cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Periorbital necrobiotic xanthogranuloma treated successfully with novel multiple myeloma therapy.

A 46-year-old woman with a medical history of a multinodular goiter presented to the department of dermatology with extensive yellow papules and nodules surrounding both eyelids that had developed over the past 3 years. A skin biopsy was done that showed chronic granulomatous dermal inflammation and foreign body giant reaction consistent with juvenile xanthogranuloma after ruling out a ruptured chalazion. She was subsequently referred to our institute for a comprehensive dermatology evaluation and underwent a repeat biopsy of the skin of the right lateral canthus, which resulted in a diagnosis of necrobiotic xanthogranuloma (NXG, Figure 1). Given its association with underlying plasma cell dyscrasias, a workup was undertaken. The complete blood count (CBC) revealed a white blood count (WBC) of 2.93 × 103/μL, absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of 950 cells/ μL, and hemoglobin level of 16.6 g/dL. The chemistry panel showed plasma protein of 8.6 g/dL, plasma albumin of 4.3 g/dL, creatinine of 0.86 mg/dL, and calcium of 9.2 mg/dL. The serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) test showed an M-spike in the γ region of 1.64 g/dL, and the serum immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) test showed IgG κ. Urine protein electrophoresis (UPEP) was negative for Bence-Jones protein. β2 microglobulin was 2.58 mg/dL. Quantitative immunoglobulin testing revealed an elevated IgG of 2180 mg/dL (normal, 751-1560 mg/dL). A bone marrow biopsy revealed plasma cell dyscrasia with hypercellular marrow (60%) and an atypical plasma cell population of 7% of the bone marrow space. Immunohistochemical staining revealed a subset of plasma cells that were positive for BCL-1, CD123, and CD 117-C-KIT. A definite clonal plasma cell population was not detected by immunohistochemical stains for κ and λ light chains on the bone marrow sample, presumably because any small clonal proliferation was obscured by more numerous benign background polytypic plasma cells. However, flow cytometry showed a small population of κ-restricted plasma cells. A skeletal survey was negative for any lytic lesions. Hematologic studies and bone marrow findings were consistent with monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS). Owing to pain associated with the skin lesions and cosmetic concerns, therapy was initiated with lenalidomide (Revlimid, Celgene) 25 mg orally daily for 3 weeks given on a 28-day cycle. After adjusting the lenalidomide dose for neutropenia at the second cycle, dexamethasone 40 mg on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle was added in the third cycle. The patient completed 5 cycles by August Address correspondence to: Omar Al Ustwani, MD, Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, New York 14263; Phone: 716-903-1244; Fax: 716-845-8008; E-mail: Omar.Alustwani@RoswellPark.org. Figure 1. A, Hematoxylin and Eosin [H&E] stain demonstrating dense infiltrate of inflammatory cells in the dermis. B, H&E stain showing characteristic extracellular lipid and cholesterol clefts in acellular necrobiotic debris.
Ultrasonic bone aspirator assisted endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy

Abstract Objective To evaluate the ultrasonic bone aspirator versus traditional powered drill technique for use in endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy. Study design Retrospective chart review. Setting Academic institution. Subjects and methods A retrospective chart review of all patients undergoing endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy from June 2010 through May 2014 was performed. Data were collected from 63 eyes of 63 patients. Recorded data points include: age, gender, etiology of epiphora, procedure type, success rate, need for septoplasty, and length of follow-up. Surgical failure was defined as no improvement in epiphora, postoperative dacryocystitis, or inability to irrigate the lacrimal system post-operatively. Results Sixty three consecutive patients underwent endonasal endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy. Twenty nine patients underwent powered microdrill DCR (pDCR); 34 patients underwent ultrasonic bone aspirator DCR (uDCR). There was no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of age or gender. The success rates were: pDCR 86.2% and uDCR 94.1% (p = 0.4). Concurrent septoplasty was performed in 48% of pDCR patients and 21% of uDCR patients (p = 0.03) There was no significant difference in surgical success when septoplasty was controlled for (p = 0.39). Conclusion Ultrasonic bone aspirator dacryocystorhinostomy has a similar success rate to traditional powered microdrill dacryocystorhinostomy.
Selection of chemotherapy for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Chemotherapy remains the first-line treatment for most patients with stage IV non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but optimal regimens are now defined by histology. Platinum-based regimens with pemetrexed, bevacizumab, or both are reasonable first-line options for patients with nonsquamous NSCLC. The standard treatment for squamous NSCLC remains a platinum doublet with a drug other than pemetrexed. Maintenance therapy is emerging as a treatment strategy for patients who do not progress after four cycles of first-line chemotherapy. In the maintenance setting, pemetrexed and erlotinib significantly prolong overall survival compared with placebo after the completion of first-line chemotherapy.
THE AZTEC MARKETING SYSTEM AND SETTLEMENT PATTERN IN THE VALLEY OF MEXICO: A CENTRAL PLACE ANALYSIS

Documentary data reveal the Aztec marketing system in the Valley of Mexico to have been a highly developed and complex institution. Examination of this information shows that the Aztec regional economy fits the requirements of classical central place theory as developed by Christaller. A central place analyis of Aztec settlement locations is presented, and it is concluded that commercial factors were of primary importance in shaping the settlement pattern in the Valley of Mexico. This does not rule out political, ecological, and other factors, whose roles in the settlement system are discussed. The implications of these results in terms of the Aztec economy and its development over time are briefly considered, and comparative data are mentioned. This paper is an attempt to determine the effects of the Aztec marketing system on the location of settlements in the Valley of Mexico just prior to the Spanish conquest of 1519. Several authorities have suggested that marketplace trade was an important determinant of the Aztec settlement pattern (Parsons 1971:228ff.; Sanders 1965:85), but the nature of this relationship has not been systematically investigated. In this paper I will first show that what is known ethnohistorically of Aztec markets indicates that they were integrated into a typical regional peasant marketing system, comparable to those documented by anthropologists working in China and many areas of Latin America. Central place theory, which deals with the influence of commercial factors on the placement of market centers in such systems, is thus applicable to the Aztec case. I hope to show that, although for a number of reasons the results are not unequivocal, there is a very strong indication that commercial factors go a long way toward explaining the distribution of Aztec settlements in the Valley of Mexico.
The effect of monetary incentive in paired associate learning using a differential method

Two groups of human Ss were tested in a paired associate learning task using the method of anticipation with 13 pairs of CVC trigrams of low association value. Both groups were told that the learning of trigrams of a certain background color (yellow, white) would result in a reward of 25 cents for each correct response on a predetermined trial. The interval between the stimulus trigram onset and response trigram onset for each pair was 4 sec. for both groups. But the interval between the response trigram onset of one pair and the stimulus trigram onset of the next pair (R-S interval) was 4 sec. for one group and 1.3 sec. for the other group. The 4 sec. R-S interval group learned the high incentive trigrams (HIT) significantly faster than the low incentive trigrams (LIT), but the difference was not significant in the 1.3 sec. group. Also, the length of the R-S interval had a significant effect on the ease of recall of HIT relative to LIT. The amount recalled depended upon the total amount of time permitted for looking at the pairs rather than upon the total number of trials or overt recitations.
Using Political Efficacy Messages to Increase Climate Activism The Mediating Role of Emotions

Using an online experiment with a national sample, this study tests the effects of political efficacy messages on two types of climate-related political participation via the discrete emotions of h...
Imaging mass spectrometry: Molecular microscopy for the new age of biology and medicine

Imaging mass spectrometry provides a powerful tool for monitoring and discovery of molecular processes in the spatial domain in tissues for research and practical applications in both biology and medicine. This technology directly measures molecular compounds in tissues without the use of target-specific reagents such as antibodies, is applicable to a wide variety of analytes, and can provide spatial resolutions below the single cell level. Importantly, it has paradigm shifting capabilities in clinical applications, especially for anatomic pathology.
Present Status of Transmission Protocol and Relative Domestic and International Standards

This paper summarizes the development course of adopting transmission protocol in China, and introduces the general situation of establishing international standard of transmission protocol in IEC as well as the equating adoption in China. DL/T634-5101-2002 is emphasized to describe in the paper, and the development direction for international standards of transmission protocol is also pointed out.
Prostacyclin reduces "preload" in conscious dogs via a vagal reflex mechanism

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of prostacyclin on left ventricular (LV) preload in conscious dogs. LV end-diastolic diameter (LV EDD) was used as an index of preload. Because prostacyclin reduces arterial pressure, data were sampled when mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and first derivative of LV pressure (dP/dt) had returned to control levels. There was no dose-response relationship in the preload reduction to prostacyclin, the threshold dose being 0.1 microgram/kg. Intravenous prostacyclin (2.0 micrograms/kg) reduced LV EDD 2.9 +/- 0.5% from 36 +/- 2.2 mm, (P less than 0.01). With heart rate held constant (146 +/- 2.5 beats/min) by electrical pacing, prostacyclin still reduced LV EDD by 4.0 +/- 1.0% from 32 +/- 2.5 mm (P less than 0.05). Intravenous administration of arachidonic acid (500 micrograms/kg) gave similar results. The magnitude of the preload response to prostacyclin was similar to that of nitroglycerin (25 micrograms/kg). Prazosin (1 mg/kg) or bilateral cervical vagal section completely abolished the preload response to prostacyclin but not to nitroglycerin. We, therefore, propose a mechanism where prostacyclin activates cardiopulmonary receptors with vagal afferents that results in a withdrawal of peripheral sympathetic tone to capacitance vessels to reduce preload, in contrast to nitroglycerin, whose mechanism of action is most probably a direct effect on capacitance vessels.
Trends in open vascular surgery for trauma: implications for the future of acute care surgery.

Abstract Background Trauma patients with vascular injuries have historically been within a general surgeon's operative ability. Changes in training and decline in operative trauma have decreased trainees' exposure to these injuries. We sought to determine how frequently vascular procedures are performed at US trauma centers to quantify the need for general surgeons trained to manage vascular injuries. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of the National Trauma Data Base (NTDB) from 2012 compared with 2002. Patients with general surgical and vascular procedures were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, procedure codes 38.0-39.99, excluding 38.9-38.99. Results General surgery or vascular operations were performed on 12,099 (24%) of 50,248 severely injured adult patients in 2002 and 21,854 (16%) of 138,009 injured patients in 2012. Nineteen percent to 26% of all patients underwent vascular procedures. Patients with combined general surgery and vascular procedures were less likely to be discharged home and more likely to die. In 2002, 6% of severely injured adult trauma patients underwent open vascular procedures at level III/IV trauma centers; by 2012, only 1% of vascular surgery procedures were performed at level III/IV centers (P Conclusions Need for emergent vascular surgery remains common for severely injured patients. Future trauma systems and surgical training programs will need to account for the need for open vascular skills. The findings suggest that there is already a trend away from open vascular procedures at level III/IV trauma centers, which may be a sign of system compensation for changes in the workforce.
Genetics and Regeneration in Vertebrates

Regeneration is a common trait in vertebrates, with regrowth of entire appendages carried out by a number of groups including teleost fish, amphibians, and squamate reptiles. While humans are also vertebrates, we have very limited ability to regenerate as adults. Cellular and molecular studies in zebrafish, Xenopus frog, axolotl, and green anole lizard model systems have identified components of genetic programs for regeneration that include both developmental and adult repair mechanisms shared with mammals. Regeneration in vertebrates involves the genetic regulation of wound epithelium formation, modulation of the immune response, remodeling of the extracellular matrix, patterning of the regrowing appendage, and activation of Wnt/β-catenin and FGF signaling pathways. By understanding the mechanisms by which vertebrates are able to regenerate their appendages, we can translate these processes to develop clinically relevant regenerative therapies.
Contextual heat island assessment for pavement preservation

AbstractPavement preservation (PP) is a planned set of construction and material interventions that can extend the pavement’s service life and may also impact sustainability through Heat Island (HI) mitigation. The HI mitigation potential can vary from location-to-location and with time. For agencies to widely adopt the PP, it is necessary to quantify the benefits based on the context of the project. A method to calculate the Global Warming Potential (GWP) for the HI effect was developed and illustrated for four cities in the US: Chicago, Austin, San Diego and Philadelphia, for hypothetical pavements with three preservation options: chip seals, a concrete inlay, and an asphalt concrete inlay. The use phase GWP with respect to HI was estimated for all cases given a 2-, 5-, 7- or 10-year service life. Overall, the HI in the use phase was found to dominate the total GWP relative to the materials and construction phases. The HI GWP savings increase over time, with the 10-year savings being greatest for San Di...
Reading as a Nursing Intervention for Agitation in Patients With Anoxic Brain Injury.

Purpose The purpose of this article is to describe and recommend reading as a nursing intervention for agitated patients with anoxic brain injury. Design The design of this study is a case report of the results from reading to an agitated patient with anoxic brain injury. Methods Observation of the effects of reading to an agitated patient. Findings Fifteen minutes of reading to an agitated patient during the evening hours had a calming effect. Conclusions Reading to agitated patients is an additional nursing intervention with little risk and represents efficient, patient-centered care. Clinical Relevance Reading is a successful nursing intervention that has a calming effect on agitated patients.
The Farm as a Thermodynamic System: Implications of the Maximum Power Principle

A farm can be considered a thermodynamic system that uses exosomatic energy (fertilizers and pesticides) to facilitate crop yield derived from endosomatic (photosynthetically derived) energy. Because farms are thermodynamic systems, they are subject to the Maximum Power Principle. This means that farmers can maximize yield to increase economic competitiveness or maximize exosomatic energy use efficiency to minimize pollution, but they cannot do both at the same time. To maintain competitiveness, farmers usually choose to maximize yield, a decision that often results in degradation of the environmental commons. Farms are self-organizing systems in that yield is converted to dollars, some of which the farmer uses to manage cropping systems embedded in the farming system. If management of an industrial cropping system is modified to use nature’s services, energy use efficiency of the farm increases and pollution is reduced.
Synthetic Approach for Scenario-Based Performance Estimation of Connected Vehicles Operating at Highway Facilities

Connected Vehicle (CV) systems are envisioned to enhance a wide range of safety, mobility and environmental aspects to highway traffic. A critical research need lies in clarifying the cause-and-effect mechanism between the CV information and driver behaviors and subsequent adaptive resiliency of improvement in operation, safety, and emissions reductions. A novel approach is hence created via developing the simulation-based tool, Synthetic Adaptive V2X Effect (SAVE) Estimator, to explore the interactions between the CV system and transportation performance. This presentation will introduce preliminary results from the speaker’s on-going research on identifying factors possibly affecting travel behavior and rationale of their aggregated impact on mobility, safety, and vehicle emission in support of simulated outcomes of synthesized scenarios at a freeway and ramp conjunction facility in the Cincinnati are, Ohio (USA). The framework and associated modeling methodology for the development of the SAVE Estimator will be also introduced alongside the discussion of the case study.
East Antarctic ice sheet stability recorded in a high-elevation ice-cored moraine

Abstract Till in an extensive blue ice moraine in the central Transantarctic Mountains at Mt. Achernar shows relatively continuous deposition by East Antarctic derived ice throughout the last glacial cycle. The most recently exposed material along the active margin of the Law Glacier (Zone 1) has hummocky topography that transitions into to a relatively flat region (Zone 2), followed by a series of ∼2 m high continuous, parallel/sub-parallel ridges and troughs (Zones 3–5). The entire moraine is ice-cored. Past surface changes of Pebble lithology and detrital zircon geochronology were analyzed on samples along a 6.5 km transect across the moraine which formed from sub- and englacial debris. Beacon and Ferrar Supergroup rocks comprise most rock types on the moraine surface. Overall, pebbles in Zones 1, 4 and 5 are dominated by igneous rocks of the Ferrar dolerite, whereas Zones 2 and 3 have ∼40% more Beacon Supergroup sedimentary rocks. Zone 4 is characterized by distinctly colored lithologic bands, 5–20 m wide, that alternate between dominant Beacon and Ferrar rock types. When combined with surface exposure ages, we conclude that Zones 2 and 3 contain sediment accumulated through the last glacial maximum (LGM). In contrast to pebble data, the U-Pb zircon data from till across all zones show little variability and are consistent with a Beacon Supergroup source, as samples show significant populations from the Proterozoic, ∼550–600 Ma and ∼950–1270 Ma, as well as the late Archean ∼2700–2770 Ma. The Mackellar, Fairchild, and lower Buckley Formations are interpreted as dominant sources of the detrital zircons. The zircon data lack the spatio-temporal variability indicated by the pebble fraction because the local Ferrar dolerite is not zircon bearing, highlighting the broader importance of using multiple techniques when interpreting provenance changes over time. Rather than reflecting major changes in ice flow path over time, the provenance changes are interpreted to indicate relative stability of the East Antarctic ice sheet, as the Law Glacier tapped into and eroded successively lower stratigraphic units of the Beacon Supergroup. This has important implications for interpreting offshore provenance records.
Id2 Is Required for the Self-Renewal and Proliferation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Abstract The production of mammalian blood cells is sustained throughout life by the self-renewal and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Dysregulation in this system leads to different pathologies including anemia, bone marrow failure and hematopoietic malignancies. The Helix-Loop-Helix transcriptional regulator Id2 plays essential roles in regulating proliferation and cell fate of hematopoietic progenitors; however, its role in regulating HSC development remains largely unknown. To assess the function of Id2 in HSCs, we developed two mouse models, including an Id2 conditional knockout model and an Id2-EYFP model, in which EYFP expression is driven by endogenous Id2 promoter. When we examined HSC function by serial transplantation, we found that mice transplanted with Id2F/F Mx1-Cre+ conditionally deleted bone marrow cells became moribund more rapidly after primary and secondary transplantation, compared to those transplanted with Id2+/F Mx1-Cre+ bone marrow, suggesting that HSC self-renewal is impaired when Id2 is deleted. To further determine if self-renewal and maintenance of HSCs depends on the expression level of Id2, we purified HSCs with different levels of Id2 expression using Id2-EYFP mice to specifically address the role of Id2 in HSCs. First, we confirmed Id2 is highly expressed in HSCs in this model. Second, when HSCs with either low or high levels of Id2-EYFP were transplanted into irradiated mice, cells with high levels of Id2 reconstituted transplanted recipients faster than those with low levels of Id2 at 3 weeks and longer, suggesting that Id2 expression is associated with repopulation advantage. Furthermore, Ki-67 staining showed that HSCs with high levels of Id2 have 15-fold more cells in G2/M phase, and fewer cells in G0. BrdU staining also suggested that there are 5-fold more BrdU+ cells in HSCs with high levels of Id2, indicating that Id2 expression correlates with cell cycle progression in HSCs. In addition, p57 has been reported to be required for quiescence of HSCs. Our preliminary data showed that p57 is downregulated in HSCs with high levels of Id2, and p57 is correspondingly upregulated in Id2-null HSCs. Altogether, our data demonstrate that Id2 is required for the self-renewal and proliferation of HSCs, and suggest a link between Id2 and the transcriptional regulatory networks that regulate the functional hematopoietic system. Since Id2 is also expressed in other adult stem cells including muscle and neuronal stem cells, as well as cancer cells, we believe our results can improve our understanding of stem cell biology and cancer development, and contribute to the identification of novel molecules that may be targeted to eliminate cancer stem cells. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Risk of histological transformation and therapy-related myelodysplasia/acute myeloid leukaemia in patients receiving radioimmunotherapy for follicular lymphoma.

Summary Histological transformation (HT) of follicular lymphoma (FL) to an aggressive lymphoma after chemotherapy remains a key issue. The incidence of HT after radioimmunotherapy (RIT) is unknown. This single institution study analysed the risk of HT in FL after treatment with yttrium-90 ibritumomab tiuxetan in 115 consecutive patients treated during 1987–2012. RIT was administered for progressive FL in 111 (97%) patients and as first-line therapy in the remaining 4. 28% (n = 32) had HT, occurring at a median of 60 months from diagnosis and 20 months after RIT. 48% (12/25) of patients who received fludarabine developed HT. The estimated 10-year risk of HT in the fludarabine and non-fludarabine groups was 67% and 26% respectively (P = 0·015). Only prior fludarabine was significantly associated with predicting the risk of HT after RIT. 8% (9/115) of patients developed therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome/acute myeloid leukaemia (tMDS/AML) at a median of 41·4 months (range, 5–89). The estimated 10-year risk of tMDS/AML in non-fludarabine treated patients (n = 90) versus fludarabine treated (n = 25) was 13% and 29%, respectively. The estimated overall risk of FL undergoing HT at 10 years without fludarabine exposure appears similar to patients reported in the literature that have not received RIT. Patients with prior purine-analogue therapy are at significantly higher risk of HT.
Tranexamic acid is associated with increased mortality in patients with physiological fibrinolysis

Abstract Background Tranexamic acid (TXA) administration after trauma has not been proven to improve survival in the United States. Trauma patients were presented to the hospital with a spectrum of fibrinolytic activity, in which physiological levels of fibrinolysis are associated with the lowest mortality. We hypothesize that trauma patients who present to the hospital with physiological levels of fibrinolysis will have increased mortality if they receive TXA. Materials and methods Severely injured trauma patients, followed prospectively from 2014 to 2016, were included in the analysis. The patient's first thrombelastography was used to stratify patients into fibrinolysis phenotypes which included fibrinolysis shutdown, physiological fibrinolysis, and systemic hyperfibrinolysis. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Results A total of 232 patients were analyzed (11% received TXA) with an overall mortality rate of 20%. TXA administration was associated with a higher new injury severity score (49 versus 28; P = 0.001), massive transfusion rate (69% versus 12%; P Conclusions There was no clear benefit of receiving TXA in this study, and patients who present to the hospital with physiologic levels of fibrinolysis, who received TXA, had the highest mortality. The role of TXA in mature trauma systems remains unclear, and emerging data supports it may have adverse effects.
The Paleoproterozoic Baraboo paleosol revisited: Quantifying mass fluxes of weathering and metasomatism, chemical climofunctions, and atmospheric p CO 2 in a chemically heterogeneous protolith

Abstract The Paleoproterozoic Baraboo paleosol is the most chemically mature Precambrian paleosol in the Lake Superior region, having formed under the influence of a warm, humid climate in a region of subdued topography. We have determined the chemical variability among six samples of granitic protolith and found that such variability is inherited in the weathering profile. To minimize the effect of sample heterogeneity on various geochemical calculations, transformed compositions of saprolite and regolith were generated by obtaining linear least squares fits to the concentrations of SiO2, TiO2, Al2O3, and Zr through the weathering profile and summing the totals to 100%. Fortunately, use of measured or transformed compositions makes little difference in calculation of mass fluxes. However, transformed compositions allow for clearer comparisons among paleosols and are essential for determining certain paleosol parameters, such as Chemical Depletion Fraction. Calculations of Total and Reduced Mass Fluxes, Chemical Index of Alteration, Feldspar Index of Weathering, and Chemical Depletion Fraction demonstrate that the Baraboo paleosol is chemically more mature than the Paleoproterozoic Pronto and Cambrian Timna paleosols, but less mature than modern subtropical and tropical soils. Estimates of Mean Annual Temperature (MATPPM) and Mean Annual Precipitation (MAPPPM) for Baraboo are 14.3 19.2 9.4 °C and 1177 1695 658 mm yr−1, confirming the previous interpretation of a warm, humid climate. Although the level of atmospheric pCO2 is poorly constrained due to the uncertainty in duration of weathering and possibility of regolith removal by erosion, pCO2 is calculated to be ≥4.8 × Pre-Industrial Atmospheric Level (280 ppm) for 100,000 years of weathering, which is consistent with the pCO2 level at 1.7 Ga predicted by the weak sun model.
Toll like Receptor 2 engagement on CD4+ T cells promotes TH9 differentiation and function

We have recently demonstrated that mycobacterial ligands engage Toll like receptor 2 (TLR2) on CD4+ T cells and up-regulate T-cell receptor (TCR) triggered Th1 responses in vitro and in vivo. To better understand the role of T-cell expressed TLR2 on CD4+ T-cell differentiation and function, we conducted a gene expression analysis of murine naive CD4+ T-cells stimulated in the presence or absence of TLR2 co-stimulation. Unexpectedly, naive CD4+ T-cells co-stimulated via TLR2 showed a significant up-regulation of Il9 mRNA compared to cells co-stimulated via CD28. Under TH9 differentiation, we observed up-regulation of TH9 differentiation, evidenced by increases in both percent of IL-9 secreting cells and IL-9 in culture supernatants in the presence of TLR2 agonist both in polyclonal and Ag85B cognate peptide specific stimulations. Under non-polarizing conditions, TLR2 engagement on CD4+ T-cells had minimal effect on IL-9 secretion and TH9 differentiation, likely due to a prominent effect of TLR2 signaling on IFN-γ secretion and TH1 differentiation. We also report that, TLR2 signaling in CD4+ T-cells increased expression of transcription factors BATF and PU.1, known to positively regulate TH9 differentiation. These results reveal a novel role of T-cell expressed TLR2 in enhancing the differentiation and function of TH9 T cells. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
That's What Friends Are For: Inferring Location in Online Social Media Platforms Based on Social Relationships

Social networks are often grounded in spatial locality where individuals form relationships with those they meet nearby. However, the location of individuals in online social networking platforms is often unknown. Prior approaches have tried to infer individuals' locations from the content they produce online or their online relations, but often are limited by the available location-related data. We propose a new method for social networks that accurately infers locations for nearly all of individuals by spatially propagating location assignments through the social network, using only a small number of initial locations. In five experiments, we demonstrate the effectiveness in multiple social networking platforms, using both precise and noisy data to start the inference, and present heuristics for improving performance. In one experiment, we demonstrate the ability to infer the locations of a group of users who generate over 74% of the daily Twitter message volume with an estimated median location error of 10km. Our results open the possibility of gathering large quantities of location-annotated data from social media platforms.
Severity classification of obstructive sleep apnea using only heart rate variability measures with an ensemble classifier

Identifying non-polysomnographic predictors of sleep apnea severity is an on-going challenge in the sleep research. In this study, we detect the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) condition using features derived from a single lead electrocardiogram (ECG) signal. We have explored 17 time domain, frequency domain, and nonlinear Heart Rate Variability (HRV) features to distinguish subjects in the severe and non-severe OSA groups. An optimal set of nine features including Poincare plot based metrics was found to provide significant discriminative information (p-value < 0.05) for classification. On the test dataset of 16 ECG records, a classification accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 87.5%, 100%, and 83.33% respectively, have been achieved using Subspace Discriminant Ensemble classifier. Results demonstrate that severe OSA detection using a single lead ECG signal can be more practical yet simpler compared to existing techniques.
Basic Bayesian Methods

In this chapter, we introduce the basics of Bayesian data analysis. The key ingredients to a Bayesian analysis are the likelihood function, which reflects information about the parameters contained in the data, and the prior distribution, which quantifies what is known about the parameters before observing data. The prior distribution and likelihood can be easily combined to from the posterior distribution, which represents total knowledge about the parameters after the data have been observed. Simple summaries of this distribution can be used to isolate quantities of interest and ultimately to draw substantive conclusions. We illustrate each of these steps of a typical Bayesian analysis using three biomedical examples and briefly discuss more advanced topics, including prediction, Monte Carlo computational methods, and multilevel models.
Sexual Abuse of Children

Child sexual abuse (CSA) has been the focus of considerable attention among researchers, clinicians, the courts, and, recently, the news media. In many cases assessment and treatment techniques have been under close scrutiny and professionals have been challenged to demonstrate the effectiveness of their work. More than ever, research-based methods are needed. This chapter presents research on assessment and treatment of sexually abused children. First, the prevalence of child sexual abuse is discussed. Second, mental health consequences related to CSA are summarized. Third, clinical assessment of sexually abused children and their families is reviewed. Finally, treatment of sexually abused children and their families is examined.
SQIS: A FRAMEWORK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN INDUSTRY-WIDE SHIP QUALITY INFORMATION SYSTEM.

The Ship Structural Integrity Information System Phase III (SSIIS III) Project presents the framework for the development of an Industry-Wide Ship Quality Information System (SQIS) for use in the United States oil tanker trade. This full-scope, life-cycle, industry-wide information system provides the basis for the development of risk based inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR) activity management tools, intended to supplement those in development by industry members. The SQIS combines information concerning structures, machinery, and operations, and provides analysis of the links between all facets of vessel management. The cooperation of all sectors of the marine community is paramount to the successful implementation of a Industry-Wide SQIS. The recommendations and requirements of interested parties have been incorporated into the development of the SQIS framework. The organizational requirements for the development and implementation of the full scale Industry- Wide SQIS have been identified.
On the Convergence of Distributed Subgradient Methods under Quantization

Motivated by various applications in wireless sensor networks and edge computing, we study distributed optimization problems over a network of nodes, where the goal is to optimize a global objective function composed of a sum of local functions. In these problems, due to the large scale of the network, both computation and communication must be implemented locally resulting in the need for distributed algorithms. In addition, the algorithms should be efficient enough to tolerate the limitation of computing resources, memory capacity, and communication bandwidth shared between the nodes. To cope with such limitations, we consider in this paper distributed subgradient methods under quantization. Our main contribution is to provide a sufficient condition for the sequence of quantization levels, which guarantees the convergence of distributed subgradient methods. Our results, while complementing existing results, suggest that distributed subgradient methods achieve desired convergence properties even under quantization, as long as the quantization levels become finer and finer with a proper rate. We also provide numerical simulations to compare the convergence properties of such methods with and without quantization for solving the well-known least square problems over networks.
Application of the macrohomogeneous line model for the characterization of carbon aerogel electrodes in capacitive deionization

Abstract Capacitive deionization (CDI) is a conceivable alternative desalination technology. Among the carbon materials studied as the deionizing electrode, carbon aerogels are a promising material due to their high surface area, structural designability and low resistivity. When evaluating carbons for CDI, their electrochemical properties are a crucial variable making the characterization of such properties vital. In this work we apply a macrohomogenous model to evaluate carbon aerogels activated with CO2 for various periods and varying Resorcinol/Catalyst, R/C, ratios during synthesis for estimation of their effective surface areas and pore sizes from an electrochemical standpoint. The porosities and structural properties of carbon aerogels were evaluated by nitrogen porosimetry, STEM, SEM and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). Results showed that the effective electrochemical surface areas calculated from the EIS were a small fraction of the areas estimated by nitrogen porosimetry, indicating that primarily the mesoporosity was utilized for deionization. Characteristic pore sizes calculated by the model were also close to the mesopore sizes estimated by the nitrogen adsorption isotherms, STEM and SEM measurements. Such results demonstrate the validity and value of the macrohomogenous model for evaluating effective electrochemical properties important for CDI applications.
He Will Never Walk Outside of a Prison Again: An Examination of Twitter Users’ Responses to the Larry Nassar Case:

To successfully manage a crisis in sports, it is necessary to examine the public’s emotions and other emotion-related responses. Without this knowledge, an organization will likely be disconnected ...
The Symbolic Efficacy of Pope Francis’s Religious Capital and the Agency of the Poor:

This article explores the paradox between Pope Francis’s success as a critic of global markets and the limitations of his religious capital in his home country of Argentina. While for some observer...
Pointing things out: in defense of attention and coherence

Nowak and Michaelson (Linguist Philos, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10988-019-09266-7, 2019) have done us the service of presenting direct and clear worries about our account of demonstratives. In response, we use the opportunity to engage briefly with their remarks as a useful way to clarify our view.
A note on the singular set of area-minimizing hypersurfaces

We prove an isoperimetric-type bound on the $$(n-7)$$-dimensional measure of the singular set for a large class of area-minimizing n-dimensional hypersurfaces, in terms of the geometry of their boundary.
Combining spiking motor primitives with a behaviour-based architecture to model locomotion for six-legged robots

Bio-inspired robots take advantage of millions of years of evolution to provide interesting and flexible solutions for issues related to motion and perception. Often, they have challenging kinematics classical robotics control mechanisms are not always able to take advantage of them. A concrete example of this is LAURON V, a six-legged robot for space exploration inspired by the stick insects. The main goals of this work is to combine classical behaviour-based control with motor primitives implemented with SNN for motion representation. We extend a previously presented bio-inspired approach to represent hand and arm motion using motor primitives, and combine it with a behaviour-based architecture to model different locomotion behaviours for a multi-legged robot. There are four main components. First, to model the individual leg motions we use two motor primitives implemented with spiking neural networks for the swing and stance phases. Second, to control the motor primitives of each leg there are local behaviours corresponding to each phase, and corresponding to each activation pattern. Third, the activation patterns are used to facilitate multi-leg coordination and generate different walking behaviours. Fourth, a high-level control interface integrates control signals from other sources and activates the patterns. We conducted five different experiments to evaluate our approach in a simulated environment using the Neurorobotics Platform (NRP). The results show that our modelling approach with motor primitives is flexible enough to represent different types of motions, and also highlight the value of the NRP for robotics development.
Tests of Revisions to the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire

Objectives:To compare the accuracy of averaged scores from the original Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (NSSQ)and averaged scores from each of three new NSSQ versions (NSSQ-R.aid, NSSQ-R.n/a, ...
The changing terrain of heritage at a Montana state park

Abstract State parks are an understudied feature of United States cultural landscapes. This article documents the early development of Montana state parks and explores evolving heritage production at Bannack State Park between 1900 and the present. Bannack heritage evolved in six phases, each with a different set of actors, mechanisms, and funding sources. Prior to Bannack’s acquisition as a state park, heritage production relied on local mechanisms and actors, including storytelling and commemorative events by civic groups. Local advocacy and fundraising allowed the creation of Bannack State Park, heralding shifts towards state-directed heritage production, heavily reliant on ebbs and flows of funding from state and federal sources. Increased state and federal funding permitted consolidated visions of state-directed heritage that demonstrate processes of symbolic accretion. Decreased funding drove formal public-private partnerships and more dispersed processes of heritage production. This research demonstrates how North American regional park systems are bound into the construction of place-based heritage.
Development and External Validation of a Delirium Prediction Model for Hospitalized Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has placed unprecedented stress on health systems and has been associated with elevated risk for delirium. The convergence of pandemic resource limitation and clinical demand associated with delirium requires careful risk stratification for targeted prevention efforts. Objectives: To develop an incident delirium predictive model among coronavirus disease 2019 patients. Methods: We applied supervised machine learning to electronic health record data for inpatients with coronavirus disease 2019 at three hospitals to build an incident delirium diagnosis prediction model. We validated this model in three different hospitals. Both hospital cohorts included academic and community settings. Results: Among 2907 patients across 6 hospitals, 488 (16.8%) developed delirium. Applying the predictive model in the external validation cohort of 755 patients, the c-index was 0.75 (0.71-0.79) and the lift in the top quintile was 2.1. At a sensitivity of 80%, the specificity was 56%, negative predictive value 92%, and positive predictive value 30%. Equivalent model performance was observed in subsamples stratified by age, sex, race, need for critical care and care at community vs. academic hospitals. Conclusion: Machine learning applied to electronic health records available at the time of inpatient admission can be used to risk-stratify patients with coronavirus disease 2019 for incident delirium. Delirium is common among patients with coronavirus disease 2019, and resource constraints during a pandemic demand careful attention to the optimal application of predictive models.
Smart textiles: A toolkit to fashion the future

Smart textiles are adaptive materials that use established textile methods to integrate multifunctionalities beyond apparels. Despite recent advancement, a significant gap exists between commercial needs and the academic state of the art. In this perspective, we aim to address the gap by (i) holistically investigating smart textile system operation, (ii) exploring production methods and materials for stimuli-responsive smart textiles, (iii) discussing key emerging application areas for stimuli-responsive textiles, and (iv) identifying markets, production techniques, and strategies for future development. Stimuli-responsive smart textiles rely on materials and processes to interact with the environment and wearer. Smart textile applications, such as assistive soft robotics, smart healing, and thermal comfort regulation, require textiles to meet the needs of form and function. Smart textile commercialization requires the identification of markets ready for adaptive textiles, wherein a smart phone or patch does not address the consumer needs. Interdisciplinary collaborations can focus efforts to the right applications, bridging the gap between academic research and product relevance, bringing smart textiles into the future.
Characterization of Mechanical Performance of NT154 Silicon Nitride Mtcrotrubine Rotors

This paper summarizes the results on recent component characterization efforts carried out to verify the mechanical reliability of NT154 silicon nitride microturbine rotors manufactured by Saint-Gobain. Mechanical properties of biaxial discs machined from airfoil as well as hub region of microturbine rotors were evaluated by a ball-on-ring test technique. Results showed that the mechanical properties of specimens from airfoils with as-processed surfaces exhibited lower characteristic strength than those machined from the hub region with as-machined surfaces. The differences in mechanical performance and reliability between as-processed components and simple-shaped test coupons appear to arise mainly from differences in strength limiting flaw type and microstructure verified by detailed electron microscopy analysis.
Extremely Thermophilic Fermentative Archaebacteria of the Genus Desulfurococcus from Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents

Two strains of extremely thermophilic, anaerobic bacteria are described that are representative of isolates obtained from a variety of oceanic hydrothermal vent sites at depths from 2,000 to 3,700 m. The isolates were similar in their requirements for complex organic media, elemental sulfur, and seawater-range salinities (optimum, 2.1 to 2.4%); their high tolerance for sulfide (100 mM) and oxic conditions below growth-range temperatures (50 to 95 degrees C); and their archaebacterial characteristics: absence of murein, presence of certain diand tetraethers, and response to specific antibiotics. The two strains (S and SY, respectively) differed slightly in their optimum growth temperatures (85 and 90 degrees C, optimum pHs for growth (7.5 and 7.0), and DNA base compositions (52.01 and 52.42 G+C mol%). At their in situ pressure of about 250 atm (25,313 kPa), growth rates at 80 and 90 degrees C were about 40% lower than those at 1 atm (101.29 kPa), and no growth occurred at 100 and 110 degrees C, respectively, at either pressure. In yeast extract medium, only 2% of the organic carbon was used and appeared to stem largely from the proteinaceous constituents. According to physiological criteria, the isolates belong to the genus Desulfurococcus.