cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
LEUKOCYTE-DEPENDENT HISTAMINE RELEASE FROM RABBIT PLATELETS THE ROLE OF IGE, BASOPHILS, AND A PLATELET-ACTIVATING FACTOR

We have studied the leukocyte-dependent mechanism of histamine release (LDHR) from rabbit platelets, a complement-independent mechanism which has been implicated in the deposition of immune complexes in acute serum sickness of rabbits. It was found by chromatography and passive transfer of serum from immunized rabbits that the antibody responsible for the LDHR was of IgE type. By electron microscope study of the reaction, the leukocyte involved in agglutination of platelets and release of their histamine content was identified as the basophil. Upon addition of antigen, basophils sensitized with IgE degranulated, released their histamine content and a platelet-activating factor (PAF) that caused aggregation of platelets and release of their histamine. Conditions of preparing and preserving PAF activity and some properties of this factor have been elucidated. LDHR must, therefore, be considered as an immediate hypersensitivity-type mechanism which may link allergic reactions with immunologic disease associated with severe structural injury.
Time to Get Personal with CPR

“Push hard, push fast” is the mantra taught for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which combines chest compressions, ventilation, vasoactive drugs, and cardiac defibrillation to treat victims of cardiac arrest. Current treatment guidelines recommend standardized CPR using fixed rates and depth of chest compressions, along with vasoactive drugs given at fixed doses and intervals. This approach emphasizes CPR quality, but new findings from Sutton et al . suggest that a more individualized approach to CPR may improve survival from cardiac arrest. The authors report the results of an experiment in a swine model of asphyxia causing cardiac arrest with ventricular fibrillation. They compared a standard approach that used a fixed compression depth and vasopressor dosing schedule following current clinical guidelines with an approach where the chest compression depth was goal-directed and individualized by being titrated to a systolic blood pressure of 100 mm Hg, while the vasopressor drugs were titrated to a coronary perfusion pressure greater than 20 mm Hg. The researchers found that better-quality CPR (as it is currently defined) was delivered in the standard-guideline group, but this did not translate to improved outcomes. Fully 100% (10/10) of animals in the goal-directed group achieved return of spontaneous circulation, compared with only 33% (3/10) of animals in the guideline-based group. At 24 hours, 80% of animals receiving goal-directed care were alive, compared with zero in the guideline-based group. Importantly, 70% of the animals in the goal-directed group demonstrated favorable neurological outcomes, as assessed by a cerebral performance category scale. The major technical hurdle to clinical translation of these findings is access to reliable real-time continuous hemodynamic monitors to guide CPR. However, this study demonstrates that the time has come to address these technical hurdles and start getting personal with CPR. R. M. Sutton et al ., Patient-centric blood pressure-targeted cardiopulmonary resuscitation improves survival from cardiac arrest. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 190 , 1255–1262 (2014). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/rccm.201407-1343OC#.VH9ffk10zIV
Food additives and environmental chemicals as sources of childhood behavior disorders.

The Feingold hypothesis postulates that many children who exhibit disturbed behavior improve on a diet devoid of certain food additives. Its validity has been examined on the basis of controlled trials. The total evidence, although not wholly consistent, nevertheless suggests that the hypothesis is, in principle, correct. Such a conclusion poses difficult problems and new issues for etiology, treatment, toxicology, and regulation. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry , 21, 2:144–152, 1982.
In vitro activity of caspofungin (MK-0991) against Candida albicans clinical isolates displaying different mechanisms of azole resistance.

Caspofungin inhibits the synthesis of 1,3-β-d-glucan, a key step in fungal cell wall biosynthesis. Here we report on its potent in vitro activity (MIC at which 90% of the isolates tested are inhibited = 1 μg per ml of RPMI medium) against 32 Candida albicans fluconazole-susceptible and -resistant clinical isolates irrespective of the underlying resistance mechanism (alterations in ERG11 and/or upregulation of MDR and CDR genes encoding efflux pumps) and provide further evidence that caspofungin is not a substrate for multidrug transporters.
What Is Commitment? Physical, Organizational, and Social (Revised)

This paper uses Participatory Semantics to explicate commitment. Information expresses the fact that a system is in a certain configuration that is correlated to the configuration of another system. Any physical system may contain information about another physical system. For the purposes of this paper, physical commitment is defined to be information pledgedabout physical systems (situated at a particular place and time). This use of the term physical commitment is currently nonstandard. Note that commitment is defined for whole physical system; not just a participant or process. Organizational and social commitments can be analyzed in terms of physical commitments. For example systems that behave as scientific communities can have commitments for monotonicity, concurrency, commutativity, pluralism, skepticism, and provenance. Speech Act Theory has attempted to formalize the semantics of some kinds of expressions for commitments. Participatory Semantics for commitment can overcome some of the lack of expressiveness and generality in Speech Act Theory.
Control of Advanced Choroid Plexus Tumors in SV40 T Antigen Transgenic Mice Following Priming of Donor CD8+ T Lymphocytes by the Endogenous Tumor Antigen

Mouse models in which tumors arise spontaneously due to the transgenic expression of an oncoprotein provide an opportunity to test approaches that target the immune-mediated control of tumor progression. In this report we investigated the role of SV40 Tag-specific CD8 + T cells in the control of advanced choroid plexus tumor progression using large tumor Ag (Tag) transgenic mice. Since mice of the SV11 line are tolerant to the immunodominant SV40 Tag-derived CTL epitopes, mice with advanced stage tumors were reconstituted with naive C57BL/6 spleen cells following a low dose of γ-irradiation. This led to the priming of CTLs specific for the H2-K b -restricted epitope IV by the endogenous Tag and a significant increase in the life span of Tag transgenic mice. Epitope IV-specific CD8 + T cells accumulated and persisted in the brains and tumors of SV11 mice, as determined by analysis with epitope-specific MHC class I tetramers. Brain-infiltrating epitope IV-specific T cells were capable of producing IFN-γ as well as lysing syngeneic Tag-transformed cells in vitro. In addition, the adoptive transfer of spleen cells from Tag-immune C57BL/6 mice resulted in a dramatic increase in the control of tumor progression in SV11 mice and was associated with the accumulation of CD8 + T cells specific for multiple Tag epitopes in the brain. These results indicate that the control of advanced stage spontaneous choroid plexus tumors is associated with the induction of a strong and persistent CD8 + T cell response to Tag.
Globalization and Changes in School Governance

School governance has rarely been comparatively or cross-nationally examined with regard to the nation-level organizational environments of schools. Some scholars find evidence that there are norms for school curriculum and classroom instruction that transcend local or regional idiosyncrasies and are relatively standard in many otherwise dissimilar national educational systems. In fact, in this age of globalization, there appear to be certain elements of mass public schooling that have become institutionalized across most school organizations suggesting that in the broadest sense schools are generally large scale and organizationally complex due to high enrollment rates, long periods of formal schooling, and increased access and opportunity for a wider swath of potential students.
Natal Homing in a Marine Fish Metapopulation

Identifying natal origins of marine fishes is challenging because of difficulties in conducting mark-recapture studies in marine systems. We used natural geochemical signatures in otoliths (ear bones) to determine natal sources in weakfish (Cynoscion regalis), an estuarine-spawning marine fish, in eastern North America. Spawning site fidelity ranged from 60 to 81%, comparable to estimates of natal homing in birds and anadromous fishes. These data were in contrast to genetic analyses of population structure in weakfish. Our findings highlight the need for consideration of spatial processes in fisheries models and have implications for the design of marine reserves in coastal regions.
Monitoring machine operations using on-line sensors

Abstract Monitoring machine operations and production process conditions using on-line sensors has drawn increasing attention recently. In this paper, we discuss a situation where an on-line sensor is used to monitor a randomly deteriorating machine operation. The machine condition is described by a finite number of states, and the machine deterioration follows a Markov process. It is assumed that the sensor measurement and the true machine condition have a statistical relation. A decision is to be made on when a machine setup should be made, based on the observed sensor measurement. A Markovian model is developed by considering the cost of operating the machine and the cost of performing preventive maintenance, and a steady state threshold policy is developed by minimizing the total cost. In addition, a heuristic method based on Bayes rule is proposed. A simulation study is used to study and compare the properties of these two policies.
Saturated flow boiling heat transfer and pressure drop in silicon microchannel arrays

Flow boiling in arrays of parallel microchannels is investigated using a silicon test piece with imbedded discrete heat sources and integrated local temperature sensors. The microchannels considered range in width from 102 μm to 997 μm, with the channel depth being nominally 400 μm in each case. Each test piece has a footprint of 1.27 cm by 1.27 cm with parallel microchannels diced into one surface. Twenty five microsensors integrated into the microchannel heat sinks allow for accurate local temperature measurements over the entire test piece. The experiments are conducted with deionized water which enters the channels in a purely liquid state. Results are presented in terms of temperatures and pressure drop as a function of imposed heat flux. The experimental results allow a critical assessment of the applicability of existing models and correlations in predicting the heat transfer rates and pressure drops in microchannel arrays, and lead to the development of models for predicting the two-phase pressure drop and saturated boiling heat transfer coefficient.
Indirect Package Coupling Based on Responsibility in an Agile, Object-Oriented Environment

Object-oriented systems are dynamic and have to be constantly maintained, or they become aged and irrelevant. Poor choices made during design phase result in costly problems. Hence, design metrics should be an essential part of the agile software development process. Martin's metrics [1] are wellknown package design metrics that can be used in early stages of software development. Martin began with a set of object-oriented design principles and designed his metrics based on these principles. In [2], we began with Martin's principles and used them to modify his coupling, instability and abstractness metrics. Martin's metric suite and our previous metric suite only measure direct coupling. The authors believe that this limits these metric suites' accuracy. In this work, these suites are enhanced by analyzing local and global dependencies of all packages. We present a case study to show that the new metrics are very promising and lead to improved results.
Heuristic estimation of dust devil vortex parameters and trajectories from single-station meteorological observations: Application to InSight at Mars

Abstract A physically-realistic migrating vortex model is developed and applied to generate pressure and wind speed and direction histories for dust devil passage. The asymmetric character of wind histories is noted, and we examine how these combined data constrain the solution space of dust devil parameters (migration velocity, diameter and intensity), ambient wind, and miss distance. These histories are compared with a new terrestrial field dataset of high-time resolution pressure and wind measurements of over twenty dust devil encounters in New Mexico. This new dataset is made available electronically and it is found that model fits can be typically achieved with simultaneous root-mean-square errors of ∼0.05 hPa (∼5–10% of the peak pressure signature), ∼20°of wind azimuth, and ∼2 m/s windspeed. The fits are not unique, however, and some heuristic aspects of resolving the intrinsic degeneracies of the problem and nonideal features of real encounters are discussed. The application of this approach to the InSight lander is noted, offering the possibility of defining the context for any possible detections of electromagnetic and seismic signatures of dust devils on Mars.
Aggressive inlining

Existing research understates the benefits that can be obtained from inlining and cloning, especially when guided by profile information. Our implementation of inlining and cloning yields excellent results on average and very rarely lowers performance. We believe our good results can be explained by a number of factors: inlining at the intermediate-code level removes most technical restrictions on what can be inlined; the ability to inline across files and incorporate profile information enables us to choose better inline candidates; a high-quality back end can exploit the scheduling and register allocation opportunities presented by larger subroutines; an aggressive processor architecture benefits from more predictable branch behavior; and a large instruction cache mitigates the impact of code expansion. We describe the often dramatic impact of our inlining and cloning on performance: for example, the implementations of our inlining and cloning algorithms in the HP-UX 10.20 compilers boost SPECint95 performance on a PA8000-based workstation by a factor of 1.32.
Patterns of Spider (Araneae) Abundance During an Outbreak of Western Spruce Budworm (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Spiders are acknowledged predators on all life stages of western spruce budworm, Choristoneura occidentalis Freeman, yet little is known about their communities in budworm infested forests. Systematic samples of arboreal spiders were taken from the mid-crowns of Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii variety glauca (Beissner) Franco, and grand fir, Abies grandis (Douglas ex D. Don) Lindley, for 3 consecutive years during a budworm outbreak. Densities over the 3-yr period averaged 5.6 spiders and 288.0 fourth-instar budworms per square meter of branch area. Spider densities were significantly higher on Douglas-fir (7.8/ m 2 ) than on grand fir (4.6/m 2 ); however, species composition of spiders was similar on both tree species. Overall densities of spiders did not differ significantly over the 3 yr. All sampled spiders were classified by family, but because of large numbers of juveniles only 20% could be identified to species. Nonetheless, 13 families and at least 26 species were represented in the samples. Relative abundance of both families and species followed a typical logarithmic-series distribution in which a relatively few taxa accounted for most of the individuals sampled. Total number of spiders sampled was about evenly divided between web-spinning (47.3%) and hunting (52.7%) guilds; however, there were almost twice as many web-spinning species as hunting species. Species-diversity indices also were consistently higher each year for web-spinners than for hunters. The salticid species Pelegrina aeneola (=Afetaphidippus aeneolus) (Curtis), a well-known predator of defoliating insects, was clearly dominant each year and accounted for almost half of all hunting spiders. The results offer a convenient marker for comparison with the relative structure of arboreal spider communities in other forest ecosystems.
Flight Phenology of the Dogwood Borer (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) and Implications for Control in Cornus florida L.

Emergence and seasonal flight activity of Synanthedon scitula (Harris) was determined by means of pheromone traps baited with Z, Z-octadecadien-l-ol acetate and screen emergence cages, and by sampling infested trees. A base temperature of 4°C gave the lowest coefficient of variation in degree-day (DD) summations between years and was used for relating cumulative male capture to physiological time. Date of first capture ranged from 12 to 26 May, corresponding to a mean DD accumulation of 1,271 in central Kentucky. Flight activity continued until early October and was bimodal, with peaks in late May to June and August to September. Evidence is presented that the earlier flight pulse includes most emergence from dogwood, and that the larger, late-summer flight pulse consists mainly of adults from apple and possibly other hosts. Consequently, in spite of its lengthy flight period, S. scitula in dogwoods can be controlled with a single application of chlorpyrifos or lindane in early June.
Universalism of the Void as Lack: Sergei Prozorov. Ontology and World Politics: Void Universalism I. New York: Routledge, 2014.

Following a general trend in social theory, this two-volume set by the international relations scholar Sergei Prozorov adds to the argument that deeply held ontological assumptions prefigure the ma...
Plum crazy : Rediscovering our lost Prunus resources

Received for publication 22 May 2000. Accepted for publication 13 June 2000. The cost of publishing this paper was defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. Under postal regulations, this paper therefore must be hereby marked advertisement solely to indicate this fact. E-mail address: dokie@saa.ars.usda.gov Recent utilization of genetic resources of peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] and Japanese plum (P. salicina Lindl. and hybrids) has been limited in the United States compared with that of many crops. Difficulties in collection, importation, and quarantine throughput have limited the germplasm available. Prunus is more difficult to preserve because more space is needed than for small fruit crops, and the shorter life of trees relative to other tree crops because of disease and insect problems. Lack of suitable rootstocks has also reduced tree life. The trend toward fewer breeding programs, most of which emphasize “short-term” (long-term compared to most crops) commercial cultivar development to meet immediate industry needs, has also contributed to reduced use of exotic material. Probably all modern commercial peaches grown in the United States are related to ‘Chinese Cling’, a peach imported from China over 100 years ago (Myers et al., 1989). More recently imported germplasm has not significantly impacted modern production. The relatively few available accessions of wild peach relatives have been useful primarily in development of peach rootstocks. In contrast, a large shipping plum industry in California has been developed based on plum cultivars imported 100 years ago from Japan and on hybrids of those plums with native species. Native American germplasm has unrealized potential to help solve current plum problems and stone fruit rootstock problems. However, few resources are devoted to this effort. This germplasm will be discussed in more detail in relation to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA)–Agricultural Research Service (ARS) breeding program at Byron, Ga.
Hydrogenation of Carbon Dioxide Catalyzed by PNP Pincer Iridium, Iron, and Cobalt Complexes: A Computational Design of Base Metal Catalysts

The reaction mechanisms for hydrogenation of carbon dioxide catalyzed by PNP-ligated (PNP = 2,6-bis(di-iso-propylphosphinomethyl)pyridine) metal pincer complexes, (PNP)IrH3 (1-Ir), trans-(PNP)Fe(H)2CO (1-Fe) and (PNP)CoH3 (1-Co), were studied computationally by using the density functional theory (DFT). 1-Ir is a recently reported high efficiency catalyst for the formation of formic acid from H2 and CO2. 1-Fe and 1-Co are computationally designed low-cost base metal complexes for catalytic CO2 reduction. For the formation of formic acid from H2 and CO2 catalyzed by 1-Ir, 1-Fe, and 1-Co, the reaction pathways with direct H2 cleavage by OH– without the participation of the PNP ligand are about 20 kcal mol–1 more favorable than a previously postulated H2 cleavage mechanism that involves the aromatization and dearomatization of the pyridine ring in the PNP ligand. This finding reveals the essential role of the base, OH–, in the catalytic CO2 reduction cycle and suggests that the incorporation of strong bases ...
Infections Caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae: Clinical Spectrum, Pathogenesis, Immunity, and Treatment

Virtually every attempt to rank bacterial causes of community-acquired pneumonia in adults has placed Streptococcus pneumoniae at the top of the list, although the actual proportion of cases of pneumonia proven to be caused by this organism has varied from 15% to 76% in representative series. In the absence of an epidemic of meningocococcal disease, S. pneumoniae is also the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in adults and the second most common in young children, ranking behind Haemophilus influenzae type b. Blood cultures are positive in 15%-30% of cases of pneumococcal pneumonia, depending upon the population under study and, to a lesser extent, the serotype. Bacteremia-so-called primary bacteremia-may occur without an apparent source; when the disease is associated with an acute, nonspecific febrile illness in young children, harmful consequences may result if antibiotic therapy is not given. Pneumococcal empyema, endocarditis, and pericarditis occur, albeit much less commonly now than in former years. Septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, and peritonitis are seen only infrequently. Other syndromes of serious infection, such as brain abscess, pyomyositis, and peritonitis, are rare. Among less serious disease states, such as otitis media or acute sinusitis, S. pneumoniae remains the most commonly isolated bacterial pathogen when carefully aspirated material is cultured.
ATPS-05CHARACTERIZATION OF THE ACTIVITY OF AT13387, A NOVEL SECOND GENERATION HSP90 INHIBITOR AGAINST GLIOMAS

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a molecular chaperone that regulates folding and stabilization of several key regulatory client proteins. In cancer, elevated Hsp90 activity is implicated in maintenance of high levels of aberrantly expressed proteins such as kinases and transcription factors making it an attractive target for treatment of several malignancies. Hsp90 inhibitors (Hsp90i) have demonstrated preclinical activity against several tumors including gliomas through downregulation of key oncoproteins inducing growth arrest and tumor cell death. AT13387 is a novel second generation orally bioavailable HSP90i which is in early phase clinical trials; however, its potential for activity against gliomas has not been studied to date. We examined the preclinical efficacy of AT13387 both alone and in combination with temozolomide (TMZ) in glioma cell lines and glioma stem-like cells (GSC). AT13387-treated glioma cells and GSC showed decreased proliferation, reduced invasion and induction of apoptosis. AT13387-treated glioma cells showed downregulation of EGFR, Akt, S6 and MAPK, key regulators of survival pathways and proliferation in gliomas. In GSC, AT13387 promoted stem cell markers downregulation and induced cell death. Of note, AT13387 treatment resulted in downregulation of MSH2, a protein of the DNA mismatch repair complex involved in TMZ-resistance and showed synergistic activity in combination with TMZ in vitro effect against glioma cells. Additionally, preliminary studies in an in vivo mouse model demonstrated that AT13387 crosses the intact blood-brain barrier. These results provide the first evidence for the activity of AT13387 against glioma both singly and in combination with TMZ and support the potential of Hsp90 inhibition as a therapeutic strategy against malignant gliomas.
Towards a Theory of Readability

One of the primary functions of language use is to communicate cognitive content. In saying this we are in no way denying that language use has many other functions, including, notably, thinking and artistic creation. We are in no way suggesting that communicating information is more important than these other functions. What we are saying is that the communication of cognitive content is one of the important functions of using language and certainly one that human beings undeniably value.
Nutrients, Phytochemicals, and Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the role of micronutrients and phytochemicals in the initiation and progression of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Although squamous cell cancer of the head and neck is associated with tobacco use, micronutrients and phytochemicals in the diet play an important role in the etiology and progression of this deadly disease. These compounds may have a role in the prevention of de novo cancer in high-risk populations, such as tobacco smokers, as well as in the prevention of disease progression or relapse. These compounds may have significant connections with cancer therapies, such as radiation and chemotherapy, which may be antagonistic, additive, or synergistic. Some micronutrients or phytochemicals may prevent the toxicity of chemotherapy and radiation therapy while improving their efficacy. However, there are no data from randomized clinical trials showing their efficacy and safety in this population. Clinical studies investigating the use of these agents in the prevention and treatment of SCCHN should be of high priority.
Neuroendocrinology: New hormone treatment for obesity caused by POMC-deficiency.

In 1998, two children with congenital adrenal insufficiency and early-onset morbid obesity were found to have causative null mutations in POMC. In a new study, therapy with the melanocortin-4 receptor agonist setmelanotide has for the first time brought hope of a normal life to patients with POMC-deficiency.
Abstract 2220: Annexin A3 regulates MET-like aldehyde dehydrogenase positive breast cancer stem cells

Background: Many cancers, including breast cancer, are hierarchically organized and contain a subpopulation of self-renewing cells that display stem cell properties. Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) drive tumor growth and metastasis and contribute to therapeutic resistance. Recent studies suggest that BCSCs exist in alternative mesenchymal-like (EMT) and epithelial-like (MET) states which are characterized by expression of the BCSC markers CD44+/CD24- and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), respectively. BCSCs maintain the plasticity to transition between EMT and MET-like states in a process regulated by the tumor microenvironment. However, the pathways involved in regulation of these stem cell states remain undefined. Approach and Results: In order to elucidate the mechanisms which regulate EMT and MET BCSCs, we performed gene expression and proteomic analysis of BCSC populations enriched for EMT (CD44+/CD24-) or MET, ALDH (Aldefluor-positive). Among the genes enriched in the MET BCSC populations were Annexin A3 (ANXA3). Validation by qPCR and western blotting confirmed increased ANXA3 mRNA and protein expression in the ALDH+ fractions of MCF7, SUM 159, T47D and SUM 149 breast cancer cells, as well as normal mammary epithelial cells. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that ANXA3 expression was significantly higher in breast cancers compared to normal breast tissue with over 75% of primary human tumors demonstrating significant ANXA3 expression. To determine the functional role of ANXA3 in regulating BCSCs we established breast cancer cell lines with inducible knockdown of ANXA3 utilizing a doxycycline (DOX) inducible shRNA. ANXA3 knockdown reduced cell proliferation and decreased colony formation in soft agar. In addition, ANXA3 knockdown significantly decreased the proportion of ALDH+ BCSCs. In contrast, ANXA3 knockdown increased the relative proportion of EMT-like (i.e. CD44+/CD24-) cells as well as expression of EMT regulatory genes including Twist1 and Snail1. In addition, ANXA3 knocked down significantly decreased tumorsphere formation in vitro and tumor initiating capacity of breast cancer cells in NOD/SCID mice. Conclusions: These results suggest that ANXA3 may play a significant role in regulating the self-renewal of the MET-like ALDH+ BCSC. Studies are underway to determine the mechanisms of this regulation and to assess the potential of ANXA3 as a cancer stem cell therapeutic target. Citation Format: Yadwinder S. Deol, Sean P. McDermott, David M. Lubman, Jenny C. Chang, Song Nie, Tahra K. Luther, Yang Cong, Ebrahim Azizi, Justin Colacino, Shawn G. Clouthier, Max Wicha. Annexin A3 regulates MET-like aldehyde dehydrogenase positive breast cancer stem cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2220. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2220
Anuran call classification with deep learning

Ecologists can assess the health of flooded habitats or wetlands by studying the variations in the populations of bioindicators such as anurans (i.e., frogs and toads). To monitor anuran populations, ecologists manually identify anuran species from audio recordings. This identification task can be significantly streamlined by the availability of an automated method for anuran identification. Previous promising frog-call identification methods have relied on the extraction of pre-designed features from audio spectrograms such as Mel Coefficients and other filter responses. Instead of using pre-designed features, we propose to allow a deep-learning algorithm to find the features that are most important for classification. In work reported in this paper, we used two deep-learning methods that apply convolutional neural networks (CNN) to anuran classification. Transfer learning was also used. The CNN methods was tested on our dataset of 15 frog species, and produced a classification accuracy up to 77%.
On practical device-to-device wireless communication: A measurement driven study

We present an empirical study for device-to-device single hop wireless communication. We perform realistic indoor and outdoor measurements of WiFi and Bluetooth communication between representative mobile and IoT devices. This measurement paper aims at answering multiple questions: What are the methods and the limitations in D2D wireless communications for multiple IoT devices? What is the impact of distance/obstacles, environment, and device types on TCP and UDP data transfers? We address these questions, and more, by conducting experimental measurements to cover varying performance aspects such as effective throughput, packet loss ratio, received signal strength (RSSI), and end-to-end delay. Our study presents insights and awareness of the true communication performance of different IoT devices and wireless communication technologies.
Viability of Using Shadows Cast by Vehicles for Position Verification in Vehicle Platooning

This work investigates the viability of using the visible shadows cast by vehicles to verify position claims made by vehicles in a platoon. Platooning is a method of guiding a group of vehicles whereby a lead vehicle determines the speed/velocity of the vehicles that follow. A cooperative following strategy is then employed by the followers to maintain a desired separation between themselves. In this way a group of vehicles acts as a single unit, which has been shown to have many safety and efficiency benefits. Existing work, however, demonstrates that a disruptive member of a platoon is capable of causing the rest of the platoon to increase its total energy expenditure, or even destabilizing the platoon, which could result in catastrophic accidents. Knowledge about the position and velocity of each vehicle can help deter such attacks by attributing the disruption to the specific vehicle causing it.One way to achieve this is to assume that the lead vehicle is trusted and equipped with a camera so as to watch over the platoon and identify deviations from reported positions/velocities. As platoons often move in a straight line, it might be impossible for the leader to obtain a direct view of all the vehicles in the platoon. Under a broad range of circumstances, however, a direct view of the vehicle or the shadows of the vehicles are visible to the leader. In this work we investigate whether the differential distance between shadows, as viewed through a monocular camera, can reveal that the distance between two vehicles has changed over time, and thus serve as a mechanism to verify positions claims. When a direct view of the vehicle is not achievable, the use of shadows to detect the relative positions of vehicles under a variety of weather and daylight conditions are considered. Our analysis finds that shadow analysis can be used in sequential images to detect practical changes in the distance between two vehicles for visible shadows in non-light-of-sightscenarios. We also present the analysis to efficiently use the technique as the position of the Sun changes through out the day for a given site location.
Southeast Asian renal exchange list.

More than 340,000 Southeast Asians (SE Asians) have immigrated to the United States since 1971. By 1984, 76,000 SE Asians had settled in California. In areas of the U.S. with large SE Asian populations, many foods specific to those people are readily available. Approximately 5% of the total U.S. population has medical problems that lead to kidney disease. Many SE Asian refugees have prior medical problems, such as hepatitis B, that may make them at significantly higher risk for kidney disease. A modified renal exchange list (excluding milk, carbohydrate supplement, and fat group) was developed. This list, made up of foods readily available and commonly eaten by the largest group of SE Asian immigrants, the Vietnamese, categorizes foods by protein, potassium, and caloric content. A separate list, indicating the phosphorus content of these foods, is also included. Asian grocery stores were visited to identify foods available for purchase by SE Asians. The foods were identified, and nutrient composition was found in food composition tables. Because the Vietnamese diet is high in potassium and sodium, planning renal diets poses problems for both patients and dietitians. Close monitoring of diet can retard the progression of renal disease. An exchange list such as this assists both dietitians and renal patients in this important task.
Total surface area in indoor environments

Certain processes in indoor air, such as deposition, partitioning, and heterogeneous reactions, involve interactions with surfaces. We have characterized the surface area, volume, shape, and material of objects in 10 bedrooms, nine kitchens, and three offices. The resolution of the measurements was ∼1 cm. The ratio of surface area with contents to that without contents did not vary by type of room and averaged 1.5 ± 0.3 (mean ± standard deviation) across all rooms. The ratio of the volume minus contents to nominal volume averaged 0.9 ± 0.1 and was lower for kitchens compared to bedrooms and offices. Ignoring contents, the surface-area-to-volume ratio was 1.8 ± 0.3 m−1; accounting for contents, the ratio was 3.2 ± 1.2 m−1, or 78% higher. These two ratios did not vary by type of room and were similar to those measured for 33 rooms in another study. Due to substantial differences in the design and contents of kitchens, their ratios had the highest variability among the three room types. The most common shape of surfaces was flat rectangular, while each room also had many irregularly-shaped objects. Paint-covered surfaces and stained wood were the two most common materials in each room, accounting for an average of 42% and 22% of total surface area, respectively, although the distribution of materials varied by room type. These findings have important implications for understanding the chemistry of indoor environments, as the available surface area for deposition, partitioning, and reactions is higher and more complex than assumed in simple models.
Putative Adaptor Proteins of Clathrin Coated Vesicles from Developing Pea

Membrane bound vesicles with an external lattice of the protein clathrin appear to be a ubiquitous cellular transport motif in eukaryotic cells. In plants, roles for coated vesicles in endocytosis (Tanchak et. al 1984) and the intracellular transport of storage proteins during seed development have been described (Harley and Beevers 1989).
Declarative Bias: An Overview

This paper describes and places in context a continuing research program aimed at constructing effective, autonomous learning systems. We emphasize the role of knowledge that the system itself possesses in generating and selecting among inductive hypotheses. Inductive learning has often been characterized as a search in a hypothesis space for hypotheses consistent with observations. It is shown that committing to a given hypothesis space is equivalent to believing a certain logical sentence — the declarative bias. We show how many kinds of declarative bias can be relatively efficiently represented and derived from background knowledge, and discuss possibilities and problems for building complete learning systems.
Default reasoning as likelihood reasoning

Several attempts to define formal logics for some type of default reasoning have been made. All of these logics share the property that in any given state, a proposition p is either held to be true, it is held to be false, or no belief about it is held. But if we ask what default reasoning really is, we see that it is form of likelihood reasoning. The goal of this paper is to show that if default reasoning is treated as likelihood reasoning (similar to that of Mycin), then natural solutions emerge for several of the problems that are encountered when default reasoning is used. This is shown by presenting 7 such problems and showing how they are solved.
The Victors and the Vanquished: Christians and Muslims of Catalonia and Aragon, 1050-1300

List of figures List of maps List of tables Acknowledgements Note on the citation of sources, dates, places and names Glossary List of abbreviations Introduction Part I. Muslim Domination of the Ebro and its Demise, 700-1200: Introduction 1. Thaghr and taifa 2. Christians and Muslims: contact and conquest Part II. Muslims under Christian Rule: Introduction 3. The financial and judicial administration of Mudejar society 4. Muslims in the economy of the Christian Ebro 5. Mudejar ethnicity and Christian society 6. Muslims and Christian society Mudejarismo as a social system Part III. Individual and Community in the Christian Ebro: Introduction Case study 1: fiscal and confessional identity: the Galips, templar vassals in Zaragoza (1179-1390) Case study 2: Franquitas and factionalism in Daroca: the Lucera family vs. the Aljama (1267-1302) Case study 3: litigation and competition within the Muslim community: the Abdellas of Daroca (1280-1310) Case study 4: administrative corruption and royal complicity: Abrahim Abengentor, Caualquem of Huesca (1260-1304) Case study 5: overlapping agendas: the career of Mahomet, Alaminus of Borja (1276-1302) Case study 6: the good, the bad and the indifferent: Christian officials in the Ebro region Personal histories: the individual, within the community and beyond Conclusions: Mudejar ethnogenesis Appendix 1: currency of the thirteenth-century Ebro region Appendix 2: toponymical variants in archival documents Appendix 3: rulers of the 'Crown of Aragon', 1050-1300 Select bibliography Index.
Über die chemischen Bedingungen der Reifung der Eier

Ehe wir nun die Versuche uber die kunstliche Parthenogenese bei anderen Formen als den Seeigeln besprechen, mussen. wir auf die Reifungserscheinungen der Eier eingehen. Wir haben in der Einleitung erwahnt, das der eigentlichen Entwicklung, d. h. Furchung des Eies, eine „Rejfung“ desselben. voraufgehen mus. Diese Reifung ist ein Vorgang, der auserlich in der Reduktion des Eikerns durch zweimalige Teilung und dem Auswerfen von zwei dieser Teilstucken — den Polkorperchen — aus dem Ei besteht. Dieser Reifungsprozes, zeigt nun eine Analogie mit dem Befruchtungsvorgang insofern, als er in manchen Eiern erst durch das Eindringen des Spermatozoons ins Ei veranlast wird, wahrend in anderen Eiern die Reifung spontan — sei es im Eierstock (Seeigel) oder nacho der Entleerung ins Seewasser (Seestern) — vor sich geht, und zwar ehe das Spermatozoon in das Ei eindringt oder eindringen kann. Wahrend man im Eierstock des Seeigels haufig oder meistens reife Eier findet, ist das bei Seesternen sehr selten der Fall; dagegen reifen die Eier des Seesterns meist rasch, wenn man sie in Seewasser bringt. Wenn die Eier des. Seesterns aus dem Ovarium genommen werden, haben sie im allgemeinen einen grosen, deutlich sichtbaren Kern.
Compressional Wave Disturbance Suppression for Nanoscale Track-Following on Flexible Tape Media

Track-density scaling has become the main enabler for the continuing increase in areal density and cartridge capacity in tape storage systems. However, as the track density in tape systems is scaled from around 10 ktpi today to 100 ktpi, new challenges are posed to track-following servomechanisms, which will have to provide a positioning accuracy of the order of a few nanometers. In this paper, advanced control techniques are presented that address these challenges. A novel method based on the signals obtained from dual servo channels is proposed for the suppression of high-frequency disturbances, which originate from compressional waves that oscillate between the tape-path rollers and are excited by the tape-head friction. Furthermore, the tape-velocity dependent system delay is experimentally characterized and subsequently used to optimize the track-following control design. Results obtained with a high-SNR magnetic tape based on perpendicularly-oriented barium ferrite (BaFe) particles, a prototype head actuator, and an experimental tape transport system are presented. A position error signal with a standard deviation of less than 6 nm over a wide range of operating tape velocities is demonstrated.
Phase two clinical trial of combination oxaliplatin, irinotecan, and cetuximab for patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer.

e15781Background: Pancreatic cancer remains a leading cause of cancer death with limited treatment options. After promising results from a retrospective chart review of the combination of irinoteca...
Can Dementia Caregivers Define Dementia? (P6.196)

Objective: To assess understanding of the meaning of the word “dementia” in caregivers of patients presenting to a dementia clinic. Background: Health literacy among caregivers is an area of focus for patient safety in dementia care, so caregiver education is a key goal. An obstacle to that goal may begin even with defining what dementia is. Design/Methods: In consecutive outpatient visits, we prospectively queried caregivers bringing a patient to an academic dementia clinic. Each respondent was asked: How would you define the word “dementia”? For comparison, we developed an operational definition to isolate 7 key elements: (1) abnormal (2) decline from baseline (3) in multiple aspects of (4) cognition, (5) not brief, (6) due to brain problems, (7) interfering with function. Results: Responses were given by 98 unique caregivers in 120 consecutive patient visits, resulting in an average of 2.8 of the operationalized features of a dementia definition. Two people identified 5 features, none more than that. Twenty seven (27) identified 4 features, 36 identified 3, 13 identified 2, 17 identified 1, and 3 identify no features. Most, but not all, said that dementia involves cognition (87), something abnormal (66), or a change from baseline (60), but no one identified all three. A minority (34) specified that more than one cognitive area was involved, and few (9) identified brain dysfunction, interference with function (9), or duration not brief (4). No one offered a simplified operational definition of (1) abnormal (2) cognition (3) over more than a brief time (4) with functional consequences. Conclusions: No caregiver could give either a full or abbreviated definition of dementia and few could list more elements than they omitted. Disclosure: Dr. Shenker has nothing to disclose. Dr. Singh has nothing to disclose.
Core Functions of Communication in Pediatric Medicine: an Exploratory Analysis of Parent and Patient Narratives

Communication in pediatrics is important for psychological well-being and health outcomes. However, consensus is lacking regarding the core functions of communication in pediatrics. The aims of this study were (1) to evaluate whether and how core communication functions from adult oncology apply to communication in pediatric medicine and (2) to examine whether any unique core communication functions exist in pediatric medicine. We analyzed 36 narratives written by parents (n = 23) or former patients (n = 13) describing pediatric communication experiences with clinicians that were published in Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics. Utilizing deductive and inductive coding, we evaluated narratives for evidence of core communication functions previously documented in adult oncology. We also evaluated for novel functions not represented in adult oncology. We identified the presence of all adult core communication functions in pediatric narratives. We also found evidence of a novel function, “engendering solidarity and validation.” We report clinician behaviors that appeared to facilitate or impair these core functions. Core communication functions in adult oncology apply to communication in pediatric medicine, but we also identified a novel communication function in pediatrics.
Understanding Thyroidectomy Cost Variations Among National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Centers

The cost of thyroidectomy varies across the USA, while the causes of this variation are poorly understood. We examined the cost of inpatient thyroidectomy among National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers nationwide to determine why it differs. A retrospective study of inpatient thyroidectomies was performed using the Vizient Clinical Data Base. Fifty-two of 70 eligible hospitals were grouped into five geographic regions (Mid-Atlantic and New England, East Central, South Atlantic, West Central, and Mountain and Pacific). We identified drivers of cost variation in the five geographic regions and used risk adjustment model to evaluate the rationality of cost from each hospital. Male sex, more extended hospital stays, and occurrence of complications were consistently associated with increased costs in all regions. Also, the cost was significantly lower in the Mid-Atlantic and New England region. The higher than expected costs did not correlate well with the case mix index among hospitals (p = 0.289), but the lower than expected costs were more common in high-volume hospitals. The average length of stay was the shortest in high-volume hospitals, which might account for the lower cost in the Mid-Atlantic and New England region; however, the overages of costs still varied widely among hospitals in all regions even if the length of stay was adjusted. Cost variation may result from both patient-related factors and volume-related practice pattern differences among hospitals. A more standard of care and charge transparency is still needed for patients seeking affordable care at cancer centers.