU scheduler for reducing the execution time of parallel computing programs by adjusting the CPU share allocation. The scheduler first infers the dependency between computing nodes by monitoring network packets and process state at each node. Excessive CPU shares are then identified and transferred in a distributed fashion. While some resources can be simply space-shared between VMs, contention for time-shared resources may result in additional delay that affects the dead reckoning accuracy in Internet game servers. Finally, we improve the virtual network interface design by allowing timestamps to be taken in the host OS and passed to a guest OS. Our evaluation result shows that reduced response time, better throughput, and more accurate timestamps can be achieved in a virtualized infrastructure that incorporates the design proposed in this thesis.
Socio-Ecological Context of Salmonids in the City

While a rich body of evidence provides an understanding about the relationship between the biophysical landscape conditions and salmonid health (preceding and following chapters), scholars increasingly recognize that social and political forces in an urban landscape are an equally significant factor for salmonid conservation efforts. The social and political forces, also considered the “socio-ecological context” of cities, consist of the decisions that direct urban growth, modify the landscape, and ultimately hinder or foster viable salmonid populations. The socio-ecological context, in this way, includes institutional governance structures, informal and formal educational enterprises, and citizen-led efforts. Together, these forces interact to create land use change at multiple scales, for example, through specific zoning requirements at the parcel scale or through land conservation programs at city or regional scales. Although increasing evidence suggests that urban areas are the solution to, as opposed to the problem of, many environmental challenges, the opportunity to assess these social and political drivers offers an immediate and timely perspective to understand the pressures on and solutions for humans to coexist with salmonids.
Definition of the ideal tumor marker.

SUMMARY It is evident that the ideal tumor marker is not, nor should it be, a perfect tumor marker given the present level of our knowledge about prostate cancer. Further refinement of our information about prognosis and optimal treatment of this disease will ultimately lead to greater utility of many of the features of an ideal marker. On the other hand, the perfect tumor marker may become a moot issue if its development is overtaken by definitive information about prostate cancer etiology and prevention from the realm of molecular biology. Until that millennium is reached, we must continue to seek improvement in tumor markers that will permit us to take advantage of those features that are clinically useful at the current stage of our knowledge.
Thermal Transport Analysis of Heterostructured Nanowires With Metal-Semiconductor Interfaces

Recent advances in materials sciences and nanotechnology have enabled novel nanostructure designs that selectively suppress heat transport by several orders of magnitude with respect to the bulk material, while maintaining its bulk electrical properties, thereby allowing for an increase in the thermoelectric figure of merit ZT [1]. This work investigates thermal transport in heterostructured nanowires with metal-semiconductor interfaces by introducing nickel silicide phases into silicon nanowires. We predict the temperature-dependent thermal conductivity of the heterostructured nanowires by considering phonon scattering with the nanoinclusions and interfacial thermal resistance. Results show thermal conductivity in silicon nanowires can be reduced by ~38% at 300 K by introducing spherical nickel silicide nanoinclusions with an inclusion density of 15%. Furthermore, inclusion of interfacial thermal resistance due to electron-phonon coupling can reduce thermal conductivity up to 27%. This work aims to provide insight on developing silicon-based nanomaterials for high thermoelectric performance.
Tidal Deformabilities and Neutron Star Mergers

Finite size effects in a neutron star merger are manifested, at leading order, through the tidal deformabilities of the stars. If strong first-order phase transitions do not exist within neutron stars, both neutron stars are described by the same equation of state, and their tidal deformabilities are highly correlated through their masses even if the equation of state is unknown. If, however, a strong phase transition exists between the central densities of the two stars, so that the more massive star has a phase transition and the least massive star does not, this correlation will be weakened. In all cases, a minimum deformability for each neutron star mass is imposed by causality, and a less conservative limit is imposed by the unitary gas constraint, both of which we compute. In order to make the best use of gravitational wave data from mergers, it is important to include the correlations relating the deformabilities and the masses as well as lower limits to the deformabilities as a function of mass. Focusing on the case without strong phase transitions, and for mergers where the chirp mass $\mathcal{M}\ensuremath{\le}1.4\text{ }\text{ }{M}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$, which is the case for all observed double neutron star systems where a total mass has been accurately measured, we show that the ratio of the dimensionless tidal deformabilities satisfy ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{1}/{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{2}\ensuremath{\sim}{q}^{6}$, where $q={M}_{2}/{M}_{1}$ is the binary mass ratio; $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ and $M$ are the dimensionless deformability and mass of each star, respectively. Moreover, they are bounded by ${q}^{{n}_{\ensuremath{-}}}\ensuremath{\ge}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{1}/{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{2}\ensuremath{\ge}{q}^{{n}_{0+}+q{n}_{1+}}$, where ${n}_{\ensuremath{-}}l{n}_{0+}+q{n}_{1+}$; the parameters depend only on $\mathcal{M}$, which is accurately determined from the gravitational-wave signal. We also provide analytic expressions for the wider bounds that exist in the case of a strong phase transition. We argue that bounded ranges for ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{1}/{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{2}$, tuned to $\mathcal{M}$, together with lower bounds to $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}(M)$, will be more useful in gravitational waveform modeling than other suggested approaches.
Performance evaluation for MOTIFSIM

Previous studies show various results obtained from different motif finders for an identical dataset. This is largely due to the fact that these tools use different strategies and possess unique features for discovering the motifs. Hence, using multiple tools and methods has been suggested because the motifs commonly reported by them are more likely to be biologically significant. The common significant motifs from multiple tools can be obtained by using MOTIFSIM tool. In this work, we evaluated the performance of MOTIFSIM in three aspects. First, we compared the pair-wise comparison technique of MOTIFSIM with the un-gapped Smith-Waterman algorithm and four common distance metrics: average Kullback-Leibler, average log-likelihood ratio, Chi-Square distance, and Pearson Correlation Coefficient. Second, we compared the performance of MOTIFSIM with RSAT Matrix-clustering tool for motif clustering. Lastly, we evaluated the performances of nineteen motif finders and the reliability of MOTIFSIM for identifying the common significant motifs from multiple tools. The pair-wise comparison results reveal that MOTIFSIM attains better performance than the un-gapped Smith-Waterman algorithm and four distance metrics. The clustering results also demonstrate that MOTIFSIM achieves similar or even better performance than RSAT Matrix-clustering. Furthermore, the findings indicate if the motif detection does not require a special tool for detecting a specific type of motif then using multiple motif finders and combining with MOTIFSIM for obtaining the common significant motifs, it improved the results for DNA motif detection.
Engaging Alumni Mentors in Software Engineering Project Courses

Getting alumni effectively engaged as mentors with students is a topic that is of great interest to universities but often hard to do in practice. We have found that with proper structure and support, software project courses provide a good avenue to make these connections between alumni and student and that alumni input can improve the quality of outcomes in these project courses. In this poster the authors describe the alumni mentoring process and how it has evolved over the past three years. In addition, we have begun to collect data from both student teams and alumni to answer three questions: (1) what information are alumni sharing with student teams? (2) is a student team's perception of what was said matching up well with the mentor's perception?, (3) are student teams able to convert alumni feedback into actionable project items?, and (4) at what phase in a software engineering project are alumni mentors most effective? The poster will demonstrate the details of our mentoring process and display our preliminary findings in a colorful fashion convenient to allow others to assess for themselves the potential value of using alumni mentors in software project courses.
Who Gets Compartment Syndrome?: A Retrospective Analysis of the National and Local Incidence of Compartment Syndrome in Patients With Supracondylar Humerus Fractures

PURPOSE Although acute compartment syndrome (ACS) is associated with pediatric supracondylar humerus (SCH) fractures, there are limited data describing its incidence and risk factors. The purpose of our study was to report the local and national incidence of ACS with SCH and floating elbow (concomitant SCH and forearm) fracture patterns and the associated risk factors. METHODS We retrospectively queried data for SCH fracture patients over a 4-year period from our institution (a level I pediatric trauma center) and the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB). Data on demographics, mechanism of injury, open versus closed fracture, length of stay, presence or absence of forearm fractures, and incidence of traumatic compartment syndrome were analyzed. The student t and χ tests were utilized for group comparisons of continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for compartment syndrome. Results are summarized as means with SD or odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Statistical significance was set at P<0.05. RESULTS At our institution, 839 patients with SCH fractures met inclusion criteria. In total, 814 (97.02%) patients (average age, 5.96±2.58 y) sustained isolated SCH fractures during the indicated timeframe. SCH fractures with an associated forearm fracture were identified in 25 (2.98%) patients (average age, 7.00±3.03 y). Three patients (0.36%) with isolated SCH fractures were observed to have compartment syndrome. No compartment syndromes were identified in the patients with floating elbows.Within the same time period, the NTDB identified 31,234 SCH fractures met inclusion criteria. Of those, 31,167 patients had isolated SCH fractures (average age, 5.5±2.7 y). In total, 67 of the SCH patients (0.2%, P<0.0001) had documented ACS (average age, 7.3±3.5 y). The NTDB identified 1565 patients with floating elbows, including 13 (0.8%, P≤0.0001) who developed compartment syndrome (average age, 6.47±2.71 y). The NTDB query also identified 530 patients with neurovascular injury (NVI), with 4.5% (n=24) that developed compartment syndrome. In the regression analysis, older age (OR, 1.1; 95% CI, 1.0-1.2; P<0.0092), male sex (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.5-4.8; P=0.0005), floating elbow fracture pattern (OR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.7-6.1; P=0.0003) and NVI (OR, 25.0; 95% CI, 14.6-42.8; P≤0.0001) were identified as risk factors for developing compartment syndrome. CONCLUSIONS Data from our institution and NTDB reveal that acute traumatic compartment syndrome is rare, occurring in ∼2 to 3 fractures of 1000. However, there is a significantly increased risk with NVI, floating elbow fractures, males, and older patients. SIGNIFICANCE Characterizing the incidence and associated risk factors of ACS with concomitant SCH and forearm fracture patterns can improve clinical understanding and management of pediatric patients.
Incerta Pro Certis: An Interpretation of Sallust Bellum Catilinae 48.4-49.4

Sallust's style is provocative and tendentious, but does his admitted moral tendentiousness carry over into a political or partisan tendentiousness? For centuries we have heard of Sallust the partisan, Sallust the propagandist, Sallustian bias. The history of this perceived bias began at least in the age of Augustus when the anonymous writer of the Invectio in Ciceronem set stylus to wax and began his fraud. Less than a century later (before 96 A.D.) Quintilian regarded the work as genuine Sallust ( I.O. 4.1.68; 9.3.89). The deception had worked; and both the fraud itself and Quintilian's acquiescence indicate a perceived anti-Gceronian bias to Sallust's writing. In the modern period, the history of perceived bias, already resisted by Voss, came to its climax in 1897 with an article by E. Schwartz which argued for a systematic and extreme anti-Ciceronian and pro-Caesarian bias and purpose to the Bellum Catilinae . The charges seemed to Schwartz necessary to explain (1) Sallust's chronology, (2) the significantly small role played by Cicero in Sallust's monograph, and (3) the report of certain rumours which implicated Cicero and Crassus and the denial of rumours which implicated Caesar. A systematic review of the arguments, however, gradually undermined or called into question the validity of most of Schwartz's points. By 1964 Syme could say that the main charges against Sallust had collapsed upon inspection. And they had; all but one.
Balancing STAT Activity as a Therapeutic Strategy

Driven by dysregulated IL-6 family member cytokine signaling in the tumor microenvironment (TME), aberrant signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT3) and (STAT5) activation have been identified as key contributors to tumorigenesis. Following transformation, persistent STAT3 activation drives the emergence of mesenchymal/cancer-stem cell (CSC) properties, important determinants of metastatic potential and therapy failure. Moreover, STAT3 signaling within tumor-associated macrophages and neutrophils drives secretion of factors that facilitate metastasis and suppress immune cell function. Persistent STAT5 activation is responsible for cancer cell maintenance through suppression of apoptosis and tumor suppressor signaling. Furthermore, STAT5-mediated CD4+/CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been implicated in suppression of immunosurveillance. We discuss these roles for STAT3 and STAT5, and weigh the attractiveness of different modes of targeting each cancer therapy. Moreover, we discuss how anti-tumorigenic STATs, including STAT1 and STAT2, may be leveraged to suppress the pro-tumorigenic functions of STAT3/STAT5 signaling.
Multiscale simulation methods: molecular dynamics and dissipative particle dynamics techniques

Abstract Carbon-based nanomaterials such as nanocomposites and nanosuspensions have gained significant prominence in diverse applications due to their ability to enhance desired material functionalities. Some examples of these applications include drug delivery, additive manufacturing, and technologies reliant on efficient electrical and thermal conductivity. Of specific interest are carbon-based nanomaterials which have potential applications in thermal transfer processes. Experimental techniques have made notable strides in the synthesis, characterization and use of such nanomaterials in heat transfer processes. Yet, these techniques do not have the spatiotemporal resolution to capture processes and mechanics underlying the behavior of these materials. This gap has been met via the employment of computational tools. This chapter will examine the computational methods that have been harnessed to study carbon-based nanomaterials, specifically nanocomposites and nanosuspensions. The computational methods discussed will include the diverse techniques that have been employed to date. Some of these techniques will encompass multiscale simulation methods such as the molecular dynamics and dissipative particle dynamics techniques. Furthermore, the chapter will discuss current challenges in these methods and future directions.
Mechanisms Mediating High-Molecular-Weight Hyaluronan-Induced Antihyperalgesia

We evaluated the mechanism by which high-molecular-weight hyaluronan (HMWH) attenuates nociceptor sensitization, in the setting of inflammation. HMWH attenuated mechanical hyperalgesia induced by the inflammatory mediator prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in male and female rats. Intrathecal administration of an oligodeoxynucleotide antisense (AS-ODN) to mRNA for cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44), the cognate hyaluronan receptor, and intradermal administration of A5G27, a CD44 receptor antagonist, both attenuated antihyperalgesia induced by HMWH. In male rats, HMWH also signals via Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and AS-ODN for TLR4 mRNA administered intrathecally, attenuated HMWH-induced antihyperalgesia. Since HMWH signaling is dependent on CD44 clustering in lipid rafts, we pretreated animals with methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD), which disrupts lipid rafts. MβCD markedly attenuated HMWH-induced antihyperalgesia. Inhibitors for components of intracellular signaling pathways activated by CD44, including phospholipase C and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), also attenuated HMWH-induced antihyperalgesia. Furthermore, in vitro application of HMWH attenuated PGE2-induced sensitization of tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium current, in small-diameter dorsal root ganglion neurons, an effect that was attenuated by a PI3K inhibitor. Our results indicate a central role of CD44 signaling in HMWH-induced antihyperalgesia and suggest novel therapeutic targets, downstream of CD44, for the treatment of pain generated by nociceptor sensitization.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT High-molecular-weight-hyaluronan (HMWH) is used to treat osteoarthritis and other pain syndromes. In this study we demonstrate that attenuation of inflammatory hyperalgesia by HMWH is mediated by its action at cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) and activation of its downstream signaling pathways, including RhoGTPases (RhoA and Rac1), phospholipases (phospholipases Ce and Cγ1), and phosphoinositide 3-kinase, in nociceptors. These findings contribute to our understanding of the antihyperalgesic effect of HMWH and support the hypothesis that CD44 and its downstream signaling pathways represent novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of inflammatory pain.
Ecological Specializations of High Altitude Insects

This chapter presents a broad outline of the outstanding ecological specializations of the high altitude insects, with particular emphasis on the fundamental differences between the high altitude and lowland insects.
Implementation and utilization of gynecological teaching associate and male urogenital teaching associate programs: a scoping review.

Gynecological Teaching Associates (GTAs) and Male Urogenital Teaching Associates (MUTAs) are individuals trained to instruct health professional learners with their own body to conduct accurate, patient-centered breast, pelvic, urogenital, rectal, and/or prostate examinations. Evidence indicates that this results in improvements in technical competence and communication skills, but there is wide variability to how such programs are implemented and engaged within the curriculum. In this scoping review, we mapped evidence regarding (1) how GTA/MUTA programs are utilized with health professional learners, (2) how GTA/MUTA programs are implemented using the Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) Standards of Best Practice (SOBP) as a framework, and (3) what broad outcomes are addressed in publications. PubMed, ERIC, PsychINFO, CINAHL, and Sociological Abstracts were searched for all publications addressing instruction of physical examinations with a GTA/MUTA and/or administration of GTA/MUTA programs. Studies were charted in tandem until consensus was identified and then charted individually, using an iterative process. The scoping review protocol was registered prospectively. One hundred and one articles were identified, and nearly all highlighted positive results regarding GTA/MUTA programs. Most studies addressed medical students within the USA and Europe. During instructional sessions, three (SD=1.4) learners worked with each GTA/MUTA and an average of 32 min (SD=17) was allocated per learner. GTAs/MUTA instructed both independently (n=33) and in pairs (n=51). Thirty-eight articles provided detailed information consistent with one or more of the Domains of the ASPE SOBP, with six providing specific information regarding safe work environments. While studies demonstrate consistently positive outcomes for learners, there is wide variability in implementation patterns. This variability may impact learning outcomes and impact both physical and psychological safety for GTAs/MUTAs and learners. Terminology used to refer to GTAs/MUTAs is inconsistent and may obscure relevant publications. Additional research is indicated to explore the pedagogical variables that result in positive learning outcomes and examine methods to ensure physical and psychological safety of GTAs/MUTAs and learners. https://osf.io/x9w2u/ .
Is there a difference in utilization of a perioperative treatment approach for gastric cancer between safety net hospitals and tertiary referral centers

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Perioperative therapy is a favored treatment strategy for gastric cancer. We sought to assess utilization of this approach at safety net hospitals (SNH) and tertiary referral centers (TRC). MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients in the US Safety Net Collaborative (2012-2014) with resectable gastric cancer across five SNH and their sister TRC were included. Primary outcomes were receipt of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and perioperative therapy. RESULTS Of 284 patients, 36% and 64% received care at SNH and TRC. The distribution of Stage II/III resectable disease was similar across facilities. Receipt of NAC at SNH and TRC was similar (56% vs. 46%, p = 0.27). Compared with overall clinical stage, 38% and 36% were pathologically downstaged at SNH and TRC, respectively. Among patients who received NAC, those who also received adjuvant chemotherapy at SNH and TRC were similar (66% vs. 60%, p = 0.50). Asian race and higher clinical stage were associated with receipt of perioperative therapy (both p < 0.05) while treatment facility type was not. CONCLUSIONS There was no difference in utilization of a perioperative treatment strategy between facility types for patients with gastric cancer. Pathologic downstaging from NAC was similar across treatment facilities, suggesting similar quality and duration of therapy. Treatment at an SNH is not a barrier to receiving standard-of-care perioperative therapy for gastric cancer.
Individual differences in anchoring susceptibility: Verbal reasoning, autistic tendencies, and narcissism

Abstract Hundreds of studies have documented anchoring, whereby people's numerical judgments assimilate to previously considered values. Much less is known, however, about individual differences in susceptibility to anchoring effects. In this study (N = 399), we found that people with stronger verbal reasoning skills and people higher in social autistic tendencies were less influenced by anchors, whereas people higher in narcissism were more influenced by anchors. Although relatively small, these relations contribute to the integration of the judgment and decision making literature on anchoring with personality and individual differences approaches to cognition.
Religious Experience as Perceptual

An examination of reports of religious experiences from all traditions shows that they all have a perceptual character. While some have challenged the claim that they are perceptual on the grounds that naturalistic explanations provide a better explanation, or on the grounds that divine qualities are impossible to perceive, such challenges rest on a misunderstanding of how perception works, even in ordinary cases.
The Aging Cell Surface

The cell membrane is a complex fluid mosaic of lipid and protein (Bretscher, 1973; Singer and Nicolson, 1972; Steck, 1974; Shinitzky and Henkart, 1979) between the cellular interior and the immediate extracellular environment. It provides the foundation for the structural and molecular mechanisms that govern cell-to-cell interaction, external signal reception, cell adhesion and motility, and establishment and maintenance of cell shape. Signal reception and intercellular communication play important roles in the control of cell cycle kinetics and proliferation (Clarkson and Baserga, 1974). Proteins which effect cell shape and motility also participate in mitotic events and the interphase stages of G1, S, and G2 (Baserga, 1968), in addition to establishing and maintaining contact with other cells and/or their normal or artificial substrates (Adelstein et al., 1979; Weihing, 1979).
Recent Molecular Advances in Our Understanding of Glioma

Our molecular understanding of glioma has undergone a sea change over the last decade. In this review, we discuss two recent articles that employed whole genome sequencing to subclassify gliomas vis-a-vis known molecular alterations. We further discuss the relevance of these findings vis-a-vis current treatment paradigms.
A determination of antibiotic resistance before and after the introduction of production livestock

Bacterial antimicrobial resistance represents an important current and future problem in infectious disease public health. When reviewing longitudinal studies (research studies involving repeated observations of a location over a period of time), very little information was found regarding the proliferation and dissemination of foodborne bacteria in a new dairy farm environment. Iowa State University (ISU; Ames IA) was awarded 887 acres of land by a donor family. An academic teaching farm was later constructed, The Dairy/Animal Science Education Facility (or the ISU Dairy Farm). Prior to building the ISU Dairy Farm, the land was only used for recreational activities-no production livestock had ever been introduced. It was decided to study the bacteria microbiota Enterobacteriaceae (particularly Salmonella), Enterococcus and Campylobacter. Microbiological sampling was conducted using a variety of techniques-from phenotypic methods (e.g. detecting bacteria by using specialized media) to genotypic methods (e.g. Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis). Sampling took place prior to dairy cattle placement (20 October 2007 and 13 November 2007) and after placement (27 January 2008, 29 February 2008, 12 March 2008, 23 April 2008 and 28 May 2008). A literature review discussing the introduction of dairy cattle to the United States, antibiotics used in animal production, antibiotic resistance, and the “prudent” (or responsible) use of antibiotics is discussed in chapter 1. Data from the ISU Dairy Farm Studies are included in chapter 2 (the establishment and proliferation of antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter), chapter 3 (the establishment and proliferation of Enterococcus spp.) and chapter 4 (the establishment of Enterobacteriaceae and Salmonella london). Chapter 5 addresses general conclusions of this work and recommendations for future research.
CaMKII Activation Is a Novel Effector of Alcohol’s Neurotoxicity in Neural Crest Stem/Progenitor Cells

Prenatal ethanol exposure causes significant neurodevelopmental deficits through its induction of apoptosis in neuronal progenitors including the neural crest. Using an established chick embryo model, we previously showed that clinically relevant ethanol concentrations cause neural crest apoptosis through mobilization of an intracellular calcium transient. How the calcium transient initiates this cell death is unknown. In this study, we identify CaMKII as the calcium target responsible for ethanol-induced apoptosis. Immunostaining revealed selective enrichment of activated phosphoCaMKII(Thr286) within ethanol-treated neural crest. CaMKII activation in response to ethanol was rapid (< 60 s) and robust, and CaMKII activity was increased 300% over control levels. Treatment with CaMKII-selective inhibitors but not those directed against CaMKIV or PKC completely prevented the cell death. Forced expression of dominant-negative CaMKII prevented ethanol's activation of CaMKII and prevented the ethanol-induced death, whereas constitutively active CaMKII in ethanol's absence significantly increased cell death to levels caused by ethanol treatment. In summary, CaMKII is the key signal that converts the ethanol-induced, short-lived Ca(i) (2+) transient into a long-lived cellular effector. This is the first identification of CaMKII as a critical mediator of ethanol-induced cell death. Because neural crest differentiates into several neuronal lineages, our findings offer novel insights into how ethanol disrupts early neurogenesis.
THE CHALLENGE OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE

Excerpt Mr. President, Members of the American College of Physicians, Ladies and Gentlemen: I appreciate deeply the honor of being asked to give the James D. Bruce Memorial Lecture on Preventive Me...
Chronic exposure to subcutaneously implanted methylxanthines. Differential elevation of A1-adenosine receptors in mouse cerebellar and cerebral cortical membranes.

Abstract Upregulation of brain adenosine receptors in DBA/2J mice as affected by theophylline and caffeine, adenosine antagonists, was examined following subcutaneous drug implantation to ensure chronic exposure. Scatchard analysis of binding to membranes of cerebral cortex and cerebellum from individual mice showed a differential upregulation of (−)- N 6 - R -[G- 3 H]phenylisopropyladenosine ([ 3 H]- l -PIA) binding density by theophylline. After 14 days of exposure to theophylline (serum concentration of 1.2 ± 0.01 μ/ml measured by HPLC analysis), the B max for l -PIA binding to cerebellar membranes increased 22% over the control mice (statistically significant at P B max for l -PIA binding to cerebral cortical membranes. The observed increases in B max values of cerebellar (13.2%) and cerebral cortical membrane binding (14.2%) on chronic exposure to caffeine (7.1 ± 0.5 μg/ml) were not statistically significant at the P ⩽ 0.05 level. Neither methylxanthine affected the dissociation constant, K D , for l -PIA. The increased potential for adenosine receptor upregulation by theophylline compared to caffeine following chronic, low level exposure suggests that caffeine treatment for sleep apnea may be preferred to the standard theophylline therapy.
Preliminary report of the production of callus, organogenesis and regeneration of jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis, Link, Schneid.) in tissue culture

SummaryShoot tips, leaves, stems and cotyledons of Simmondsia chinensis were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (M&S) medium supplemented with 3% sucrose and various auxins and cytokinins. Callus was initiated on all expiants when an auxin (generally 10-5 M conc.) such as NAA, IAA or 2,4-D, and a cytokinini (generally 10"5 M conc.) such as IP A, kinetin or zeatin, were added to the medium. Roots were induced on cultured leaf stem and cotyledon pieces. Shoot tips, which elongated in culture and branched laterally, were also induced to root. Rooting of elongated apices was accomplished by a two-step procedure involving different media, hormones and temperatures, resulting in complete plantlets. Nevertheless, plants developed from in vitro culture failed to survive when transferred in soil to the greenhouse.
Defective 30S Ribosomal Subunits After Infection of Escherichia coli by T2 Ghosts

Ribosomes from ghost-treated Escherichia coli can form in vitro initiation complexes but cannot translate added template RNA because of a defect in the 30 S subunit; 16 S rRNA is degraded.
Soy protein intolerance: four patients with concomitant cow's milk intolerance.

An infrequently encountered and poorly understood infantile disorder is gastrointestinal soy protein intolerance. Four patients who had intractable diarrhea of infancy and who failed to thrive were tested by oral challenge with soy protein isolate and were found to have soy protein intolerance. All four exhibited concomitant sensitivity to cow9s milk protein. The response to challenge with soy protein included diarrhea, vomiting, hypotension, lethargy, and fever. These symptomns were immediate, of short duration, and occurred with each subsequent challenge dose. No patient exhibited cutaneous, pulmonary, or hematologic evidence of allergy although it was prominent in their families. A diet devoid of intact soy and cow9s milk protein allowed symptomatic recovery and rapid weight gain. Oral disodium cromoglycate therapy was ineffective in one trial. Soy protein intolerance should be suspected in infants with diarrhea resistant to therapy with soy based formulas.
Scale-Space Based Weak Regressors for Boosting

Boosting is a simple yet powerful modeling technique that is used in many machine learning and data mining related applications. In this paper, we propose a novel scale-space based boosting framework which applies scale-space theory for choosing the optimal regressors during the various iterations of the boosting algorithm. In other words, the data is considered at different resolutions for each iteration in the boosting algorithm. Our framework chooses the weak regressors for the boosting algorithm that can best fit the current resolution and as the iterations progress, the resolution of the data is increased. The amount of increase in the resolution follows from the wavelet decomposition methods. For regression modeling, we use logitboost update equations based on first derivative of the loss function. We clearly manifest the advantages of using this scale-space based framework for regression problems and show results on different real-world regression datasets.
Influence of oxygen exposure time on organic carbon preservation in continental margin sediments

Today, over 90% of all organic carbon burial in the ocean occurs in continental margin sediments1. This burial is intrinsically linked to the cycling of biogeochemically important elements (such as N, P, S, Fe and Mn) and, on geological timescales, largely controls the oxygen content of the atmosphere2,3,4. Currently there is a volatile debate over which processes govern sedimentary organic carbon preservation5,6,7,8. In spite of numerous studies demonstrating empirical relationships between organic carbon burial and such factors as primary productivity9, the flux of organic carbon through the water column10, sedimentation rate11,12, organic carbon degradation rate13, and bottom-water oxygen concentration8,14, the mechanisms directly controlling sedimentary organic carbon preservation remain unclear. Furthermore, as organic carbon burial is the process that, along with pyrite burial15, balances O2 concentrations in the atmosphere, it is desirable that any mechanism proposed to control organic carbon preservation include a feedback buffering atmospheric oxygen concentrations over geological time. Here we compare analyses of sediments underlying two regions of the eastern North Pacific Ocean, one which has oxygen-depleted bottom waters and one with typical oxygen distributions. Organic carbon burial efficiency is strongly correlated with the length of time accumulating particles are exposed to molecular oxygen in sediment pore waters. Oxygen exposure time effectively incorporates other proposed environmental variables8,9,10,11,12,13,14, and may exert a direct control on sedimentary organic carbon preservation and atmospheric oxygen concentrations.