cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strategic Polling Limits the External Validity of Early Election Polling

Using responses from a series of general election polls conducted between February and March of 2020, we found that a non-negligible share of participants withheld information about their true voter intention by responding strategically to hypothetical questions about potential future vote choice, thus introducing a source of total survey error. Although we propose a combination of ex-ante considerations in survey design and ex-post statistical fixes that can be used to reduce total survey error and infer true voter intention, the lack of repeated outcomes limits our ability to precisely calibrate our models. Our findings call into question the external validity of conclusions based on conditional forecasts using hypothetical polling results and are especially pertinent to early US general election forecasting, where potentially meaningless differences of a few percentage points can be misinterpreted as proof of differences in relative electability of potential party nominees during the Primary election season. We suggest that results from hypothetical election polls should instead be viewed as sources of partial information on future behavior, and interpreted based on contextual variables such as the moment in time relative to the predicted event.
Human Body Phantoms for Wideband Radiometry

In order to enable wideband radiometry as a noninvasive and accurate means by which to detect human body core temperature, phantoms that mimic the electrical properties across a wide frequency band and wide range of temperatures need to be explored. This paper proposes the use of 90% ground beef (10% fat) to represent the human brain across a wide bandwidth from 200 MHz to 10 GHz. Our proposed phantom is found to exhibit minimal error compared to the actual human brain gray and white matter properties. Temperature-dependent electrical property measurements from 11°C to 47°C align with the few existing temperature-dependent studies on animal tissues. This study will enable further research into more easily constructed and attainable phantoms for testing a wide range of radio frequency devices.
How to Get a Life: Humanities Education in the age of Neoliberal Exhaustion

Over the past few years, my students have increasingly claimed that they are overworked and that they don’t have a life. They are worried about their grades, their ability to find a job after graduation and repay their student loans. In this article, I grapple with this growing anxiety and stress that I have witnessed among my students. I explore the correlation between the neoliberalization of education, the ideology of human capital and student state of panic and anxiety. I argue that the neoliberal education reform has intensified overwork and exhaustion, as students have internalized the logic that they are human capital, constantly needing to compete and increase their value on the market. I further call upon the humanities to question the neoliberal work ethic and fight for a higher education whose ultimate objective is not the creation of human capital.
Non-destructive thermal imaging for object detection via advanced deep learning for robotic inspection and harvesting of chili peppers

Abstract Deep Learning has been utilized in computer vision for object detection for almost a decade. Real-time object detection for robotic inspection and harvesting has gained interest during this time as a possible technique for high-quality machine assistance during agriculture applications.We utilize RGB and thermal images of chili peppers in an environment of various amounts of debris, pepper overlapping, and ambient lighting, train this dataset, and compare object detection methods. Results are presented from the real-time and less than real-time object detection models. Two advanced deep learning algorithms, Mask-Regional Convolutional Neural Networks (Mask-RCNN) and You Only Look Once version 3 (YOLOv3)are compared in terms of object detection accuracy and computational costs. When utilizing the YOLOv3 architecture, an overall training mean average precision (mAP) value of 1.0 is achieved. Most testing images from this model score within a range from 97 to 100% confidence levels in natural environment. It is shown that the YOLOv3 algorithm has superior capabilities to the Mask-RCNN with over 10 times the computational speed on the chili dataset. However, some of the RGB test images resulted in low classification scores when heavy debris is present in the image. A significant improvement in the real-time classification scores was observed when the thermal images were used, especially with heavy debris present. We found and report improved prediction scores with a thermal imagery dataset where YOLOv3 struggled on the RGB images. It was shown that mapping temperature differences between the pepper and plant/debris can provide significant features for object detection in real-time and can help improve accuracy of predictions with heavy debris, variant ambient lighting, and overlapping of peppers. In addition, successful thermal imaging for real-time robotic harvesting could allow the harvesting period to become more efficient and open up harvesting opportunity in low light situations.
Evaluating Team Skill Aggregation in Online Competitive Games.

One of the main goals of online competitive games is increasing player engagement by ensuring fair matches. These games use rating systems for creating balanced match-ups. Rating systems leverage statistical estimation to rate players' skills and use skill ratings to predict rank before matching players. Skill ratings of individual players can be aggregated to compute the skill level of a team. While research often aims to improve the accuracy of skill estimation and fairness of match-ups, less attention has been given to how the skill level of a team is calculated from the skill level of its members. In this paper, we propose two new aggregation methods and compare them with a standard approach extensively used in the research literature. We present an exhaustive analysis of the impact of these methods on the predictive performance of rating systems. We perform our experiments using three popular rating systems, Elo, Glicko, and TrueSkill, on three real-world datasets including over 100,000 battle royale and head-to-head matches. Our evaluations show the superiority of the MAX method over the other two methods in the majority of the tested cases, implying that the overall performance of a team is best determined by the performance of its most skilled member. The results of this study highlight the necessity of devising more elaborated methods for calculating a team's performance -- methods covering different aspects of players' behavior such as skills, strategy, or goals.
Paracervical Block or Uterosacral Ligament Infiltration for Benign Minimally Invasive Hysterectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Objective The aim of this study was to estimate the efficacy of preemptive paracervical block or uterosacral ligament infiltration in reducing postoperative pain and opioid consumption after benign minimally invasive hysterectomy. Data Sources We searched MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Google Scholar from inception until February 2020. Methods of Study Selection We identified randomized placebo-controlled trials assessing the primary outcome of pain and opioid consumption after paracervical block or uterosacral infiltration in benign laparoscopic, vaginal, or robotic hysterectomy. Two investigators evaluated studies for risk of bias and quality of evidence. Tabulation, Integration, and Results We reviewed 219 abstracts; 6 studies met the inclusion criteria: 3 using paracervical block (2 vaginal and 1 laparoscopic) and 3 using uterosacral ligament infiltration (all vaginal). Two studies were included in the meta-analysis (both vaginal hysterectomy). Because of lack of numerical data, or comparison, the other 4 studies are reported in narrative form. Three controlled trials reported a moderate benefit from paracervical block up to 8 hours after vaginal and 4 hours after laparoscopic surgery. Meta-analysis could not be performed because of the lack of numerical data for pooling results or the lack of a laparoscopic hysterectomy comparison group. Three trials reported that uterosacral infiltration decreases pain up to 6 hours after vaginal hysterectomy, and meta-analysis pooling the results of 2 of these studies demonstrated improvement in pain up to 4 hours on a 0- to 100-mm visual analog scale for pain (-19.97 mm; 95% confidence interval, -29.02 to -10.91; P < 0.000). Five trials reported a moderate reduction in cumulative opioid use within 24 hours after vaginal surgery for both paracervical block and uterosacral infiltration. Meta-analysis was not performed for paracervical block because only 1 trial provided suitable data for pooling. Meta-analysis pooling the results of 2 trials of uterosacral infiltration demonstrated opioid consumption of 20.73 morphine milligram equivalents less compared with controls (95% confidence interval, -23.54 to -17.91; P < 0.000). Conclusions There were a total of 6 randomized placebo-controlled studies evaluated in this study. Although a meta-analysis was unable to be performed for all studies because of lack of comparison groups or numerical data, there is evidence that preemptive uterosacral ligament infiltration may reduce postoperative pain and opioid consumption after vaginal hysterectomy. Our study does not allow us to make any substantive conclusions on the use of paracervical block in vaginal hysterectomy or the use of either type of injection in laparoscopic or robotic hysterectomy.
The Housing Wealth Effect in the Post-Great Recession Period: Evidence from Big Data

In this report, we examine the housing wealth effect channel of monetary policy and measure the increase in consumption as a result of the large increase in house prices after the Great Recession using administrative banking data, including transaction-level deposit and credit card data and loan-level mortgage data. Our results suggest that the MPC out of housing wealth for 2012 to 2018 is much smaller than estimates for prior periods and, is in fact, between zero and 1.6 cents. We also find near zero MPCs for each year between 2012 and 2018 and even for subgroups with the greatest access to liquidity—more home equity, more available credit on credit cards, and more liquid assets. We reconcile this near zero MPC out of housing wealth in the post-Great Recession period with a larger MPC during the preceding periods by noting that the volume of home equity withdrawal in the post-Great Recession period was much lower than during the housing boom. Our findings have important implications, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and its unprecedented economic impacts. Efforts to boost consumption that focus on increasing homeowners’ liquidity, such as reducing frictions to accessing home equity, would be most successful but also carry risks in a recession when home prices are likely to depreciate and increased income volatility may translate into more credit risk. A smaller housing wealth effect diminishes the ability of conventional monetary policy to affect the real economy through the housing market, resulting in lower consumption and GDP growth than might otherwise be expected. Policymakers may need to lean more heavily on other channels of monetary policy and unconventional measures, as well as fiscal policies that provide households with liquidity.
A one-week internal medicine procedure rotation designed to increase procedural opportunities and competency.

Background: Mounting literature describes increased procedure volume and improvement in procedural skills following implementation of procedural curricula and standardized rotations, generally requiring at least two weeks and incorporating dedicated lecture and didactic efforts. It is unknown whether shorter rotations that feature self-directed curricula can achieve similar outcomes.Methods: House staff participated in a one-week procedure rotation that coincided with preexisting non-clinical blocks ('jeopardy'). It provided an online curriculum as well as opportunities to perform procedures under interprofessional supervision. Inpatient procedure volumes were tallied before and after implementation of the rotation. During the first year of the rotation (academic year 2013-2014), house staff completed a knowledge-based quiz and a Likert-based survey (range 1-5) addressing confidence in performing procedures and satisfaction in procedural training. Results: Ninety-five of 99 house staff participated in the intervention (96% response rate). The total number of procedures performed by the Division of Hospital Medicine increased from an average of 74 per year over the four years prior to the introduction of the rotation to 291 per year during the third year of the rotation. The knowledge-based quiz score improved from a pre-intervention mean value of 50% to a post-intervention mean value of 61% (P = 0.020). Confidence in performing procedures improved from a pre-intervention mean value of 2.37 to a post-intervention mean value of 2.59 (P < 0.001). Satisfaction with procedural training improved from a pre-intervention mean value of 2.48 to a post-intervention mean value of 2.69 (P < 0.001).Conclusions: A one-week procedure rotation with a self-directed curriculum was introduced into the curriculum of an internal medicine residency program and was associated with increased procedure volume and sustained improvement in house staff knowledge, confidence, and satisfaction with procedural training.
Loss of Synergistic Transcriptional Feedback Loops Drives Diverse B-Cell Cancers

Background: The most common B-cell cancers, chronic lymphocytic leukemia/lymphoma (CLL), follicular and diffuse large B-cell (FL, DLBCL) lymphomas, have distinct clinical courses, yet overlapping “cell-of-origin”. Dynamic changes to the epigenome are essential regulators of B-cell differentiation. Therefore, we reasoned that these distinct cancers may be driven by shared mechanisms of disruption in transcriptional circuitry. Methods: We compared purified malignant B-cells from 52 patients with normal B-cell subsets (germinal center centrocytes and centroblasts, naive and memory B-cells) from 36 donor tonsils using >325 high-resolution molecular profiling assays for histone modifications, open chromatin (ChIP-, FAIRE-seq), transcriptome (RNA-seq), transcription factor (TF) binding, and genome copy number (microarrays). Findings: From the resulting data, we identified gains in active chromatin in enhancers/super-enhancers that likely promote unchecked B-cell receptor signaling, including one we validated near the immunoglobulin superfamily receptors FCMR and PIGR. More striking and pervasive was the profound loss of key B-cell identity TFs, tumor suppressors and their super-enhancers, including EBF1, OCT2(POU2F2), and RUNX3. Using a novel approach to identify transcriptional feedback, we showed that these core transcriptional circuitries are self-regulating. Their selective gain and loss form a complex, iterative, and interactive process that likely curbs B-cell maturation and spurs proliferation. Interpretation: Our study is the first to map the transcriptional circuitry of the most common blood cancers. We demonstrate that a critical subset of B-cell TFs and their cognate enhancers form self-regulatory transcriptional feedback loops whose disruption is a shared mechanism underlying these diverse subtypes of B-cell lymphoma. Funding: National Institute of Health, Siteman Cancer Center, Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation. Declaration of Interest: None to declare. Ethical Approval: De-identified peripheral blood, lymph node biopsies, and excised tonsils were obtained from FL, DLBCL, or CLL or healthy tonsillectomy patients (Table 1 and Fig. S1A) seen at Washington University School of Medicine who provided informed consent under IRB-approved protocols in concordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Due to yield constraints, some samples were not subjected to all assays.
An Open-Source Ungrounded Hapkit for Educational Applications

The Hapkit is an open-source kinesthetic device used by educators to teach fundamentals of haptic interaction. Despite its pedagogical benefits, it cannot showcase ungrounded interactions. Here, we introduce an ungrounded Hapkit variant that generates moments at the wrist as the user interacts with a virtual environment. The device utilizes existing Hapkit hardware with 3D printed modifications to enable ungrounded kinesthetic feedback. We developed Arduino and Processing code that simulates ungrounded impacts, such as hitting a tennis ball, to demonstrate functionality. This device can serve as a valuable pedagogical tool in conjunction with the well-established Hapkit.
Monosynaptic Circuit Tracing with Glycoprotein-Deleted Rabies Viruses

### Introduction Since the introduction of methods using glycoprotein (G)-deleted rabies virus (RV dG ) to identify the direct monosynaptic inputs to genetically targeted neurons eight years ago ([Wickersham et al., 2007b][1]), this approach has been widely used for sophisticated circuit-tracing
The reaction of p-mercuribenzoate with methemerythrin

Abstract The reaction between p- mercuribenzoate (PMB) and the sulfhydryl (SH) groups of methemerythrin has been investigated. The kinetic complexities observed have been postulated to arise from a side reaction in which the mercurial rapidly binds at one or more non-SH sites on the protein. Steady-state binding experiments confirm this rapid, extra binding.
Wide-dynamic-range DGD monitoring by partial optical signal spectrum DOP measurement

We propose a novel partial-optical-spectrum degree of polarisation (DOP) measurement that increases the pulse-width dependent differential group delay (DGD) monitoring range for 10, 20, and 40-Gbit/s RZ and sensitivity for 10-Gbit/s NRZ signals. The monitoring range for 20 and 40-Gbit/s RZ signals is extended to one bit time.
Diet Quality Is Associated with the Risk of Estrogen Receptor–Negative Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women

Emerging evidence suggests that diet quality indices may serve as prognostic indicators of disease. However, the ability of these indices to predict breast cancer risk has not been evaluated previously. We assessed the association between several diet quality scores and the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. The indices we used were the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), Diet Quality Index-Revised (DQI-R), Recommended Food Score (RFS), and the alternate Mediterranean Diet Score (aMed). We calculated diet quality indices from dietary information collected in FFQ administered 5 times between 1984 and 1998 among women in the Nurses' Health Study cohort. Relative risks (RR) were computed using Cox proportional hazards models and adjusted for known risk factors for breast cancer. Separate analyses were conducted for estrogen receptor positive (ER+) and negative (ER-) tumors. Between 1984 and 2002, we documented 3,580 cases of breast cancer, of which 2,367 were ER+, and 575 were ER-. We did not observe any association between the diet quality indices and total or ER+ breast cancer risk. However, for ER- breast cancer, after adjusting for potential confounders, the RR comparing highest to lowest quintiles were 0.78 (95% CI=0.59-1.04, P for trend=0.01) for the AHEI, 0.69 (95% CI=0.51-0.94, P for trend=0.003) for the RFS, and 0.79 (95% CI=0.60-1.03, P for trend=0.03) for the aMed. These observations appeared to be the result of an inverse association (P for trend=0.01) with the vegetable component of the scores. We conclude that women who scored high in AHEI, RFS, and aMed had a lower risk of ER- breast cancer. The HEI and DQI-R appeared to be of limited value in predicting breast cancer risk.
Who’s Who from Kant to Hegel II: Art and the Absolute

Kant’s ‘Copernican Revolution’, which began in the Critique of Pure Reason (1781/1787), had, by the early 1790s, fundamentally altered the terrain of German philosophy – but not entirely in the way that Kant had foreseen. Skeptical challenges to Kant’s discursive account of cognition, in which experience arises from the separate faculties of sensibility and understanding, had led thinkers such as K.L. Reinhold and J.G. Fichte to attempt to provide a first, foundational principle for the critical philosophy. These efforts were enormously influential, but by the middle of the 1790s, they too were facing a great deal of critical scrutiny. The central challenge to the Fichtean project came from an unlikely quarter: a group of young thinkers and poets who are collectively known as the early Romantics. For the Romantics, Fichte’s project remains too ‘subjectivist’, for it tries to provide an account of the world by beginning with the conditions that govern subjectivity alone. Rather, the Romantics argue that the world must be understood in terms of a monistic Absolute, akin to Spinoza’s substance, in which all dualisms are overcome. It is with this step that Absolute Idealism comes on the scene, and sets the stage for the development of Hegel’s system in the early 1800s. This essay, which continues the story of ‘Who’s Who from Kant to Hegel I’, examines the ways in which early Romanticism reacted to the Fichtean project, looks at a variety of anti-foundationalist idealisms that the Romantics – in particular Holderlin, Novalis, Schlegel, and Schleiermacher – developed, and traces the role that Friedrich Schelling plays in offering the first systematic account of Absolute Idealism.
Polyactives: controlled and sustained bioactive release via hydrolytic degradation

Significant and promising advances have been made in the polymer field for controlled and sustained bioactive delivery. Traditionally, small molecule bioactives have been physically incorporated into biodegradable polymers; however, chemical incorporation allows for higher drug loading, more controlled release, and enhanced processability. Moreover, the advent of bioactive-containing monomer polymerization and hydrolytic biodegradability allows for tunable bioactive loading without yielding a polymer residue. In this review, we highlight the chemical incorporation of different bioactive classes into novel biodegradable and biocompatible polymers. The polymer design, synthesis, and formulation are summarized in addition to the evaluation of bioactivity retention upon release via in vitro and in vivo studies.
Pyruvate carboxylase: Inactivation by sulfhydryl-group reagents in the presence of certain inorganic anions, substrates, and modifiers and the effects on the allosteric properties of the enzyme

Pyruvate carboxylase (pyruvate:CO2 ligase (ADP), EC 6.4.1.1) from chicken liver reacts with sulfhydryl-group reagents, N-ethylmaleimide and l-cystine, in two phases. The first phase is accompanied by modification of 4 to 32 of the 55 sulfhydryl groups of the enzyme, depending on the reagent used and the inorganic anion present: phosphate, sulfate, or chloride. There is partial or no loss of activity and no gross change in the quaternary structure of the enzyme. During the second phase of modification, from 16 to 39 additional groups react, and complete inactivation takes place. This phase is accompanied by dissociation to monomers and/or formation of high molecular weight aggregates. The inorganic anion present determines the number of SH groups reacting with N-ethylmaleimide or cystine in each phase and the rate of the reaction. This diversity of reactivities is interpreted as being a consequence of the different conformations assumed by pyruvate carboxylase in the presence of either phosphate, sulfate, or chloride. Two differently modified pyruvate carboxylases were obtained, after the first phase of reaction but under different conditions, by reaction of 32 or 16 cysteine residues with N-ethylmaleimide per molecule of enzyme. Both N-ethylmaleimide enzymes showed a decrease in the value of the Hill coefficient for acetyl-CoA from 2.7 (native enzyme) to 2.2. This lower value of the Hill coefficient indicates a decrease in the cooperativity of the activation by acetyl-CoA, and is interpreted as a decrease in the degree of interaction among the subunits of the enzyme. In contrast, pyruvate carboxylase modified with 6 half-cystine residues per molecule has the same Hill coefficient, Ka and V, as the native enzyme. The effects of ATP, acetyl-CoA, and oxalacetate, on the rates of inactivation of pyruvate carboxylase by sulfhydryl reagents depend upon the anion present, the reagent used, and the phase of inactivation considered. The dependence of the protection on acetyl-CoA concentration showed that the protection by acetyl-CoA is a cooperative phenomenon. This cooperativity was interpreted as evidence of a cooperative binding of acetyl-CoA to pyruvate carboxylase, and of a sequential change in the conformation of the enzyme in response to the binding of acetyl-CoA.
A class of approximate solutions to linear operator equations

Abstract A certain class of approximate solutions to linear operator equations is studied, in which the domain and range of the operator are both Hilbert spaces possessing continuous reproducing kernels. The broad class of operators considered here includes integral, differential, and integrodifferential operators. The results are applied to obtain approximate solutions and related (favorable) convergence rates for two-point boundary-value problems and associated integrodifferential equations.
Substance use and PTSD among smokers with serious mental illness

Aims: Epidemiological studies indicate Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) frequently co-occurs with substance use and abuse, particularly among women. This study examined the PTSDsubstance use relation in a sample of men and women smokers with serious mental illness. Methods: 733 adult smokers (51% male) aged 18–73, were recruited from 5 acute inpatient psychiatry units. The e-MINI measured PTSD. Past 30-day substance use and readiness to change were assessed for heavy alcohol use (ALC), stimulants (STIM), sedatives (SED), hallucinogens (HAL), opiates (OP), and marijuana (MJ). The SF-12 assessed physical and mental health functioning. Logistic regression analyses tested for women and men separately the relation of PTSD with substance use and readiness to change. Results: 44% of women and 36% of men had PTSD. Past 30 day use of ALC, STIM, SED, OP and MJ was high (women range: 21.5–39.6%, men range: 24.9–47.1%). HAL use was lower (women: 3.9%, men: 5.9%). On average, women used 1.6 (sd =1.2) and men used 1.7 (sd =1.2) substances, during the past 30 days. Adjusting for covariates, use of OP (OR=2.1, p= .01), SED (OR=1.8, p= .02), and MJ (OR=1.9, p= .01) predicted PTSD in women. Use of STIM (OR=1.8, p= .04) and MJ (OR=1.7, p= .04) predicted PTSD in men. Number of substances used predicted PTSD in women (OR=1.5, p< .01), but not men. PTSD was unrelated to motivation to quit ALC/drugs. PTSD and # of substances used were associated with poorermental health functioning, anda significant interaction indicated mental health functioning was the worst among those with both PTSD and greater substance use (b=2.1, p= .03). Conclusions: Among smokers with serious mental illness, recent heavy alcohol, illicit drug use, and PTSD were common, found to co-occur, and predictive of worse mental health functioning. Integrative treatments for PTSD and substance abuse, with attention to sex-specific drugs of abuse, appear warranted. Financial support: Funding: K23MH083684, K05DA01869, P50DA09253, TRDRP#23BT-0018, T32HL007034.
Real-Time Energy Management of a Stand-Alone Hybrid Wind-Microturbine Energy System Using Particle Swarm Optimization

Energy sustainability of hybrid energy systems is essentially a multiobjective, multiconstraint problem, where the energy system requires the capability to make rapid and robust decisions regarding the dispatch of electrical power produced by generation assets. This process of control for energy system components is known as energy management. In this paper, the application of particle swarm optimization (PSO), which is a biologically inspired direct search method, to find real-time optimal energy management solutions for a stand-alone hybrid wind-microturbine (MT) energy system, is presented. Results demonstrate that the proposed PSO-based energy management algorithm can solve an extensive solution space while incorporating many objectives such as: minimizing the cost of generated electricity, maximizing MT operational efficiency, and reducing environmental emissions. Actual wind and end-use load data were used for simulation studies and the well-established sequential quadratic programming optimization technique was used to validate the results obtained from PSO. Promising simulation results indicate the suitability of PSO for real-time energy management of hybrid energy systems.
Cardiovascular and Metabolic Considerations in Prolonged Cannabinoid Administration in Man

Safe therapeutic use of cannabinoids for prolonged periods of time requires an appreciation of pharmacologic actions with both acute and repetitive administration. Cardiovascular effects of acute delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) administration included increased sympathetic and reduced parasympathetic tone, although sympathetic reflex responses were impaired. Thus, supine tachycardia and increased blood pressure with upright hypotension are observed. With repetitive dosing, there is a transition from increased to decreased sympathetic activity and from decreased to increased parasympathetic activity, and blood volume substantially increases. As a result, supine bradycardia and decreased blood pressure with tolerance to orthostatic hypotension are observed. Relevance of these observations to management of patients with THC, including considerations of potential drug interactions, is discussed. In other experiments, THC and cannabidiol were found to inhibit metabolism of other drugs (antipyrine and barbiturates) metabolized by liver mixed-function oxidase enzymes. Potential inhibition of drug metabolism must be considered in evaluating responses to chemotherapeutic agents in cancer patients receiving THC and responses to coadministered anticonvulsants in epileptic patients receiving cannabidiol.
A unified model for T cell antigen recognition and thymic selection of the T cell repertoire

Positive selection of T cells during thymic differentiation predisposes mature T cells to recognize glycoproteins encoded by "self" alleles of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) as "restricting elements" for antigen presentation. Yet, negative selection also occurs during thymic differentiation resulting in the clonal deletion of T cells reactive with "self" MHC glycoproteins. Thymic processes of positive and negative selection represent a paradox because the "altered self" view of T cell receptor (TcR) recognition indicates that the same type of TcR-MHC glycoprotein binding interaction mediates both positive and negative selection of the T cell repertoire. Most contemporary models of thymic selection attempt to explain these paradoxical observations by quantitative differences of affinity. That is, TcR interactions with MHC ligands that are of medium affinity lead to positive selection whereas those that are of high affinity lead to negative selection. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide an alternative model of thymic selection based on the efficacy (the ability of a ligand to catalyze receptor mediated biological activity) of TcR-MHC ligand interactions. The "efficacy" model predicts that among those thymocytes exhibiting affinity for self MHC ligands, some clones bind self MHC ligands without efficacy whereas others bind these ligands with efficacy. Immature T cells that bind MHC ligands without efficacy do not undergo TcR mediated activation and thereby escape clonal deletion. Instead, these T cells compete for growth--promoting sites on thymic antigen presenting cells (APC) based upon their clonotypic TcR affinity for self MHC ligands. These T cells experience positive thymic selection and eventually dominate a repertoire of mature T cells predisposed to exhibit non-efficacious binding to "self" MHC ligands. In contrast, immature T cells that exhibit efficacious binding to self MHC ligands are deleted from the T cell repertoire during thymic maturation. By this mechanism, the mature T cell repertoire is selected so that clonotypic T cells are predisposed to bind the very sites on MHC glycoproteins responsible for antigen presentation without risk of autoimmunity. Given the clonotypic diversity of the mature repertoire, complexes of foreign peptides and self MHC glycoproteins would be recognized by clones of the appropriate specificity as highly efficacious ligands. In summary, the "efficacy" model is entirely consistent with the "altered self" concept of T cell antigen recognition and readily accounts for both positive and negative selection of the T cell repertoire.
A Scalable Platform for Integrating Horizontal Nanochannels with Known Registries to Microchannels

Controlling the location and physical orientation of nanobuilding blocks in assemblies of nanodevices become challenging tasks when it comes to the use of “bottom-up” chemical approaches for nanodevice fabrication. Here, a strategy is reported for in situ fabrication of horizontal nanochannels, which allows control over their orientation and average pore size to an unprecedented range of ∼5−20 nm. Using this approach, we selectively fabricated nanochannels with controlled average pore sizes at known positions on a sapphire surface. Equally important, nanochannels, either single or group, are addressable photolithographically and integrable to microchannels without the use of any high resolution lithography. This technique uses horizontal ZnO nanowires (NWs) as a sacrificial template and could provide the capability of fabrication of complex micro- and nanofluidic platforms. Cross-sections of nanowires and nanochannels are prepared via a focused-ion beam and examined by electron microscopy and energy-dispe...
SU‐E‐T‐87: Comparison Study of Dose Reconstruction From Cylindrical Diode Array Measurements, with TLD Measurements and Treatment Planning System Calculations in Anthropomorphic Head and Neck and Lung Phantoms

Purpose: To assess dose calculated by the 3DVH software (Sun Nuclear Systems, Melbourne, FL) against TLD measurements and treatment planning system calculations in anthropomorphic phantoms. Methods: The IROC Houston (RPC) head and neck (HN) and lung phantoms were scanned and plans were generated using Eclipse (Varian Medical Systems, Milpitas, CA) following IROC Houston procedures. For the HN therefore, if there is a problem in the modeling or heterogeneity correction, it will be carried through to 3DVH. Conclusion: 3DVH agreed well with Eclipse and TLD measurements. Comparison of 3DVH with film measurements is ongoing. Work supported by PHS grant CA10953 and CA81647 (NCI, DHHS).
Groove Music: The Art and Culture of the Hip-Hop DJ

Mark Katz, New York: Oxford University Press, 2012, ISBN 978-0-195-33112-7, 333 pp.,, $24.95 (paperback) In this past twenty years, there have been multiple books written about the disc jockeys who...
Development of Relative Importance Values as Contribution Weights for Evaluating Human Wellbeing: An Ecosystem Services Example

The need to make informed decisions that move us toward a more sustainable future is increasingly recognized. The complex social, economic and ecological trade-offs involved in seeking sustainable solutions pose many challenges, notably the lack of information providing a systemic understanding of the linkages between decisions and actions and subsequent changes in community dynamics. By extension, decisionmakers frequently fail to fully understand and account for the comprehensive environmental, human health, economic, and social consequences of decisions. Wellbeing measures are often used in descriptions of observed outcomes related to policy decisions yet rarely do these measures represent wholly integrated metrics culled from a cross-section of all relevant community sectors (Diener et al. 2008). Even fewer consider what people value in the context of wellbeing and decision-making. As a consequence, many existing wellbeing indices are developed solely within the context of professional expertise. The exclusion of relevant non-expert or public perception often culminates with wellbeing measures that are heavily influenced by what professionals expect rather than representing an approximation of reality. In a broader sense, public perception helps to further underscore the drivers of social norms and the perceived impacts of decision-making on wellbeing. We are currently developing an approach for calculating a humanwellbeing index that will become a predicted endpoint for a decision support tool that bundles relevant service flow measures from capital-based modules (e.g., social-capital, economiccapital, and natural-capital). The integratedmodules, as described by Summers et al. (2012) and Smith et al. (2013), are intended to reflect the degree to which changes in service provisioning influence overall human wellbeing. The structural framework for creating this index has been developed to account for societal values (public perception) associated with these services relative to wellbeing. This paper describes the development and demonstrates the use of relative importance values as contribution weights that integrate professional opinion and public perception to help elucidate the linkages between economic, social and ecosystem services and wellbeing. We use ecosystem services, broadly defined as the products of ecological functions or processes that directly or indirectly contribute to human wellbeing, or have the potential to do so in the future (World Resources Institute 2003; Brown et al. 2007; Nicholson et al. 2009), as an example for developing these weighting factors based on their relationships to the domains and elements described in Table 1. The contribution weights are intended to be used in the construction of a U.S. human wellbeing index (HWBI) and to develop wellbeing production functions.
Indexing genomic sequence libraries

This paper describes an extensible, open-source (GPL) data repository and retrieval system that supports fast, efficient, keyword based retrieval of genomic sequences from multiple libraries with retrieved sequences post-processed by FASTA, Smith-Waterman and other analysis software. This application is implemented for Linux and is written in Mumps, C, and C++ with supporting components that include the Berkeley Data Base, the Perl Compatible Regular Expression Library, GLADE, and tools such as FASTA, Smith-Waterman, and modules from EMBOSS. The package described here can quickly index data sets of up to 256 terabytes using a B-tree based multi-dimensional data model. An example is presented that indexes the text of the full NCBI Genbank library.
Characterization of a gene encoding a developmentally regulated winged helix transcription factor of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus.

Abstract Spfkh1 is a Strongylocentrotus purpuratus transcription factor that contains a winged helix DNA binding domain. Both the gene and overlapping cDNAs encoding this factor have been cloned and completely sequenced. We have mapped the start of transcription by primer extension to a site 600 base pairs 5′ to the start of translation. Spfkh1 is transcribed in one open reading frame that contains the DNA binding domain, nuclear localization signal and transactivation domain. The deduced amino acid sequence encodes a 40.7 kDa protein with a pI of 9.96. Alignments of the DNA binding domain with other forkhead domains reveal that this gene falls into Class II of the winged helix transcription factors. We have identified a unique carboxyl-terminal motif of unknown function that is present in all winged helix Class II transcription factors. A phylogenetic analysis of the DNA binding domains shows that, within the Class II, Spfkh1 groups with the deuterostomes as opposed to the protostomes. Analysis of the sequence 5′ to the start of translation revealed binding sites for a large number of different transcription factors, many of which are present in multiple copies. The constellation of binding sites in the cis-regulatory region indicates that Spfkh1 is regulated by a complex set of factors, some of which are known to be endoderm specific. Included among these are binding sites for factors downstream of the Wnt/β-catenin and hedgehog signaling pathways, implicating these pathways in both regulation of Spfkh1 and specification of endoderm.
Incremental conditioning of lower and upper probabilities

Abstract Bayesian-style conditioning of an exact probability distribution can be done incrementally by updating the current distribution each time a new item of evidence is obtained. Many have suggested the use of lower and upper probabilities for representing bounds on probability distributions, which naturally suggests an analogous procedure of incremental conditioning using forms of interval arithemetic. Unfortunately, conditioning of lower and upper probability bounds loses information, yielding incorrect bounds when updates and performed incrementally and making the conditioning operation noncommutative. Furthermore, when lower probability functions are represented by way of their Mobius transforms, the operation of conditioning can cause an exponential explosion in the number of nonzero Mobius assignments used to represent the function. This paper presents an alternative representation for lower probability that overcomes these problems. By representing the results of both Dempster conditioning and strong consitioning, the representation indirectly encodes lower probability bounds in a form that allows updates to be performed incrementally without a loss of information. Conditioning with the new representation does not depend on the order of updates or on whether evidence is incorporated incrementally or all at once. The bounds obtained are exact when the original lower probabilities satisfy a property called 2-monotonicity. Although the new representation encodes more information about probability bounds than the straight representation, updates on the new representation never increase the number of Mobius assignments used to encode the lower probability—a considerable improvement over the worst-case exponential increase seen with the straight representation. The new representation helps to improve the efficiency and convenience of representing and manipulating lower probabilities.
A Funeral Liturgy: Death Rituals as Symbolic Communication

This performative ethnography pulls together ethnography, autoethnography, and interview accounts to explore and exemplify the liturgical and narrative symbolism inherent in funerals. Funerals are the ultimate in final stories. This article looks at funerals as a communicative event and addresses questions of the performative nature of funerals and the meaning and reality constructed by funerals. The author concludes with an argument for seeing funerals as an opportunity to bridge the liminal space between dead and alive and the sacred and the human, and to bring together the past, present, and future of the deceased and their “surviving” loved ones.
Laissez faire and the Clean Development Mechanism: determinants of project implementation in Indian states, 2003–2011

India is the world’s second-largest host of projects implemented under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). There is, however, considerable variation in the distribution of CDM projects implemented across different Indian states. While a large body of the literature examines cross-national variation in the implementation of CDM projects, few studies have analyzed the determinants of sub-national variation in different national contexts. We theorize that given India’s laissez-faire approach to CDM project implementation the availability of profitable climate mitigation opportunities and the political stability are two factors that promote CDM project implementation. Using sub-national data collected from a variety of sources, we conduct systematic analysis that provides empirical support for a set of hypotheses regarding the effects of these variables on project implementation. First, we find that states with a lot of public electricity-generating capacity and industrial capital implement more CDM projects than other states. Additionally, project developers rarely propose CDM projects during election years as a result of high levels of political uncertainty associated with those years. Our findings show that India’s liberal approach prevents the central government from using the CDM to promote sustainable development in less developed states. In India and other host countries where coordinated national policies to maximize their gains from CDM projects is absent, there is a paucity of project implementation in states that need it the most.
Predictors of post-treatment relapse to smoking in successful quitters: Pooled data from two phase III varenicline trials

Background Identifying predictors of smoking relapse helps to elucidate the challenges of long-term smoking cessation and provides direction for improved treatment development.
AmphiFoxE4, an amphioxus winged helix/forkhead gene encoding a protein closely related to vertebrate thyroid transcription factor-2: expression during pharyngeal development

The full-length sequence and developmental expression of amphioxus AmphiFoxE4 are described. Transcripts of the gene are first detected in the pharyngeal endoderm, where the club-shaped gland is forming and subsequently in the definitive gland itself. AmphiFoxE4 is closely related to vertebrate genes encoding the thyroid-specific transcription factor-2 (TTF2), which plays an early developmental role in the morphogenesis of the thyroid gland and a later role in hormone-mediated control of thyroid function. In amphioxus, AmphiFoxE4 expression is not thyroid specific because the club-shaped gland, the only structure expressing the gene, is not homologous to the vertebrate thyroid; instead, the thyroid homologue of amphioxus is a specialized region of the pharyngeal endoderm called the endostyle. We propose that (a) the pharynx of an amphioxus-like ancestor of the vertebrates included a club-shaped gland that expressed FoxE4 as well as an endostyle that did not, and (b) the club-shaped gland soon disappeared in the vertebrate line of descent but (c) not before there was a homeogenetic transfer of FoxE4 expression from the club-shaped gland to the nearby endostyle. Such a transfer could have provided part of the genetic program enabling the endostyle to separate from the pharyngeal endoderm and migrate away as the rudiment of the thyroid gland.
Toward global harmonization for control of dual-use biothreat agents

Some nations have already instituted strict controls regulating who is allowed to have access to potential biothreat agents and there are informal guidelines for export controls. For global security, there should be a coordinated international system of enhanced physical and personnel biosecurity controls together with effective export controls to prevent the misuse of microorganisms and toxins. This oversight system should extend to the emerging field of synthetic biology which potentially allows for the de novo synthesis of dangerous pathogens. Currently, however, the system for regulating possession and exchange of potentially dangerous agents is fragmented and many scientists feel that it is inhibitory to research in the life sciences. The system for oversight needs to be global in scope and fully harmonized to permit critical biomedical research and biotechnology to flourish so as to enhance protection of public health, agriculture, and economic security. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.
Comments on “microprocessor implementation of a fast and simultaneous amplitude and frequency detector for sinusoidal signals”

The paper whose title is quoted above1 contains several assumptions that do not exactly match further hardware implementation. The comments presented here intend to point out possible improvements leading towards better system performance.