cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Congestion Allocation for Distributed Networks: An Experimental Study

This paper reports an experimental study of two prominent congestion and cost allocation mechanisms for distributed networks. We study the fair queuing (or serial) and the FIFO (or average cost pricing) mechanisms under two different treatments: a complete information treatment and a limited information treatment designed to simulate distributed networks. Experimental results show that the fair queuing mechanism performs significantly better than FIFO in all treatments in terms of efficiency, predictability measured as frequency of equilibrium play, and the speed of convergence to equilibrium.
Institutional Contradictions and Loose Coupling: Postimplementation of NASA's Enterprise Information System

Through a grounded analysis of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA's) enterprise information system (IS) implementation in the months immediately following the go-live, we show how NASA can be characterized as an institutionally plural organization, rife with diverse institutional logics, some consistent and some contradictory to each other. The enterprise system is introduced in accordance with the logic of managerial rationalism, but some of the institutional logics that organizational actors draw upon and reproduce contradict the logic of managerial rationalism in certain situations. In these situations, organizational actors loosely couple elements of their practices from the practices implied by the enterprise system, thus satisfying the demands associated with both institutional fields. We identify four generalizable forms of loose coupling that result from these institutional contradictions: temporal, material, procedural, and interpretive, and discuss their effects on both the system implementation and local practices. Further, we show how, through the use of institutional logics, researchers can identify fundamental institutional contradictions that explain regularities in the situated responses to enterprise system implementations---regularities that are consistently identified in the literature across a variety of organizational contexts.
Plasma Arc Carbide Coatings on Titanium

The plasma transferred arc (PTA) process has been traditionally used to deposit wear resistant coatings on iron base alloy substrates, but has not been employed to coat lightweight alloys due to processing problems. In the current study, use of the PTA process to deposit TiC, WC, and Cr 3 C 2 coatings on titanium substrates has been explored. The resistance of these coatings to dry abrasive wear has been measured and compared to that of the base metal. The variation in wear resistance of these coatings is discussed in terms of the carbide particle size and the microstructure of the deposit. A comparison is also made to coatings prepared by a laser surface melting and carbide particle injection process.
Federal Restrictions on the Free Flow of Academic Information and Ideas.

Abstract The free flow of academic information and ideas is essential to the operation of universities in the United States. Recent actions by some agencies of the federal government threaten to erode academic freedom by imposing requirements of prepublication review on government sponsored university research, restricting the access of foreign scholars to U.S. classrooms and laboratories, authorizing the secret classification of research projects after the research has been undertaken, and limiting the dissemination of sensitive but unclassified research information through a system of export controls. These regulatory policies tend to inhibit scientific innovation and intellectual exchange, and should be reconsidered before they do serious damage to important national interests.
Origin of Neointimal Smooth Muscle We’ve Come Full Circle

The origin of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in atherosclerotic lesions has been a hotly debated topic for more than four decades. Until recently, it was widely accepted that the majority of smooth muscle cells in atherosclerotic lesions originate from the medial layer of the vessel wall, with local SMC proliferation and migration leading to remodeling of the vessel wall and vessel lumen.1,2 Recent reports in the literature, however, claimed that SMCs in atherosclerotic lesions originate primarily from circulating bone marrow progenitor cells.3,4 Where these cells originate from is not merely academic, because the cells that give rise to SMCs within atherosclerotic lesions would likely serve as targets for current and future therapeutic interventions. The bone marrow–derived origin suggested by these articles would indicate that attempts to control SMC phenotype in in-stent restenosis, transplant atherosclerosis, or fibrous cap rupture should be targeted toward these cells from the marrow. However, we cautioned in 2004 that if anything, the bone marrow–derived intimal SMC paradigm was “Lost in Transdifferentiation”,5 and further studies were needed to clearly resolve this critically important issue. See page 2696 In this issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology , Bentzon and colleagues provide excellent evidence that bone marrow–derived cells do not give rise to vascular SMCs in hyperlipidemia-induced atherosclerotic plaques in the apoE knockout mouse.6 These investigators studied plaques in apoE−/− mice that had their bone marrow reconstituted from sex-mismatched apoE−/−/eGFP+ animals, and then performed meticulous high-resolution z -axis sectioning of atherosclerotic lesions induced by Western diet to try to identify transdifferentiated cells staining for both the eGFP/Y chromosome lineage tags and the SMC marker smooth muscle α-actin (SMαA). Of critical importance, and in contrast to many previous studies in this area where investigators examined relatively small numbers of intimal SMCs …
Ability of Reduced Lung Function to Predict Development of Atrial Fibrillation in Persons Aged 45 to 84 Years (from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis-Lung Study).

Atrial fibrillation (AF) occurs frequently in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Epidemiologic studies have found inconsistent associations between lung function and AF, and none have studied pulmonary emphysema, which overlaps only partially with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the general population. The aim of this study was to assess the relation among lung function measured by spirometry, the percentage of emphysema-like lung on computed tomography, and incident AF. The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) is a multicenter cohort study following 6,814 subjects free of clinical cardiovascular disease, including AF, at baseline. Spirometry was performed in a subset of 3,965 participants. Percentage emphysema was defined on baseline computed tomographic scans as lung regions
Revitalize and re-brand your IT image

Do you have users who complain about issues that existed years ago, but have now been rectified? Do you provide excellent service but still lack respect from your university community? Maybe it is time you revitalize and re-brand your group. The VCU helpIT Center did just that in an effort to overcome the hurdle of a bad reputation that was set years ago. Before re-branding, they took several steps to bring about change in the service provided by their office. Aggressive metric goals were set and statistics gathered to rejuvenate the group internally. Then, while working with the VCU Technology Services Marketing and Communication Department, the inception of the IT branding took place. Learn what was necessary to bring about the change in people's minds, both internal to the VCU helpIT Center staff and also their external user base. Also see how this effective branding campaign helped raise the respect of the VCU helpIT Center within the university and expanded to a division-wide re-branding of the groups within the VCU Technology Services -- User Services Department.
A new species of Mexicaprina (Caprinidae, Coalcomaninae) and review of the age and paleobiogeography of the genus

A species of the rudist bivalve genus Mexicaprina Coogan, 1973, from the mid-Cretaceous Mal Paso Formation of the Guerrero terrane, southwestern Mexico, is described as new: M. alata. At the type locality of this new species, a 6.5 m thick Mexi- caprina-rich floatstone bed conformably overlies a taxonomically diverse build-up of reef corals. This type of facies relationship and implied faunal association has not been observed previously at any other site. Specimens of the type species, M. cornuta Coogan, 1973, also were found at the same locality, but 90 m stratigraphically below the lowest occurrence of M. alata. Compilation and detailed biostratigraphic analysis of the reported occurrences of Mexicaprina demonstrate that the age of the genus ranges from late Albian to early Cenomanian. However, most occurrences are late Albian and the Cenomanian age determinations are questionable and possibly late Albian also. The occurrence of species of Mexicaprina in the allochthonous Guerrero terrane, together with the relatively limited geographic distribution of the genus in the late Albian and early Cenomanian of the Gulf Coast of Mexico, Texas, and Honduras, indicates that this region of the Guerrero terrane was part of the Caribbean paleobiogeographic province during late Albian to early Cenomanian time. This occurrence also suggests that this portion of the Guerrero terrane was very close, possibly accreted, to the southwestern margin of North America by the close of the Early Cretaceous.
A Simple Cold Test for Vulcanized Polymers

Abstract The freeze resistance of vulcanized polymers has been evaluated for the past two years at this laboratory by a method which involves measurements of primary creep at successively lower temperatures. This method has been found to be particularly useful when it is desired to know, within 5° or 10° F, the temperature at which the polymer ceases to function as a rubberlike material. In a laboratory of this kind, where considerable work is done in evaluating new polymer types and where the polymerization variables studied often are of such a nature as to produce relatively large changes in the freeze resistance of the vulcanized polymer, a tolerance of 5° to 10° F has been found to be a workable value. The test is simple and can be carried out with the Shore A durometer or the A.S.T.M. hardness tester, one or both of which are generally available in a rubber laboratory. Its simplicity notwithstanding, the test is reasonably objective. Both the durometer and the A.S.T.M. tester are handled in the conve...
Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome masquerading as an eating disorder

The case of a 22 year old woman with cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) presenting as an eating disorder is described. The importance of recognizing chronic cannabis use as a cause of episodic vomiting is emphasized, given that CHS can be confused with self-induced purging and cyclic vomiting. This case was further complicated by the well-defined history of anorexia nervosa (binge-purge type), major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, migraine headache, and the initial denial of cannabis use. However, collateral history and a positive drug screen confirmed the diagnosis. The signs, symptoms and pathophysiological mechanisms of CHS are reviewed in light of clinical presentations that mimic eating disorder phenomenology complicated by addiction. Given the trend for increasing legalization of recreational marijuana as well as medical marijuana, CHS is an important and potentially complicating disorder that eating disorder clinicians need to be aware of. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2016; 49:826-829).
Introduction to Nussbaum Lecture Symposium

It is a great pleasure to introduce the published version of the first Martha Nussbaum Lecture and its Reply, both delivered at the 2014 meeting of the Human Development and Capability Association ...
Abstract 3197: RNase-L modulates transcriptional and post-transcriptional responses to mitogenic stimuli through serum response factor and tristetraprolin.

RNase-L is an endoribonuclease that functions in a range of important physiologic activities including the innate immune response and control of cell proliferation and is dysregulated in pathologic conditions including cancer. RNase-L is tightly regulated and requires the binding of 2’,5’-linked oligoadenylates (2-5A: px5′A(2′p5′A)n; x=1-2;n>2) to induce oligomerization and enzymatic activity. Activated RNase-L cleaves single-stranded regions of cellular and pathogen RNAs, and distinct profiles of RNA are targeted by RNase-L to mediate its biologic functions in different cellular contexts. Therefore an understanding of the mechanism(s) by which specific RNAs are targeted for RNase-L cleavage is essential to modulate its substrate selection and biologic activity for therapeutic applications. Towards this goal, we identified the RNA binding protein tristetraprolin (TTP) as a novel RNase-L interacting partner. TTP binds to A-U-rich elements (AREs) in the 3’-untranslated region (3’UTR) of target mRNAs, including its own mRNA, to promote their degradation. We hypothesize that TTP functions to direct RNase-L cleavage of a subset of ARE mRNAs. Consistent with this prediction, RNase-L interacted with TTP mRNA, and decreased steady-state levels and increased half-life of TTP mRNA in RNase-L-/- fibroblasts. In addition to this direct effect on basal TTP mRNA stability, RNase-L inhibited the transcriptional induction of TTP primary transcripts following serum stimulation. In this context, we determined that RNase-L targeted the mRNA encoding serum response factor (SRF), a transcription factor that induces the expression of proliferation and tumorigenesis-associated genes. The TTP promoter contains SRF binding sites suggesting that the RNase-L-mediated downregulation of SRF indirectly reduced TTP transcription; experimental validation of this regulation is in progress. Together these data support a model in which following mitogen stimulation, RNase-L constrains the transcriptional induction of proliferation-associated genes via its regulation of SRF and interacts with TTP to post-transcriptionally downregulate an overlapping set of mRNAs. The RNase-L-dependent regulation of TTP, which itself functions to limit the mitogenic response, suggests that RNase-L contributes to proliferative homeostasis through the regulation of both positive and negative effectors. These findings have implications for the therapeutic targeting of RNase-L-mediated cleavage in regenerative repair and tumorigenesis. Citation Format: Sarah E. Brennan-Laun, X-L Li, Heather J. Ezelle, Gerald M. Wilson, Bret A. Hassel. RNase-L modulates transcriptional and post-transcriptional responses to mitogenic stimuli through serum response factor and tristetraprolin. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3197. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3197
The Effect of Bicycle TOE Clips and Seat Modifications

Two experiments were performed.Experiment 1 had 12 subjects pedal on a stationary bicycle vs a constant load for 12 min twice in each of three conditions: a) standard bicycle seat and no toe clips, b) experimental web seat and toe clips, and c) experimental web seat and no toe clips. The criteria were heart rate (12 min work + 18 min recovery), Borg vote, and a semantic-differential vote. Heart rate was 105.3 for condition a, 110.2 for condition b, and 110.5 for condition c. Condition a was significantly lower than b and c; b and c did not differ significantly. Borg vote and semantic-differential vote gave similar results.Experiment 2 had 10 subjects pedal for 10 min once in each of 12 conditions. The 12 conditions were all combinations of: a) toe clips vs no toe clips, b) seat horizontal vs seat tilted 7° down, and c) center of seat at a 19, 25, or 31° angle vs vertical and hub centerline. The criteria were heart rate, Borg vote, and a semantic-differential vote. Toe clips reduced heart rate by 3.5% duri...
FLOW DEVELOPMENT OF A GAS-SOLID SUSPENSION IN A MICROGRAVITY COUETTE APPARATUS

We analyze the development of a gas-solid flow in an axisymmetric shear cell without gravitational accelerations. A gas pressure gradient imposed on the cell induces a relative motion between the two phases, while the differential rotation of the cell boundaries allows the independent control of the solids agitation. We model variations of the cross-sectional averaged solid volume fraction, mean velocity and fluctuation energy along the straight region of the cell using a technique similar to the integral treatment of a boundary layer. The theory finds a condition for which fully-developed flows can be achieved in regions of the cell.
Poetry, Philosophy, and Esotericism: A Straussian Legacy

This article concerns the ‘ancient quarrel between philosophy and poetry’ (Plato, Rep. 607b). With the guidance of Leo Strauss, and with reference to French cultural anthropology and the Hebrew Bible, I offer close readings of the origin myths told by the characters of Aristophanes in Plato’s Symposium and Socrates in book 2 of the Republic. I contrast Aristophanes’ prudential and political esotericism with Socrates’ pedagogical esotericism, connecting the former with poetry’s affirmation of the primacy of chaos and the latter with philosophy’s openness to the measures of nature or phusis. Aristophanes regards the political poetry of Olympianism as a necessary corrective of original human disorder, while Socrates traces the sickness of souls and cities to an excess of poiēsis, ‘poetry’ or ‘production’ in all of its cultural and material senses. The quarrel between Socrates and Aristophanes illuminates fundamental questions that were of central concern to Strauss: What is the status of nature? Must we orient ourselves by the forceful impressions of culture, or can we make out natural standards of how to live? Is war the primary human condition, or peace? Are human beings essentially erotic, or thumotic? Is philosophy an expression of reckless boldness, or of saving moderation?
Can Future Academic Surgeons be Identified in the Residency Ranking Process

Objective The goal of surgical residency training programs is to train competent surgeons. Academic surgical training programs also have as a mission training future academicians—surgical scientists, teachers, and leaders. However, selection of surgical residents is dependent on a relatively unscientific process. Here we sought to determine how well the residency selection process is able to identify future academicians in surgery. Design Rank lists from an academic surgical residency program from 1992 to 1997 were examined. All ranked candidates׳ career paths after residency were reviewed to determine whether they stayed in academics, were university affiliated, or in private practice. Setting The study was performed at New York Presbyterian Hospital—Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY. Participants A total of 663 applicants for general surgery residency participated in this study. Results In total 6 rank lists were evaluated, which included 663 candidates. Overall 76% remained in a general surgery subspecialty. Of those who remained in general surgery, 49% were in private practice, 20% were university affiliated, and 31% had academic careers. Approximately 47% of candidates that were ranked in the top 20 had ≥20 publications, with decreasing percentages as rank number increased. There was a strong correlation between the candidates׳ rank position and pursuing an academic career (p R 2 = 0.89). Conclusions Graduates of surgical residency who were ranked highly at the time of the residency match were more likely to pursue an academic career. The residency selection process can identify candidates likely to be future academicians.
Russians as Political Participants: Looking Away from Politics

So far the analysis could well leave the impression that most residents of Syktyvkar and Kirov focused on day-to-day survival and did not actively participate in Russia’s transition politics. Truthfully with the partial exception of voting, respondents did not participate extensively, as they did not perceive the political processes as open to them. In this way, the people model the behavioral domain: their strategy of action is to avoid political participation and their behavioral cue is the perception that there is no access. As we have just seen, people were not paying attention to politics, let alone participating in them.
Effect of reduction of postoperative days in the intensive care unit after coronary artery bypass

The high cost of medical care prompted us closely to evaluate our practice of keeping all coronary artery bypass patients in the postoperative intensive care unit a minimum of 2 days. Thirty-seven patients were randomly assigned to a 1 or 2 day postoperative stay in the intensive care unit after routine bypass grafting. Nineteen patients in Group I stayed 1 day and 18 in Group II stayed 2 days. Eighteen Group I and 17 Group II patients were evaluated. No differences in type or rate of complications occurred in either group. No deaths occurred. Total hospital costs were $340 less for Group I (not statistically significant, p > 0.4), room costs were $361 less for Group I (p 0.5), and costs for arterial blood gases were $325 less for Group I (p
High-definition colonoscopy increases adenoma detection rate

The adenoma detection rate (ADR) is a quality indicator for colonoscopy. High-definition (HD) imaging has been reported to increase polyp detection rates. The primary objective of this study was to compare polyp detection rate (PDR) and adenoma detection rate (ADR) before and after the implementation of HD colonoscopy. A retrospective chart review was performed on patients aged 48–55 years old, who underwent first-time screening colonoscopy. The first group underwent standard-definition (SD) colonoscopy in the first 6 months of 2011. The second group underwent screening with HD colonoscopy during the first 6 months of 2012. We compared age, gender, PDR, ADR, and average sizes of adenomatous polyps between gastroenterologist and colorectal surgeon and among physicians themselves. Statistical analysis was performed with Fischer’s exact test and Pearson Chi-square. A total of 1268 patients were involved in the study (634 in each group). PDR (35.6 vs. 48.2 %, p 10 mm (9.2 vs. 4.5 %), p = 0.07). Polyps were most commonly seen in the sigmoid colon (26.1 vs. 24.7 %). There was no difference in the rate of synchronous polyp detection between modalities (25.6 vs. 29 %, p = 0.51). Withdrawal time was the same in both procedure (9.2 vs. 8.5 min, p = 0.10). Screening colonoscopy with high-definition technology significantly improved both PDR and ADR. In addition, high-definition colonoscopy may be particularly useful and advantageous among less experienced endoscopists in various community settings. However, there needs to be application to specific patient populations in future studies to assess for any statistical differences between standard- and high-definition modalities to determine clinical utility.
Research as a Standard of Care in the PICU.

Objectives:Excellence in clinical care coupled with basic and applied research reflects the maturation of a medical subspecialty, advances that field, and provides objective data for identifying best practices. PICUs are uniquely suited for conducting translational and clinical research. In addition
Competition, integration, and diversification: seven hospitals of Growthville, U.S.A.

Summing up across the three phases of this case, the pattern of evolution was (1) emergence of a market orientation by hospitals as the industry moved away from regulation; (2) steady expansion of what the hospitals considered to be their business, to include nonacute hospital and medical services as well as insurance, with vertical integration and concentric diversification serving as the vehicles for accomplishing this expansion; (3) remarkable change with respect to who was competing with whom, stemming from restructuring of hospital relationships away from open competition among many toward domination by a few; (4) a shift in the market from one of consumer choices among physicians and hospitals toward one of competitive choice among health plans; and (5) the emergence of negotiated pricing within the context of the new oligopoly, stemming from the heightened and organized power of corporate purchasers. Finally, we return to a concept presented in the introduction to this case: strategic alignment. The case has described the substantial realignment of our study hospitals to their new and changing environment. And it has highlighted their managers' use of boundary scanning, competitor analysis, and strategy to achieve this realignment. James Thompson's word for this process is "co-alignment," referring to "the most critical managerial function, and the skill closest to creativity." This case has illustrated this management skill, defined as "the discernment of hitherto unnoticed relationships in the complex environment, calculating their cause-effect relationships, and translating them into appropriate programs of action". This is both a summary of the performances of our case study managers and a powerful prescription for those who might face similar circumstances and challenges.
Stereospecific Nickel-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions of Benzylic Ethers with Isotopically-Labeled Grignard Reagents

In this manuscript we highlight the potential of stereospecific nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions for applications in the pharmaceutical industry. Using an inexpensive and sustainable nickel catalyst, we report a gram-scale Kumada cross-coupling reaction. Reactions are highly stereospecific and proceed with inversion at the benzylic position. We also expand the scope of our reaction to incorporate isotopically labeled substituents.
Safety Studies in Tumor and Non-Tumor-Bearing Mice in Support of Clinical Trials Using Oncolytic VSV-IFNβ-NIS

Oncolytic VSV-IFNβ-NIS is selectively destructive to tumors. Here, we present the IND enabling preclinical rodent studies in support of clinical testing of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) as a systemic therapy. Efficacy studies showed dose-dependent tumor regression in C57BL/KaLwRij mice bearing syngeneic 5TGM1 plasmacytomas after systemic VSV administration. In contrast, the virus was effective at all doses tested against human KAS6/1 xenografts in SCID mice. Intravenous administration of VSV-mIFNβ-NIS is well tolerated in C57BL/6 mice up to 5 × 1010 TCID50 (50% tissue culture infective dose)/kg with no neurovirulence, no cytokine storm, and no abnormalities in tissues. Dose-limiting toxicities included elevated transaminases, thrombocytopenia, and lymphopenia. Inactivated viral particles did not cause hepatic toxicity. Intravenously administered VSV was preferentially sequestered by macrophages in the spleen and liver. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis for total viral RNA on days 2, 7, 21, and 58 showed hig...
Humanoids and the Potential Role of Electroactive Materials/Mechanisms in Advancing their Capability

Humanoids are increasingly becoming capable biologically inspired robots that are appearing and behaving lifelike. Making humanlike robots is the ultimate challenge to biomimetics and, while for many years they were considered a science fiction, such robots are increasingly becoming engineering reality. Progress in producing such robots are allowing them to perform impressive functions and tasks. In 2012, in an effort to promote significant advances in developing humanoids, DARPA posed a Robotic Challenge to produce such robots that operate in disaster scenarios towards making society more resilient. The challenge was focused on the requirements that have been needed after the Fukushima accident in Japan, hoping to advance the field of disaster robotics. This disaster posed significant challenges to emergency responders since radiation prevented people from going into the station and venting the explosive gas. Another significant development in this field is the fact that major US corporations have entered into the race to produce commercial humanoids. As a result, one can expect significant and rapid progress in this field. Developing humanoids is critically dependent of the use of highly efficient, compact, lightweight actuators and electroactive materials are offering great potential. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art of humanlike robots, potential applications and challenges, as well as the actuation materials that are used or could be used.
Multispecies coalescent delimits structure, not species

The multispecies coalescent model underlies many approaches used for species delimitation. In previous work assessing the performance of species delimitation under this model, speciation was treated as an instantaneous event rather than as an extended process involving distinct phases of speciation initiation (structuring) and completion. Here, we use data under simulations that explicitly model speciation as an extended process rather than an instantaneous event and carry out species delimitation inference on these data under the multispecies coalescent. We show that the multispecies coalescent diagnoses genetic structure, not species, and that it does not statistically distinguish structure associated with population isolation vs. species boundaries. Because of the misidentification of population structure as putative species, our work raises questions about the practice of genome-based species discovery, with cascading consequences in other fields. Specifically, all fields that rely on species as units of analysis, from conservation biology to studies of macroevolutionary dynamics, will be impacted by inflated estimates of the number of species, especially as genomic resources provide unprecedented power for detecting increasingly finer-scaled genetic structure under the multispecies coalescent. As such, our work also represents a general call for systematic study to reconsider a reliance on genomic data alone. Until new methods are developed that can discriminate between structure due to population-level processes and that due to species boundaries, genomic-based results should only be considered a hypothesis that requires validation of delimited species with multiple data types, such as phenotypic and ecological information.
Nonmyeloablative Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation (NST) for Hematologic Malignancies (HM) Using Pentostatin/Low-Dose Total Body Irradiation (TBI).

Abstract Background/Patients and Methods: NST is increasingly being used as a means of establishing a graft-versus-malignancy (GVM) effect with less regimen related toxicity. Between 9/01 and 7/04, 39 patients (pts) with high risk/relapsed/refractory HM who were not candidates for full intensity allogeneic stem cell transplantation underwent NST using Pentostatin/TBI. The median age of pts was 52 years (range 22–70). The median number of prior therapies was 4 (range 0–8) including prior autologous stem cell transplantation in 22 pts. Diseases transplanted included chronic lymphocytic leukemia/indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL, n=6), aggressive NHL (n=8), mantle cell lymphoma (n=3), Hodgkin's disease (n=6), myeloproliferative disorders (n=4), myelodysplastic syndromes (n=4), and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML, n=8). Conditioning consisted of Pentostatin 4 mg/m2 daily on day −21, −20, and −19, followed by 200 cGy TBI on day −1. Post-grafting immunosuppression consisted of cyclosporine/mycophenolate mofetil. Results: Stem cell transplantation was from matched related (n=14) or unrelated (n=25) donors. Death prior to 100 days post transplant occurred in 7 patients. Grade III/IV toxicities included hematologic (n=10 pts), infectious (n=5) and other non-infectious (n=4). The median nadir values (day −21 to day 0) for hemoglobin, neutrophil count and platelet count were 10.7 g/dl (range 7.8–12), 1056/mm3 (range 0–5336), and 174/mm3 (range 24–523) respectively. Three pts failed to engraft; two patients with myelofibrosis (both of whom had autologous reconstitution) and one patient with high risk AML (who died of complications of fungal sepsis without hematologic recovery). The median chimerism values for CD3+ cells and WBC at day 28 are 80% and 95% donor cells respectively. The median chimerism values for CD3+ and WBC at day 70 are 95% and 95% respectively. There have been no late graft failures. The cumulative incidence of all grades of acute graft-versus-host disease at day 100 was 40% and was more common in unrelated donor transplants (60% vs. 15%, P=0.012). Chronic graft-versus-host disease has developed in 69% of patients. The cumulative incidence of relapse for all patients is 30%, and is lower for unrelated donor transplants than matched related donor transplants (46% vs. 20%, P=0.02). The probability of event-free and overall survival at two years is 52% and 56% respectively. Conclusions: This regimen is associated with acceptable toxicity. Engraftment has not been an issue with the exception of two pts with myelofibrosis. Pts receiving unrelated donor grafts have a higher incidence of graft-versus-host disease and a lower relapse rate. This represents indirect support for the presence of a GVM effect. A prospective study using a modified Pentostatin schedule (starting at day − 10) is ongoing based on the nadir of host T-cells identified in this study.
Using the Crystal Plasticity Approach to Parse the Effects of Alloying and Aging on the Mechanical Behavior of Wrought Mg Alloys

Predicting the collective effects of solid solution alloying, precipitation, and grain size on the mechanical properties of a given alloy is one of the “holy grails” of mechanical metallurgy. For alloys with a cubic crystal structure, this is challenging enough to have been solved only in specific cases, and even there, predicting the anisotropies induced by crystallographic texture is very difficult. In the case of hexagonal close packed Mg alloys, this challenge is even greater and arguably more important. Research over the past decade has also highlighted the significant impact precipitate shape and orientation can have on the strength of Mg alloys. This review lecture will show, with examples from conventional and rare earth containing Mg alloys, that the crystal plasticity approach has enabled the level of our predictive capability to rapidly approach the level, which exists in other more mature alloys systems.
Occupational measures and averaged shape optimization

We consider the minimization of averaged shape optimization problems over the class of sets of finite perimeter. We use occupational measures, which are probability measures defined in terms of the reduced boundary of sets of finite perimeter, that allow to transform the minimization into a linear problem on a set of measures. The averaged nature of the problem allows the optimal value to be approximated with sets with unbounded perimeter. In this case, we show that we can also approximate the optimal value with convex polytopes with n +1 faces shrinking to a point. We derive conditions under which we show the existence of minimizers and we also analyze the appropriate spaces in which to study the problem.
Modeling and Simulation of the Thermal and Psychrometric Transient Response of All-Electric Ships, Internal Compartments and Cabinets

We introduce a general computational model for all-electric ships and internal compartments open and closed domains that contain heat sources and sinks. A simplified physical model, which combines principles of classical thermodynamics and heat transfer, is developed and the resulting three-dimensional 3D differential equations are discretized in space using a 3D cell-centered volume element scheme. The combination of the proposed simplified physical model with the adopted finite volume scheme for the numerical discretization of the differential equations is therefore called a volume element model VEM. Two case studies are presented: a simulation of a whole ship at sea, and one of the ship's internal compartments or cabinet. The proposed model was utilized to simulate numerically the steady-state responses of the systems in both cases. Of particular interest in the first case is the possibility of predicting the ship's thermal signature at sea. Mesh refinements were conducted to ensure the convergence of the numerical results. The converged mesh in both cases was relatively coarse 175 and 320 cells and therefore the solutions were obtained with low computational time. Since accuracy and low computational time are combined, the model is shown to be efficient and could be used as a tool for simulation, design and optimization of thermal management of all-electric ships, internal compartments and cabinets. Finally, experiments are conducted in a test-bed facility to demonstrate, from simulated sea conditions, how to quantify the electric motors transient heat rejection to cooling water and the environment in a notional all-electric ship, with the objective of serving as known heat generation inputs to the mathematical model to simulate the transient thermal response of the entire ship and its compartments.
Stable Discrete Time Multivariable Adaptive Control in the Presence of Unmodeled Dynamics

Abstract An adaptive control scheme is presented for the case of discrete-time multivariable time-invariant processes in the presence of bounded. unmeasured disturbances plus model order mismatch. The bounded-input-bounded-output (BIBO) stability is proven and the upper bounds of tracking errors are given. The robustness against model order mismatch is achieved by using a normalized parameter estimation scheme in combination with a parameter adaptation stopping criterion in the adaptive law
Abstract 3035: Decomposing oncogenic transcriptional signatures to generate maps of divergent cellular states

The systematic sequencing of the cancer genome has provided a powerful framework for identifying genetic alterations in cancer. However, a deeper understanding of the functional consequences of these alterations is necessary to guide appropriate therapeutic strategies. Here, we describe Onco-GPS (OncoGenic Positioning System), a data-driven analysis framework, and associated experimental and computational methodology, to organize individual tumor samples with shared oncogenic alterations onto a reference map defined by their underlying cellular states. Using this approach, we generated series of RAS/MAPK sub-signatures that reflect known and novel downstream pathways. These sub-signatures were then used to classify KRAS and BRAF mutant cancers into sub groups or cell states, as represented in the novel visual paradigm “OncoGPS map”. OncoGPS approach was first applied to cancers with BRAF mutations. The approach not only accurately classified three groups of BRAF mutant cancers that aligned with sensitivity to BRAF inhibitors, but also identified resistance mechanisms associated with each state, validating the overall approach. OncoGPS also identified four major cell states associated with KRAS mutant cancers. Further characterization of the four cell states showed that multiple molecular features representing epithelial-EMT states and activation of NF-κB pathway delineated two major “axes” of KRAS mutant cancers. In addition to the pathways and cell states defined in each group, the OncoGPS approach is able to identify effective drug combinations which was experimentally tested and confirmed. These results show that the Onco-GPS is an effective analytic framework to explore the complex landscape of oncogenic cellular states across cancers, and a powerful framework to summarize knowledge, establish relationships, and generate more effective disease models for research or as part of individualized precision medicine paradigms. Citation Format: William J. Kim, William C. Hahn, Jill Mesirov, Pablo Tamayo. Decomposing oncogenic transcriptional signatures to generate maps of divergent cellular states [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3035. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-3035
The Role of Subcortical Structures in Linguistic Processes: Recent Developments

With infarction or hemorrhage of the dominant basal ganglia, cortical dysfunction due to hemodynamic factors accounts for the more prominent language symptoms. At best, cortical symptoms obscure a minor role for the basal ganglia in language. If this role exists, it is a supportive, as opposed to a primarily linguistic, one. On the other hand, dominant thalamic nuclei appear to play a role at the lexical-semantic interface, explaining semantic paraphasias commonly seen in thalamic aphasia. The frontal lobes, inferior thalamic peduncle, nucleus reticularis, and perhaps centromedian nucleus may be involved in selective engagement of cortical mechanisms that subserve this interface. Other phenomena after dominant thalamic lesion include category-specific naming deficits and neglect dyslexia. Such findings raise the possibility that the thalamus has multiple functions that support language.
Pentecostal peacefulness: virtue ethics and the reception of theology in Nepal

The anthropology of Christianity has struggled to theorize the place of theology in Christian social life. Drawing on Alasdair MacIntyre's account of virtue ethics, in particular his concepts of practice, narrative, and moral tradition, I explore the reception of Pentecostal theology in the Nepali city of Bhaktapur. I show how local Christians have drawn on Pentecostal eschatology to develop a pacifistic ethics, allowing them to negotiate local social and religious conflicts. The belief that Christ has decisively defeated evil spirits allows local Christians to detach themselves from cycles of aggression connected with witchcraft accusations, providing a space of security in which to cultivate distinctive practices of care. Connecting this local theology with a wider tradition in Pentecostal moral thought, I argue that MacIntyre's virtue ethics provides a powerful tool for interpreting the relationship between local circumstance and extra-local theology, and for studying cross-cultural patterns of theological reception.
Price premiums for organic menus at restaurants: What is an acceptable level?

Abstract This study identifies acceptable premium price levels that customers would be willing to pay for organic menu items at restaurants in the United States. Previous literature indicates that health-related and socio-demographic characteristics significantly influence consumers’ intentions to purchase organic food. To advance our understanding of how different consumers respond to changes in organic food prices, this study examines the moderating effects of the level of health consciousness (high versus low), gender (male versus female), and age (young versus old) on the relationship between premium price levels and purchasing intentions. In addition, this study further investigates acceptable premium price levels for different consumer segments at two types of restaurants (casual dining versus fine dining). The results of this study provide guidelines for menu design and strategies for restaurateurs to devise effective price premiums for organic menu options.
Public involvement in public administration in the information age: speculations on the effects of technology

Public managers in Western democracies have felt growing pressures in recent decades to involve citizens more in the work of public administration, perhaps transforming what was once viewed as a largely solitary technical enterprise into a community production. On the heels of this "participation revolution" has come the "information revolution, "wherein a vartety of new information and telecommunications technologies, including computers and modem linkages, Internet connections, electronic mail, and fax transmissions, is transforming society, economy and government. Although there has been much discussion of the likely effects of each of these revolutions, relatively little attention has been paid until recently to the interaction of the two revolutions, especially to how the information revolution may impact public involvement. The purpose of this chapter is to speculate on that impact. After first explaining the specifics of the two revolutions, the chapter will speculate on the possible effects of technology on public involvement in public administration, both for public involvement in general and for various specific techniques of involvement. A concluding section will consider the chapter's action implications for scholars, policymakers and public administrators.
Long-Term Rate-Based User-Centric Association for Downlink Multi-Antenna HetNets

The dense deployment of current cellular networks, and the envisioned densification of fifth-generation new-radio (5G-NR) have made the cost of centralized and optimized user association algorithms prohibitive. In contrast, using a standard max-power association can degrade the user's rate due to network load imbalance. To this end, we develop a user-centric association algorithm for downlink multi-antenna heterogeneous cellular networks (HetNets). The algorithm maximizes a function of the expected long-term rate, which depends on the multi-antenna transmission mode used during data communications. The proposed algorithm uses an overhead of the same order as max-power association, requiring minimal changes to the cell selection procedure used in existing cellular networks. Indeed, the user merely measures the received signal power from base stations (BSs) in vicinity, processes these measurements to approximate the expected rate from each BS, and then connects to the one with the highest estimated value. We evaluate the algorithm in a dense tiered network with a realistic 3GPP channel model. Simulation results show that the average user rate improves under the proposed algorithm since it utilizes the multi-antenna transmission mode unlike the conventional max-power association.
Assessing the Utility of Reliability Indices for Automated Visual Fields: Testing Ocular Hypertensives

Monocular (right eye) visual fields were recorded with the Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer (30-2 Program) at baseline as well as 6 and 12 months later in 120 patients with established ocular hypertension. Indices of field reliability (fixation loss, less than 20%; false-positives and false-negatives, less than 33%) and field sensitivity (mean deviation [MD] and pattern standard deviation [PSD]) were examined. At baseline, 35% of patients exhibited low reliability (LR) fields, a figure which decreased to approximately 25% at 6 and 12 months, respectively. During this period, over 50% of patients produced at least one LR field, whereas 8.3% were unable to produce even one reliable field. Exhibition of a LR field appeared to be independent of patient age. Fixation errors, the major cause of LR fields, decreased by approximately 10% over the 12-month period; most patients had between 20 and 32% fixation errors. The incidence of significant defects identified by PSD was greater than that for MD; this was true for both reliable and LR fields. It is suggested that increasing the fixation loss criteria for assessing patient reliability to a 33% cutoff might substantially increase the percentage of fields graded reliable with minimal effect on the sensitivity or specificity of the test.