cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract B87: Acute-phase proteins (C-reactive protein and Serum Amyloid A) and post-diagnosis mammographic density in breast cancer survivors

Mammographic density (MD) is positively associated with breast cancer risk and with breast cancer recurrence. Factors that influence MD include age, circulating endogenous hormone levels, hormone therapy, menopausal status, parity, adiposity, and genetic variation. The association between MD and estrogen levels may be regulated to an extent by the immune system. Cytokines such as IL-6 influence aromatase activity and therefore estrogen synthesis. Experiments on breast cancer cell lines have shown that IL-6, in combination with estrone sulfate enhances cellular proliferation through their action on aromatase. Acute phase proteins C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and Serum Amyloid A (SAA) are nonspecific inflammatory markers that increase with systemic inflammation in response to elevated levels of IL-6. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether CRP or SAA are associated with MD among postmenopausal women who are breast cancer survivors. Circulating levels of CRP, SAA, and percent MD approximately 30 months after diagnosis were obtained from 479 women participating in the Health, Eating, Activity, and Lifestyle Study (HEAL). HEAL is a prospective cohort study of 1,183 breast cancer survivors identified through Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries in Los Angeles County, New Mexico, and Western Washington. For this analysis, regression models were used to estimate associations between CRP/SAA and MD after adjustments for age, race, body mass index (BMI), post-menopausal hormone use, tamoxifen use, and study center. Potential effect modification by factors that could influence inflammation or estrogen levels was evaluated by stratification and with formal tests of interaction. After adjusting for covariates, we found a negative association between CRP and MD (β=-0.13, p=0.03) and no association between SAA and MD (β=-0.09, p=0.31). These associations were not modified by race, use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, smoking, or physical activity. Further, we found that women with CRP levels that were lower than the median ( Citation Format: Anne Dee, Roberta McKean-Cowdin, Anne McTiernan, Richard N. Baumgartner, Kathy B. Baumgartner, Rachel Ballard-Barbash, Leslie Bernstein. Acute-phase proteins (C-reactive protein and Serum Amyloid A) and post-diagnosis mammographic density in breast cancer survivors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2012 Oct 16-19; Anaheim, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Prev Res 2012;5(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B87.
Tanizaki and the literary uses of cinema

ABSTRACTTanizaki Jun'ichirō's captivation with cinema during the Taishō period is well known — he wrote a number of film-themed pieces of fiction, published several essays on cinema, and worked briefly as a screenwriter. In this article, I analyse Tanizaki's cinema-themed fiction not to distill an operating theory of film but to explore the ways he leverages film-via-text to generate and exploit a dynamic relation between cinematic reality and conspicuous artifice in fictional narratives.
Large-scale organizational change

The article reviews the book “Large-Scale Organizational Change,” by Allan M. Mohrman, Susan Albers Mohrman, Gerald E. Ledford, Thomas G. Cummings and Edward E. Lawler.
A Parametric Study on Selective Ultrasonic Foaming of Porous Polymer for Biomedical Applications

A selective ultrasonic foaming (SUF) process was developed to fabricate porous polymer for biomedical applications. The method employs a high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) transducer to selectively heat and implode gas-impregnated polymers. This acoustic method is solvent-free and capable of creating interconnected pores that have various topographical features at different length scales. In this paper, we investigate the effects of major process parameters of the SUF process, including the ultrasound power, scanning speed, and the specimen gas concentration. The pore size and interconnectivity of the porous structure were analyzed. The microstructures were characterized using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a dye penetration test. It was found that the scanning speed of the ultrasound had a significant effect on the pore size control, and that low gas concentration was a necessary condition for interconnected porous structures.© 2007 ASME
Brazil's Paraguayan Policy, 1869-1876

When Brazilian troops occupied Asuncion on January 1, 1869, the worst war in South American history appeared to be nearing its end. This was a conflict caused by power politics, boundary disputes, and traditional animosities in the Plata basin. In a very real sense, the Paraguayan War was a climactic event in the evolution of nationalism in all of the four countries involved. A fortuitous combination of circumstances found Brazil and Argentina supporting the same party in Uruguay; although still intensely suspicious of each other's intentions, they had come to realize that an independent Uruguay was essential for the maintenance of peace between them. Argentina and Brazil had long sustained territorial disputes with Paraguay; indeed, if their desires had been satisfied, Paraguay would have been reduced to the territory she now has between the Parana and Paraguay rivers.
The Neapolitan revolution of 1799

(1999). The Neapolitan revolution of 1799. Journal of Modern Italian Studies: Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 369-379.
Economics, Ethics and the Dilemma in the Prisoner's Dilemmas:

This paper contrasts four distinct versions of the Prisoner's Dilemma (the commons, public goods, biological altruism, and biological selfishness) in terms of their ethical content for economic dec...
Human Security: Defining the Elephant and Imagining its Tasks

Like the apocryphal elephant defined by the blind men touching different parts of its anatomy, the content of the phrase “human security” varies with its users. In this sense it is rather like the phrase “self-determination”, which is widely employed by and for diverse interests.1 The lack of uniform definition or use stems in both cases not from intrinsic incoherence but from the way in which, from their first appearance, the phrases seemed to challenge the views, values, and interests of the practitioners of traditional diplomacy, powerful actors who then had a choice: resist them absolutely as rogue concepts threatening the very structure of international relations or neuter their revolutionary potential through an interpretation rendering them compatible with, even a reinforcement of, the basic structure of the status quo.
Open Wedge Distal Femoral Osteotomy: Accuracy of Correction and Patient Outcomes.

Background There is a renewed interest in joint preservation surgery, and lateral opening wedge distal femoral osteotomy (DFO), a joint-preserving procedure, has been used to treat symptomatic genu valgum when the deformity originates in the distal femur.
Cloud Server Benchmark Suite for Evaluating New Hardware Architectures

Adding new hardware features to a cloud computing server requires testing both the functionality and the performance of the new hardware mechanisms. However, commonly used cloud computing server workloads are not well-represented by the SPEC integer and floating-point benchmark and Parsec suites typically used by the computer architecture community. Existing cloud benchmark suites for scale-out or scale-up computing are not representative of the most common cloud usage, and are very difficult to run on a cycle-accurate simulator that can accurately model new hardware, like gem5. In this paper, we present PALMScloud, a suite of cloud computing benchmarks for performance evaluation of cloud servers, that is ready to run on the gem5 cycle-accurate simulator. We conduct a behavior characterization and analysis of the benchmarks. We hope that these cloud benchmarks, ready to run on a dual-machine gem5 simulator or on real machines, can be useful to other researchers interested in improving hardware micro-architecture and cloud server performance.
Enabling Backscatter Communication among Commodity WiFi Radios

We present the first low power backscatter system that can be deployed completely using commodity WiFi infrastructure. With this system, a low power tag reflects existing 802.11b transmissions from a commodity WiFi transmitter, and the backscattered signals can be decoded as a standard WiFi packet by a commodity 802.11b receiver. The key invention is a novel technique called \textbf{codeword translation}, which allows a backscatter tag to embed its information on standard 802.11b packets by just translating the original transmitted 802.11b codeword to another valid 802.11b codeword. This allows any 802.11b receiver to decode the backscattered packet, thus opening the doors for widespread deployment of low-power backscatter communication using widely available WiFi infrastructure. We show experimentally that we can achieve an uplink throughput of up to 1Mbps at ranges of up to 8m and ranges of up to 50m where it achieves a throughput of around 100Kbps, which is twice as better than the recently published passive WiFi system.
An empirical investigation of student arrivals, departures, and persistence in computing majors

For the purpose of investigating recruitment and retention, the records of 1,504 computing students over eight years (2008 to 2015) were analyzed. Included in the results are the majors most commonly switched to and from when students enter or leave a computing major, the number of semesters before students change majors, and student academic performance when majors are changed. Of particular interest in the results is the interaction between Computer Science, Information Systems, and Information Technology, and the impact of curriculum changes on student loyalty to a major.
Blast waves from detonated military explosive reduce GluR1 and synaptophysin levels in hippocampal slice cultures.

Abstract Explosives create shockwaves that cause blast-induced neurotrauma, one of the most common types of traumatic brain injury (TBI) linked to military service. Blast-induced TBIs are often associated with reduced cognitive and behavioral functions due to a variety of factors. To study the direct effects of military explosive blasts on brain tissue, we removed systemic factors by utilizing rat hippocampal slice cultures. The long-term slice cultures were briefly sealed air-tight in serum-free medium, lowered into a 37 °C water-filled tank, and small 1.7-gram assemblies of cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX) were detonated 15 cm outside the tank, creating a distinct shockwave recorded at the culture plate position. Compared to control mock-treated groups of slices that received equal submerge time, 1–3 blast impacts caused a dose-dependent reduction in the AMPA receptor subunit GluR1. While only a small reduction was found in hippocampal slices exposed to a single RDX blast and harvested 1–2 days later, slices that received two consecutive RDX blasts 4 min apart exhibited a 26–40% reduction in GluR1, and the receptor subunit was further reduced by 64–72% after three consecutive blasts. Such loss correlated with increased levels of HDAC2, a histone deacetylase implicated in stress-induced reduction of glutamatergic transmission. No evidence of synaptic marker recovery was found at 72 h post-blast. The presynaptic marker synaptophysin was found to have similar susceptibility as GluR1 to the multiple explosive detonations. In contrast to the synaptic protein reductions, actin levels were unchanged, spectrin breakdown was not detected, and Fluoro-Jade B staining found no indication of degenerating neurons in slices exposed to three RDX blasts, suggesting that small, sub-lethal explosives are capable of producing selective alterations to synaptic integrity. Together, these results indicate that blast waves from military explosive cause signs of synaptic compromise without producing severe neurodegeneration, perhaps explaining the cognitive and behavioral changes in those blast-induced TBI sufferers that have no detectable neuropathology.
Modeling message preferences: an adaptive conjoint analysis of persuasive messaging to increase fruit and vegetable consumption

AbstractFew past studies have used conjoint analysis to assess message design features and even fewer have looked at health issues. This research applies conjoint analysis to the quest to design motivational messages for African Americans at risk for diet-related adverse health outcomes (e.g., heart disease) in Kentucky. African American health in the state of Kentucky can benefit from a diet high in fruit and vegetable consumption, but little past research has been conducted with African American Kentuckians to explore the best message structure for communicating about increased fruit and vegetable consumption. This study reports on the outcome of the final phase of formative campaign research. We use an adaptive conjoint analysis to identify the most important elements of message design for this group of Kentucky residents. Results indicate that the message's source (i.e., the person delivering the message) is the most important design element for creating persuasive health messaging about fruit and veg...
515. Targeting Hypoglycosylation with a Chimeric Antigen Receptor

Genetically-engineering human T cells to target endogenously-expressed cell markers associated with both normal and malignant cells, whether upregulated or not, has shown tremendous efficacy in targeting CD 19-expressing leukemia and lymphoma cells and will undoubtedly demonstrate promise in other hematological malignancies. However, many of the tumor-associated antigens in epithelial malignancies are upregulated in malignant tissue but also expressed at lower-levels in normal tissue. As observed by the targeting of Her2 with CAR-T cells, targeting these antigens can present on-target, off-site toxicity and emphasizes the need for cancer cell-specific epitopes in CAR T cell therapy. Here, we have taken advantage of the disrupted glycosylation program that occurs during cancer transformation, which exposes cancer-specific glycoantigens that can be attractive targets for CAR development. Mucin-1 (Muc1) is a tumor-associated oncogene that is highly upregulated in many cancers and has been the target of many vaccine studies; less frequently targeted are the glycosylation changes of Muc1 that occurs during cancer transformation. Muc1 is heavily O- and N-glycosylated and transformed cells often fail to construct the complex oligosaccharide chains, exposing hypoglycosylated epitopes such as an O-linked GalNac (Tn antigen). We developed a CAR using the scFv sequence derived from the 5E5 mAb, which was developed against the Tn antigen of Mucin-1 (Muc1), and also using the endodomains of CD3zeta and 4- 1BB that promote T cell activation and co-stimulation, respectively. The resultant Muc1 Tn-antigen specific CAR (5E5CAR) was expressed in a lentiviral vector and we transduced normal human T cells. We showed that the 5E5 mAb and the 5E5CAR are specific to the hypoglycosylated epitope of Muc1, but not normal Muc1. In addition, we developed a safety profile of the 5E5 mAb against normal pediatric and adult human tissue. We demonstrate that human T cells expressing the 5E5CAR rapidly clear established Jurkat and Hs766T tumors in vitro and in NSG mouse xenograft models, as assessed by serial bioluminescence imaging and prolonged survival compared to mice expressing control CD19-specific CAR T cells (P<0.005). Restoring expression of wildtype Cosmc in Jurkat T cells abolishes the expression of the hypoglycosylated form of Muc1 and also abrogrates the cytotoxicity exhibited by 5E5CAR T cells, further highlighting the specificity of the 5E5CAR for the O-linked GalNac. In addition to the T cell leukemia and pancreatic cancer xenograft models, we also demonstrate that the 5E5CAR T cells are responsive to ovarian, breast, and lung cancers, among others. These results demonstrate that the 5E5CAR is specific for the Muc1 Tn antigen and provides a potent and safe cancer-specific immunotherapy for the targeting of malignancies.
Expanding the Developmental Boundaries of Etiologic Effects: The Role of Adrenarche in Genetic Influences on Disordered Eating in Males

Genetic influences on disordered eating (DE) increase across age and puberty in girls, an effect that is at least partially due to ovarian hormone activation. However, development shifts in genetic effects have not been detected in boys; genetic influences have been found to be relatively constant from prepuberty to adulthood, suggesting that gonadal hormones may be less important. One caveat is that studies have examined males ages 10 or older. Genetic effects on DE may emerge earlier in boys, such as during adrenarche, when androgens begin to increase but the physical changes of puberty are not yet observable. The current study investigated this hypothesis in 1,212 male twins (ages 6-28) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry. Results supported a potential role of adrenarche, as genetic influences on DE increased during middle childhood, prior to the external physical changes of puberty. Specifically, genetic influences on DE were negligible (0%) in twins during pre- to early adrenarche, but increased incrementally across advancing adrenarche (17% to 44%) and into early puberty (57%). Genetic effects then remained stable into midpuberty and postpuberty (58%), suggesting that nearly all of the genetic effects on DE become prominent during adrenarche in males. Findings suggest that genetic effects on DE emerge sooner in boys than the midpubertal activation that is consistently found in girls. These data highlight a potentially important role for adrenarche in the genetic diathesis for DE in males and a need to examine younger ages in studies of developmental effects. (PsycINFO Database Record
Invertebrate, Plant, and Geological Effects on Bone

This chapter reviews the diverse effects that invertebrates, plants, weathering, sedimentary processes, and diagenesis can have on bone surfaces, interior structure, and ultimate survival. It aims to alert zooarchaeologists to processes that can affect skeletal elements soon after their discard, and thus possibly be displayed by archaeofaunal specimens as surface modifications or altered element frequencies. Abrasion presents interpretive challenges because several processes mobilize the same effectors to alter bone surfaces, and the chapter presents the useful distinction between impact and sliding abrasion, giving examples and illustrations. Microbial organisms have been shown to enlarge bone tissue pore spaces, in some cases enhancing diagenesis and in others enabling bone dissolution and destruction. Diagenesis was once thought to begin only after burial, but actualistic research has shown that this can begin when bones rest upon soil surfaces, and the chapter offers a guide to literature of this topic.
Applications of Molecular Cloning to Saccharomyces

The cloning of yeast DNA sequences in bacteria was first reported in 1976. In the short period since that time, the application of recombinant DNA techniques to Saccharomyces has burgeoned into a large and complex enterprise which already has made major contributions to our understanding of eukaryotic cells. To some extent, of course, this phenomenon simply reflects the astonishing growth of recombinant DNA methodology, a development that has affected the study of all organisms. In the case of yeast, however, it can be argued that there has been a special synergism between recombinant DNA techniques and the preexisting strengths of Saccharomyces as an experimental organism. As a result of this synergism, the importance of yeast as a model eukaryote has increased enormously. It is no exaggeration to say that yeast is emerging from the first years of the recombinant DNA era as a kind of eukaryotic E. coli: this is not to imply that yeast is an entirely typical eukaryote or that it can or should displace more complex organisms as a focus of study. Yeast is simply becoming the most versatile single experimental system available for studies of the elementary molecular organization of eukaryotic cells.
Superconductivity and Martensitic Transformations in A-15 Compounds

I would like to discuss the current theories of the martensitic transition in A15 compounds and our understanding of the interplay between the martensitic transition and superconductivity. Labbe and Friedel 1/ proposed that the martensitic transition is driven by an electronic band Jahn-Teller effect. Gorkov 2,3/ proposed an alternative model in which the martensitic transition is driven by the Peierls mechanism of an energy gap opening up near the Fermi energy. Both models are based on one-dimensional or quasi-one-dimensional energy band models which are inconsistent with APW band calculations. 4/ Bhatt 5/ has developed a very successful Landau theory which is based on the Gorkov model and which is, of course, free of any microscopic assumptions about the nature of the band structure. Bhatt 6/ has also developed a microscopic theory using a band structure model based on the APW band structure. This model includes both the band Jahn-Teller effect and the Peierls effect and is therefore a synthesis of the Labbe-Friedel and Gorkov models. The effects on superconductivity are illustrated in a calculation by Bilbro, 7/ based on the Gorkov model, in which both a Peierls energy gap and the BCS energy gap are included in the theory.
Economic, Social, and Racial Justice

(1997). Economic, Social, and Racial Justice. Journal of Health & Social Policy: Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 15-21.
The dynamics of labour protest in an era of declining social protection

This special feature brings together four papers that aim to uncover the particular contextual conditions within which the grievances of workers evolve into different forms of labour protests, each...
Optimizing Boiler Control in Real-Time with Machine Learning for Sustainability

In coal-fired power plants, it is critical to improve the operational efficiency of boilers for sustainability. In this work, we formulate real-time boiler control as an optimization problem that looks for the best distribution of temperature in different zones and oxygen content from the flue to improve the boiler's stability and energy efficiency. We employ an efficient algorithm by integrating appropriate machine learning and optimization techniques. We obtain a large dataset collected from a real boiler for more than two months from our industry partner, and conduct extensive experiments to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed algorithm.
Preparing Social Work Students for Interprofessional Team Practice in Health-Care Settings :

Purpose:This study presents the results of a workforce development initiative focused on preparing master’s-level social work students to work in interprofessional settings and integrated care. The study examines both trainees’ changes in interprofessional skills and attitudes as well as if there were differences in trainee experiences across race and gender.Method:Ninety-nine trainees participated in a training program and completed pre- and posttest measures on attitudes toward interdisciplinary teams and team skills. The team used multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to examine the change in means and interaction effects.Results:Findings suggest that the training helps trainees acquire interdisciplinary team skills. However, results on attitudes toward interdisciplinary teams varied based on race and gender of the trainees.Discussion:Results suggest that there continue to be disparities in the training experiences of social work trainees around race and gender. Future research needs to continue t...
Programming Safe Robotics Systems: Challenges and Advances

A significant challenge for large-scale deployment of autonomous mobile robots is to program them with formal guarantees and high assurance of correct operation. Our approach towards enabling safe programming of robotics system consists of two parts: (1) a programming language for implementing, specifying, and compositionally (assume-guarantee) testing the high-level reactive robotics software; (2) a runtime assurance system to ensure that the assumptions used during design-time testing of high-level software hold at runtime. Combining high-level programming language and its systematic testing with runtime enforcement helps us bridge the gap between software testing that makes assumptions about the low-level controllers and the physical world, and the actual execution of the software on a real robotic platform in the physical world. We implement our approach in Open image in new window , a programming framework for building safe robotics systems. This paper introduces the Open image in new window toolchain and describes how it addresses the unique challenges involved in programming safety-critical robots.
Risk factors for growth of conservatively managed unruptured intracranial aneurysms

Unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) occur in 2–3% of the adult population, but, once discovered, do not always require treatment. Untreated patients are usually followed with serial imaging to identify interval growth. In this study, we assessed the risk and risk factors for growth in a homogenous series of patients with conservatively managed UIAs. Data from consecutive patients without history of subarachnoid hemorrhage and a conservatively managed UIA were retrospectively reviewed and only patients with at least 2 years of radiological follow-up were included in our study. We evaluated patients for the incidence of UIA growth, as well as analyzed risk factors for UIA growth. In 349 patients and 385 conservatively managed UIAs with 2210 patient-years of radiological follow-up, the risk of growth was 2.9% per aneurysm-year. Size (diameter greater than 5 mm), location (basilar artery apex), and weight loss (decrease in BMI over follow-up period) were all significantly associated with increased risk of UIA growth. There was a greater risk of UIA growth during the first 3 years of follow-up (7.5% per aneurysm-year) compared to the remaining years (2.7% per aneurysm-year). Conservatively managed UIAs in patients without prior history of SAH have a 2.9% risk of growth per aneurysm-year. UIAs greater than 5 mm in diameter, those located at the basilar artery apex, or patients who experience a decrease in BMI are more likely to grow and warrant closer follow-up. The risk of aneurysm growth is increased in the few years after diagnosis and decreases afterward.
Time Series: General

This article is reproduced from the previous edition, volume 23, pp. 15724–15731, © 2001, Elsevier Ltd.
A Sparse Grid Scheme for Fast Transient Stability Simulation with Reduced Redundancy

This paper proposes an efficient scheme to reduce computational redundancy and speed up the dynamic simulation in online transient stability assessment of power systems. The paper first analyzes the mechanism of generating redundant computations in a traditional scheme that multiple combinations of operating points and faults lead to identical fault-cleared state, and then shows that the probability of redundancy will grow with the increase of diversified operating conditions in smart grid. The proposed scheme offline constructs a unique set of sampling points using sparse grid in the state space about the fault-cleared states and simulates the post-fault dynamic responses on those sampling points. In the online stage, the real-time post-fault trajectory can be recovered from the trajectories on the sampling points whenever the true fault-cleared state is obtained. The case study on IEEE 39-bus system shows great potential of the proposed approach.
Mobile User Re-authentication Using Clothing Information

Biometric authentication has become a popular alternative to passwords on mobile devices. However, most implementations do not incorporate any mechanisms to ascertain whether the originally authenticated user is still in control of the mobile device. Thus, the user has to re-scan for any subsequent device access, which may lead to biometric scan fatigue. One solution to this problem is to re-authenticate the user via ancillary surrogates of identity that are likely to be stable and unique in the short term and easier to acquire compared to the primary biometric modality, such as opportunistically captured clothing information. The aim of this paper is to investigate such clothing information as a soft biometrics for short-term mobile user re-authentication. To this aim, we propose a novel method for segmentation and matching of clothing ROI from images captured via front-facing camera of mobile devices, without explicitly requiring the face to be present. Experimental investigations on a large-scale mobile dataset show error rates as low as \(2.5\%\) using this method.
Task Learning, Intent Prediction, and Adaptive Blended Shared Control With Application to Excavators

Human operators of construction equipment usually exhibit strong situational awareness, which enables them to execute tasks while handling unexpected uncertainties and adapting to environmental changes. Automatic control, on the other hand, is generally capable of executing repetitive and well-defined tasks more efficiently and precisely. In dynamic and uncertain environments, significant safety and performance benefits can be derived by collaboratively achieving the tasks via the blending of control inputs from the human operator and automatic control. The focus of this article is on developing efficient methods for such blending and its application to hydraulic excavators, which involves the developments in task learning, intent prediction, and human–machine shared control. We propose a new task learning method by segmenting the tasks with the operator primitive-based segmentation (OPbS) and clustering of subgoals via Bayesian nonparametric clustering with temporal ordering (BNPC/TO). We introduce a method for dynamically predicting the operator’s intent in seeking a particular subgoal by proposing an empirical stochastic transition matrix (ESTM) and a dynamic angle difference exponential (DADE). We then propose a method for blended shared control with conflict awareness extended from dynamic angle difference. Finally, we apply our algorithms and evaluate the results on a scaled hydraulic excavator test platform for a typical earth-moving task with novice learning operators and a skilled demonstration operator.
Identifying the pathways that control resource allocation in higher plants

A key feature in the evolution of multicellular organisms was the development of complex vascular systems to transport resources from sites of primary acquisition to sites of usage and storage. In plants, leaves generate the energy required to sustain multicellular growth through the reactions of photosynthesis, and much of that energy is used to reductively assimilate atmospheric CO2 into simple sugars. Assimilate partitioning refers to the physiological process by which carbohydrates generated by photosynthesis are transported from leaves to heterotrophic “sink” tissues (such as roots, stems, fruit, and seed) that are dependent on imported resources to support growth and development. As much as 80% of the carbon assimilated in photosynthesis is exported from the leaves to satisfy the needs of these heterotrophic tissue systems (1). In the results reported, Xu et al. (2) provide a significant step forward in our understanding of the regulation of assimilate partitioning. Sucrose is the major carbohydrate transported in most plants. Sucrose synthesized in the cytoplasm of photosynthetic mesophyll cells in the leaves is transported to sink tissues via the phloem cells of the plant’s vascular system. Not unlike animal systems, this long-distance transport is mediated by pressure-driven mass flow. Unlike animals, however, hydrostatic pressure is not created by a physical pump (the heart) but by a large osmotic gradient that draws water into the phloem cells that are surrounded by an inelastic cell wall that restricts cell expansion, thereby generating high hydrostatic pressure (Fig. 1). The osmotic gradient across the plasma membrane is generated by a proton−sucrose symporter that links active transport of sucrose into the cells to a substantial proton electrochemical potential across the plasma membrane that is created by a proton-pumping ATPase that can drive transport reactions three orders of magnitude away from equilibrium (3). Thus, the symporter has no problem … [↵][1]1Email: dbush{at}colostate.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Tocilizumab therapy in 5 solid and composite tissue transplant recipients with early ARDS due to SARS-CoV-2.

There are emerging data depicting the clinical presentation of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) in solid organ transplant recipients but negligible data-driven guidance on clinical management. A biphasic course has been described in some infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), beginning with a flu-like illness followed by an intense inflammatory response characterized by elevated c-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) associated with high mortality. The exuberant and possibly dysregulated immune response has prompted interest in therapeutic agents that target the cytokines involved, particularly IL-6. Tocilizumab is an IL-6 receptor antagonist with a record of use for a variety of rheumatologic conditions and cytokine release syndrome due to chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy but experience in solid organ and composite tissue transplant recipients (SOT/CTTRs) with SARS-CoV-2-related ARDS has not been previously reported in detail. We present the clinical course of 5 SOT/CTTRs with SARS-CoV-2-related ARDS that received tocilizumab with favorable short-term outcomes in 4. Responses were characterized by reductions in CRP, discontinuation of vasopressors, improved oxygenation and respiratory mechanics, and variable duration of ventilator support. Four bacterial infections occurred within 2 weeks of tocilizumab administration. We discuss safety concerns and the need for randomized comparative trials to delineate tocilizumab's clinical utility in this population.
Rating Method and Lubricant Appetite Study for an Air-Cooled Rotary Engine

Experimental results with a 25-hp charge-cooled rotary combustion engine are presented for a variety of lubricant base stocks and additive packages. A rating method which combines endurance and deposition level is described. Lubricant performance is evaluated based upon this rating scheme, and contribution of base stock and additive package components is analyzed. /GMRL/
Actinobacteriophages: Genomics, Dynamics, and Applications

Actinobacteriophages are viruses that infect bacterial hosts in the phylum Actinobacteria. More than 17,000 actinobacteriophages have been described and over 3,000 complete genome sequences reported, resulting from large-scale, high-impact, integrated research-education initiatives such as the Science Education Alliance Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Sciences (SEA-PHAGES) program. Their genomic diversity is enormous; actinobacteriophages comprise many architecturally mosaic genomes with distinct DNA sequences. Their genome diversity is driven by the highly dynamic interactions between phages and their hosts, and prophages can confer a variety of systems that defend against attack by genetically distinct phages; phages can neutralize these defense systems by coding for counter-defense proteins. These phages not only provide insights into diverse and dynamic phage populations but also have provided numerous tools for mycobacterial genetics. A case study using a three-phage cocktail to treat a patient with a drug-resistant Mycobacterium abscessus suggests that phages may have considerable potential for the therapeutic treatment of mycobacterial infections.
Imaging through extreme degraded visual environments using range-gated digital holography

In this talk, Abbie will present an overview of imaging through degraded environments such as turbid water and dense fog using range-gated digital holography. Digital holography provides the unique ability to separate out ballistic photons in a scattering and turbid environment through range-gating, coherence gating and polarization gating. The complex fields of the detected holograms and then post-processed using coherent averaging, incoherent averaging and singular value decomposition techniques to improve the SNR and reconstruct imagery in extremely challenging imaging conditions.
The Financial Consequences of Customer Satisfaction: Evidence from Yelp Ratings and SBA Loans

This paper demonstrates the financial and real consequences of customer satisfaction using a novel and comprehensive Yelp dataset. I show that Yelp ratings are significant indicators of business outcomes in a regression discontinuity design setting. A one-half star increase in Yelp ratings leads to a higher probability of receiving SBA loans, better loan terms, and better loan performance. The results are more pronounced when banks have less information about the borrowers. Yelp ratings become less effective when using repeated loan transactions. Higher Yelp ratings lead to increases in consumer demand and the likelihood of subsequent business opening.
Seismic swarms produced by rapid fluid injection into a low permeability laboratory fault

Abstract Fluid injection, from activities such wastewater disposal, hydraulic stimulation, or enhanced geothermal systems, decreases effective normal stress on faults and promotes slip. Earthquake nucleation models suggest the slip at low effective normal stress will be stable and aseismic—contrary to observed increases in seismicity that are often attributed to fluid injection. We conducted laboratory experiments using a biaxial loading apparatus that demonstrate how an increase in fluid pressure can induce “stick-slip” events along a preexisting saw-cut fault in a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) sample. We compared slip events generated by externally squeezing the sample (shear-triggered) to those due to direct fluid injection (fluid-triggered) and studied the effects of injection rate and stress levels. Shear-triggered slip events began on a localized nucleation patch and slip smoothly accelerated from slow and aseismic to fast and seismic. Fluid-triggered slip events initiated far more abruptly and were associated with swarms of tiny foreshocks. These foreshocks were able to bypass the smooth nucleation process and jump-start a mainshock resulting in an abrupt initiation. Analysis of these foreshocks indicates that the rapid injection of fluid into a low permeability fault promotes heterogeneous stress and strength which can cause many events to initiate—some of which grow large. We conclude that while a reduction in effective normal stress stabilizes fault slip, rapid fluid injection into a low permeability fault increases multi-scale stress/strength heterogeneities which can initiate small seismic events that have the potential to grow rapidly, even into low stress regions.
Appetitive, antinociceptive, and hypothermic effects of vaped and injected Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in rats: exposure and dose-effect comparisons by strain and sex

Abstract Advances in drug vapor exposure systems have enabled evaluation of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) vapor effects in laboratory animals. The purpose of this study was to 1) establish a range of parameters of THC vapor exposure in rats sufficient to produce a behavioral dose-effect curve in a battery of tasks sensitive to THC; and 2) to investigate sex differences in the effects of THC vapor exposure and THC injection (intraperitoneal, IP) on these behaviors in two strains of outbred rats. Male and female Sprague Dawley and Wistar rats (N = 22, 5–6/sex per group) received THC via passive vapor exposure (200 mg/mL; 5 conditions) and IP injection (1–20 mg/kg) in a within subject design. The effects of vaped and injected THC on appetite was determined using progressive ratio responding for food pellets. THC effects on nociception, measured using the tail withdrawal assay, and body temperature were also assessed during a 5-h test period for evaluation of time course of effects. Plasma THC concentrations were assessed after THC vapor and 10 mg/kg IP THC. THC vapor produced exposure-related increases and decreases in motivation to obtain food under the progressive ratio schedule. IP THC (3–20 mg/kg) reduced breakpoints. Vaped and injected THC produced exposure and dose-dependent antinociception and hypothermia. Sex and strain differences in THC effects were also observed. Plasma THC concentrations were higher after 10 mg/kg IP THC (152 ng/mL) compared to the highest vapor exposure condition tested (38 ng/mL), but magnitude of behavioral effects were comparable. THC vapor exposure produced reliable, dose orderly effects on food-maintained behavior, nociception, and body temperature that are comparable to effects of IP THC, although there were differences in the time course of behavioral outcomes.
Exploring the interactive role of narcissism and self-esteem on self-presentation

Although most research treats narcissism and self-esteem as additive predictors of outcomes, some clinical theorizing and data suggest they may interact to predict some socially undesirable outcome...
The architectural design of CD8+ T cell responses in acute and chronic infection: Parallel structures with divergent fates

In response to infection, T cells adopt a range of differentiation states, creating numerous heterogeneous subsets that exhibit different phenotypes, functions, and migration patterns. This T cell heterogeneity is a universal feature of T cell immunity, needed to effectively control pathogens in a context-dependent manner and generate long-lived immunity to those pathogens. Here, we review new insights into differentiation state dynamics and population heterogeneity of CD8+ T cells in acute and chronic viral infections and cancer and highlight the parallels and distinctions between acute and chronic antigen stimulation settings. We focus on transcriptional and epigenetic networks that modulate the plasticity and terminal differentiation of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells and generate functionally diverse T cell subsets with different roles to combat infection and cancer.
335 Trends in dermatological prescribing patterns during the COVID pandemic

This investigation aimed to assess the pandemic impact on the incidence of newly prescribed dermatological agents compared to the pre-pandemic period TrinetX is a real-time, federated healthcare database that was used in the retrospective review comprised of 61 million patient records at the time of the analysis This database was used to identify the incidence of newly prescribed drugs each month for two periods of the pandemic Medications were categorized by LOINC codes and categorized into groups The first period was from April-July 2020, and the second was from August-November 2020 The mean for each drug group was then compared with the pooled monthly incidence from similar periods between 2018-2019 before the pandemic Descriptive analyses were performed, and comparisons were made using a student's t-test 11 groups of dermatological agents were analyzed in both periods In the early pandemic period, 7 of 11 groups of agents showed a statistically significant reduction of up to 32 1% in prescription These agents included anti-psoriatic, anti-acne, topical anti-neoplastic, topical anti-viral, topical anti-inflammatory, topical anti-fungal, and all dermatological agents as a whole Newly prescribed topical analgesics, keratolytic, anti-perspirant, and anti-bacterial agents did not show a statistically significant decrease in prescription During the later pandemic, five of the dermatological agents showed a statistically significant decrease in prescription Anti-psoriatic, topical analgesics, topical antineoplastics, topical keratolytic, topical anti-perspirant, and topical anti-bacterial agents did not show a significant reduction This study shows that there has been a significant reduction in incidence of prescribed dermatological agents during the COVID19 pandemic Further research is needed to determine the future impact of this disruption in the dermatological care
Work and life in the sport industry - A comparison of work-life interface experiences among athletic employees. A Review.

OBJECTIVE To review the work-life interface literature from the sport industry, especially focusing on coaches, athletic trainers, athletes, and other sport personnel. DATA SOURCES Studies were identified utilizing SPORTDiscus, PsychINFO, and Google Scholar. Sample search terms included "Work-Family Balance," "Work-Life Balance," "Work-Family Conflict," "Work-Life Conflict," "Work-Family Enrichment," and "Work-Life Enrichment." These search terms were used in different combinations and configurations in the search process. STUDY SELECTION Included studies were peer reviewed journal articles, with primary data collection, and published in English. The articles also examined some aspect of the work-family interface in relation to the sport industry. DATA EXTRACTION Initial searches returned 110 articles. Twenty-one initial articles were removed for lack of focus on the sport industry, were a duplicate, or focused outside the work-life interface in sport. This left 89 articles for a full analysis. From here, an additional 20 articles were removed for not collecting primary data or focusing outside the study purpose. Finally, 69 articles were included in the scoping review. DATA SYNTHESIS The theoretical framework, study population, population region, methods, article focus, and findings from the article were all recorded. Articles were then grouped based on population study focus (e.g., athletic trainer, coach, other). CONCLUSIONS The results suggest primary interests are on athletic trainers and coaches, primarily with work-life balance and work-life conflict. Less attention is paid to international participants, athletes, and topics related to work-life enrichment. The field will continue to progress as additional populations and perspectives are brought into the literature. Furthermore, additional emphasis on positive organizational behavior, such as work-life enrichment and life-work enrichment, will move the literature forward and answer useful questions with both theoretical and practical outcomes.
Impact factors: Influencing careers, creativity and academic freedom

Abstract This discussion piece was prompted by arguments in the original submission, ‘If you can keep your head: The unintended consequences of the impact factor’. This short essay stresses that many academic institutions around the world rely too much on impact factors (IFs) as a sole indicator of research quality and impact. It argues that other indicators of quality and influence should also be used to measure an individual's academic success. Three primary outcomes may occur when impact factors are used as sole gauges of academic quality: stifling early-career researchers, constraining academic freedom, and curbing creativity and innovation.
Population Dynamics: Classical Applications of Stable Population Theory

Abstract If age-specific fertility and mortality rates are constant for a long period of time, a population will approach a fixed age distribution, and fixed overall rates, which can be calculated from the specific rates. An assumption of stability may thus enable the indirect estimation of missing data when only a few population characteristics are known. Even when the assumption is not satisfied, the stable population model provides a useful approximation to the relationships among survivorship, reproduction, and age structure. Several applications are provided, ranging from the simple exponential model of population growth to models that estimate numbers of kin.