cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
OLIC: online information compression for scalable hosting infrastructure monitoring

Quality-of-service (QoS) management often requires a continuous monitoring service to provide updated information about different hosts and network links in the managed system. However, it is a challenging task to achieve both scalability and precision for monitoring various intra-node and inter-node metrics (e.g., CPU, memory, disk, network delay) in a large-scale hosting infrastructure. In this paper, we present a novel OnLine Information Compression (OLIC) system to achieve scalable fine-grained hosting infrastructure monitoring. OLIC models continuous snapshots of a hosting infrastructure as a sequence of images and performs online monitoring data compression to significantly reduce the monitoring cost. We have implemented a prototype of the OLIC system and deployed it on the PlanetLab and NCSU's virtual computing lab (VCL). We have conducted extensive experiments using a set of real monitoring data from VCL, Planetlab, and a Google cluster as well as a real Internet traffic matrix trace. The experimental results show that OLIC can achieve much higher compression ratios with several orders of magnitude less overhead than previous approaches.
Efficiency of underdamped dc SQUIDs as readout devices for flux qubits

The flux state quantum bit (qubit) is promising for a solid state implementation of scalable quantum computing. The simplest flux state qubit consists of an rf SQUID with two fluxoid states, which can be readout with a dc SQUID - the most sensitive magnetic flux detector. Efficient readout with less back-action is desirable for quantum computing. In this work, we report measurements of the switching flux and switching current distributions of under damped dc SQUIDs. The data show that single shot readout of flux qubit with very high efficiency (>99%) can be realized using underdamped hysteretic dc SQUIDs.
Evaluation of Methods for Collecting Blood-Engorged Mosquitoes from Habitats Within a Wildlife Refuge

Mortality of American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) chicks attributed to West Nile virus (WNV) prompted field studies on the bionomics of mosquitoes on a wildlife refuge in northern Montana. One component of these studies was to identify blood meal sources for Culex tarsalis, the primary vector of WNV in the region, and the potential bridge vectors Aedes vexans and Culiseta inornata. To accomplish this, 3 methods were evaluated to collect bloodfed mosquitoes: a gasoline powered aspirator, CO2-baited light traps, and fiber pots in shelterbelts consisting of stands of deciduous trees and shrubs and marshes along the lake edge. Fiber pots were also deployed in open fields of prairie grasses. Overall, fiber pots were the most efficient method for collecting engorged Cx. tarsalis and Cs. inornata, largely due to shorter sampling and processing times. Aedes vexans was not collected in fiber pots but was more abundant in aspiration samples than the other 2 species. The optimal location for collecting Cx. tarsalis was dependent on trapping method. Aspirations and fiber pot placements collected more Cx. tarsalis in shelterbelts, while CO2-baited light traps collected more Cx. tarsalis in the marsh habitat. Sixteen avian and 4 mammalian hosts were identified from bloodfed Cx. tarsalis with 46 blood meals derived from birds and 49 from mammals. Aedes vexans and Cs. inornata fed predominantly on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and cattle (Bos taurus), respectively. Humans were identified as hosts in 33% of engorged Cx. tarsalis, 4% of engorged Ae. vexans, and 18% of engorged Cs. inornata.
Market Attractiveness of Developing Countries

Companies operating in international markets need to evaluate the potential market attractiveness of developing countries with which they may want to do business. These companies have access to substantial amounts of information from specialized sources and from statistical data supplied by international institutions. Such vast and diverse information is rarely used in a systematic way in the management decision process. When it is used, the entire process is most often inadequately formalized. The available information generally deals with economic factors, while in the present international arena, judgment about politics must also be taken into account. This chapter illustrates the applicability and advantages of the Analytic Hierarchy Process to this decision problem, and uses it to create maps of joint economic progress and political stability in a number of countries for two time periods 1990–1991 and 1995–1997.
Growth and development of the Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella in an artificial diet☆

Abstract A simple method for rearing the Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella , in an artificial diet is described. Although the larvae normally feed within grain kernels, they readily became established in pellets containing a mixture of five natural products. An evaluation of the growth rate in this medium revealed a marked sex difference. The males attained a maximum mean larval weight of 7·2 mg at 22 days compared with 12·3 mg for mature females at 24 days. Both sexes were found to pass through four larval instars. A study of the pupation rate showed that males reached 50 per cent pupation a full 5 days before females. While both sexes spent about 6·7 days in the pupal-pharate adult stage, the mean weight of newly-ecdysed female adults was 77 per cent greater than that of the males.
The Attitudes of Adolescents in Small- Town America

The authors, as a follow-up to a 1963 study, traveled to 25 small-town districts to uncover today's adolescents' attitudes toward school and teachers and to compare students' outlooks with their counterparts of more than a generation ago.
Population Status of the Southern Cavefish, Typhlichthys subterraneus in Arkansas

We summarize the results of our study on the status of the southern cavefish (Typhlichthys subterraneus) in Arkansas. Its presence in the state represents the western-southern limits of its distribution. Four localities have been confirmed that contain individuals of this species: Richardson Cave (Fulton County), Alexander Cave/Clark Spring (Stone County), Ennis Cave (Stone County), and Lake Norfork (Baxter County). A fifth locality has been cited as a well in Randolph County, but because the exact location is unknown, its presence has not been confirmed. A number of unconfirmed localities for “cavefishes” in the region has not been included in this report. Populations of this species in Arkansas seem to be small (less than 100 individuals) which is common among populations of hypogean amblyopsids elsewhere. All the confirmed localities are in areas either under controlled access by the private owners or by the federal government. No immediate threat to these populations was found by either overcollecting or other anthropogenic causes. Yet long-term monitoring of the recharge zones is recommended.
Adjuvant Therapy for Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2–Positive Breast Cancer: Detour on the Road to a Cure

In the article that accompanies this editorial, Piccart-Gebhart and an international group of colleagues 1 report the results of the Adjuvant Lapatinib and/or Trastuzumab Treatment Optimization (ALTTO) trial, a large multicenter—indeed, multicontinent—trial that investigated the benefits of adding the small-molecule receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor lapatinib to trastuzumab in the adjuvant human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)2–positive breast cancer setting. The results are important, and like many important results, they raise nearly as many questions as they answer.
HEALTHCARE RESOURCE UTILIZATION AND IMPACT ON COST WITH USE OF REMOTE MONITORING STRATEGY COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL FOLLOW-UP FOR IMPLANTABLE CARDIOVERTER DEFIBRILLATORS: A META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS

Remote monitoring (RM) of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) allows physicians to remotely access patients’ data, however its impact on healthcare resource utilization and the associated cost as compared to conventional FU (CFU) is unclear. We searched Pubmed, EBSCO and Cochrane for
Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Frozen and Thawed Plant Tissues from Microscopic Images

Histological analysis of frozen and thawed plants has been conducted for many years but the observation of individual sections provides only a 2-dimensional representation of a 3-dimensional phenomenon. Most techniques for viewing internal plant structure in three dimensions are either low in resolution or the instrument cannot penetrate deep enough into the tissue to visualize the whole plant. Techniques with higher resolution are expensive and equipment often requires time-consuming training. We present a relatively simple and less-expensive technique using pixel-based (JPEG) images of histological sections of an Arabidopsis thaliana plant and commercially available software to generate 3D reconstructions of internal structures. The technique has proven to work just as effectively for images from medical histology.
Response to the Case Study of Paul’s Dilemma

In the spring issue of this journal, there appeared several insightful commentaries on “Paul’s Dilemma” — a case addressing ethical issues pertaining to medical student training. In brief, the case unfolds as follows: Paul is a third-year medical student in a major teaching hospital doing a clerkship in OB/GYN. Learning to do an adequate pelvic examination that produces minimal discomfort to patients is an essential educational objective of the clerkship. One morning, after accompanying Mrs. Brown to surgery, Paul scrubs and prepares to assist in the surgical procedure, a D&C. After Mrs. Brown is anesthetized, the attending physician tells the junior resident and three medical students to do a pelvic examination on the patient to sharpen their clinical skills. He says that this practice will serve a basic educational need while resulting in no discomfort to Mrs. Brown and causing no harm. However, while standing in line, Paul worries, among other things, about the principle of respect for persons, patient autonomy, and the principle of reciprocity, and considers refusing to do the practice pelvic examination.
I. Orbit Equivalence

1. Group Actions and Equivalence Relations 2. Invariant Measures 3. Ergodicity 4. Isomorphism and Orbit Equivalence
Single Molecule Approaches in RNA-Protein Interactions

RNA-protein interactions govern every aspect of RNA metabolism, and aberrant RNA-binding proteins are the cause of hundreds of genetic diseases. Quantitative measurements of these interactions are necessary in order to understand mechanisms leading to diseases and to develop efficient therapies. Existing methods of RNA-protein interactome capture can afford a comprehensive snapshot of RNA-protein interaction networks but lack the ability to characterize the dynamics of these interactions. As all ensemble methods, their resolution is also limited by statistical averaging. Here we discuss recent advances in single molecule techniques that have the potential to tackle these challenges. We also provide a thorough overview of single molecule colocalization microscopy and the essential protein and RNA tagging and detection techniques.
Perils at the Outset

In the first session, riding the longing of the patient is only sensible if it is balanced by a sharp outlook for dangerous turns. The first look will be ahead for a drift or a fall from the present position. Where will the slope of the patient’s fall take him?
CLINICAL OUTCOMES AND SELF-REPORTED SYMPTOMS IN PATIENTS WITH ACROMEGALY: AN 8-YEAR FOLLOW-UP OF A LANREOTIDE STUDY

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the proportion of patients with acromegaly who remained on long-term lanreotide depot after completion of an open-label multicenter phase III clinical trial (SALSA: A Multi Center Open Label Study to Assess the Ability of Subjects With Acromegaly or Their Partners to Administer Somatuline Autogel), compare baseline and long-term follow-up symptoms scores, and correlate scores with individual longitudinal clinical outcomes. Methods: Records of all subjects previously enrolled at the Massachusetts General Hospital site of SALSA were reviewed. Those who remained on lanreotide were interviewed and asked to complete a questionnaire that they had filled out in SALSA in 2007 regarding their current symptomatology and injection side effects, as well as to complete the Acromegaly Quality of Life Questionnaire. Furthermore, clinical, biochemical, and radiographic data related to acromegaly and its comorbidities were tracked throughout follow-up. Results: Six out of 7...
Precision medicine in pediatric oncology: Lessons learned and next steps

The maturation of genomic technologies has enabled new discoveries in disease pathogenesis as well as new approaches to patient care. In pediatric oncology, patients may now receive individualized genomic analysis to identify molecular aberrations of relevance for diagnosis and/or treatment. In this context, several recent clinical studies have begun to explore the feasibility and utility of genomics-driven precision medicine. Here, we review the major developments in this field, discuss current limitations, and explore aspects of the clinical implementation of precision medicine, which lack consensus. Lastly, we discuss ongoing scientific efforts in this arena, which may yield future clinical applications.
The Spectrum of Hypercoagulable States in Minority Patients with Unexplained Thrombosis.

The association of genetic risk factors with hypercoagulable states in minority populations has not been well defined. With an estimated prevalence of anywhere between 2-15% in healthy individuals, activated protein C resistance (APCR/Factor V Leiden) is considered to be the most common risk factor for venous thromboembolism( VTE) in the white population. It has also been postulated that this mutation is extremely rare in non-white populations. The prevalence of the prothrombin gene mutation G20210A in the white population is estimated at 0.7–4%, protein C and S deficiencies at 2% each and antithrombin III deficiency at 0.1–0.5% but unknown in Blacks with VTE though case control studies have identified protein C and protein S deficiencies in this population. This study is a retrospective review of all patients with thrombophilia registered at the Hemophilia Treatment Center between 1999–2005. 45/164(27%) of patients with thrombophilia were identified to be from minority groups. Of these minority patients 23/45(51%) had an identifiable primary hypercoagulable state. This group included 7/23(30%) males and 16/23(70%) females. The mean age of the patients was 35 years (range 12–80 years ). 4/23( 17%) were smokers and only 4/23(17%) had a family history of thrombosis with no documented hypercoagulable states in any family members. The majority of the patients were of African American descent 16/23(69%), 5/23(22%) were Hispanic and 2/23(9%) were Asians. 16/23(69%) of the patients had documented deep venous thrombosis/pulmonary embolus, 1/23(4%) had arterial thrombosis, 3/23(13%) had fetal loss, and 2/23(9%) were asymptomatic. APCR was the most common diagnosis in 8/23(35%) of the patients, followed by antiphospholipid antibody syndrome in 7/23(30%) of the patients. Protein S deficiency was diagnosed in 5/23(22%), hyperhomocysteinemia in 4/23(17%), Protein C deficiency in 1/23(4%), antithrombin III in 1/23(4%), and prothrombin gene mutation in 1/23(4%) of the patients. 4/23(17%) of the patients were found to have two coexisting hypercoagulable diagnoses. Recurrent VTE occurred in 7/23(30%) of the patients. Conclusion: Primary hypercoagulable states are not rare in minorities. In this study, APCR was found to be the most common identified abnormality, followed by antiphospholipid antibody and protein S deficiency. Similar to the white population, thrombophilia in minorities occurred more commonly in young female patients. Work up for primary hypercoagulable states should be considered in minority patients with unexplained thrombosis. Further studies are warranted to determine the true prevalence of hypercoagulable states in minority populations.
Can Patient Variables Measured on Arrival to the Emergency Department Predict Disposition in Medium-acuity Patients?

Abstract Background Emergency department crowding has led to innovative "front end" care models to safely and efficiently care for medium and lower acuity patients. In the United States, most treatment algorithms rely on the emergency severity index (ESI) triage tool to sort patients. However, there are no objective criteria used to differentiate ESI 3 patients. Objective We seek to derive and validate a model capable of predicting patient discharge disposition (DD) using variables present on arrival to the emergency department for ESI 3 patients. Methods Our retrospective cohort study included adult patients with an ESI triage designation 3 treated in an academic emergency department over the course of 2 successive years (2013–2015). The main outcome was DD. Two datasets were used in the modeling process. One dataset, the derivation dataset (n = 25,119), was used to develop the statistical model, while the second dataset, the validation dataset (n = 24,639), was used to evaluate the statistical model's prediction performance. Results All variables included in the derivation model were uniquely associated with DD status ( p Conclusion We derived and validated a model and created a nomogram with acceptable discrimination of ESI 3 patients on arrival for purposes of predicting DD. Incorporating these variables into the care of these patients could improve patient flow by identifying patients who are likely to be discharged. © 2016 Elsevier Inc.
Deciphering Related Languages

We present a method for translating texts between close language pairs. The method does not require parallel data, and it does not require the languages to be written in the same script. We show results for six language pairs: Afrikaans/Dutch, Bosnian/Serbian, Danish/Swedish, Macedonian/Bulgarian, Malaysian/Indonesian, and Polish/Belorussian. We report BLEU scores showing our method to outperform others that do not use parallel data.
Ritualistic Child Abuse, Psychopathology, and Evil:

Ritualistic abuse is an extreme form of psychological, physical, and sexual mal-treatment of children in the context of “religious” ceremony. The clinical presentation of the victims of such abuse ...
The Basic Picture

In this section, we overview the multiverse theory. We will see that it is a concrete proposal based on fundamental theories of physics. In particular, we will see that it is scientifically well motivated, both observationally and theoretically.
Does Client Social Class Affect Clinical Judgment

Conceptual frameworks affect the selection and processing of information elicited from clients, which in turn influence the clinical judgments that guide intervention. This study explores the inter...
PowerGraph: distributed graph-parallel computation on natural graphs

Large-scale graph-structured computation is central to tasks ranging from targeted advertising to natural language processing and has led to the development of several graph-parallel abstractions including Pregel and GraphLab. However, the natural graphs commonly found in the real-world have highly skewed power-law degree distributions, which challenge the assumptions made by these abstractions, limiting performance and scalability.In this paper, we characterize the challenges of computation on natural graphs in the context of existing graph-parallel abstractions. We then introduce the PowerGraph abstraction which exploits the internal structure of graph programs to address these challenges. Leveraging the PowerGraph abstraction we introduce a new approach to distributed graph placement and representation that exploits the structure of power-law graphs. We provide a detailed analysis and experimental evaluation comparing PowerGraph to two popular graph-parallel systems. Finally, we describe three different implementation strategies for PowerGraph and discuss their relative merits with empirical evaluations on large-scale real-world problems demonstrating order of magnitude gains.
Novel anticoagulant therapy: principle and practice.

Currently, there are several evidences for the interplay between coagulation and inflammation in the propagation of various disease processes, including venous thromboembolism (VTE) and inflammatory diseases. Major advances in the development of oral anticoagulants are progressing very well, with the goal of developing safe and effective oral anticoagulants that do not require frequent monitoring or dose adjustment along with minimal food/drug interactions. Indirect inhibitors such as low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) and the pentasaccharide fondaparinux represent improvements over traditional drugs such as unfractionated heparin for acute treatment of VTE with more targeted anticoagulant approaches, predictable pharmacokinetic profiles, and lack of need for monitoring. Vitamin K antagonist, with its inherent limitations of multiple food and drug interactions and frequent need for monitoring, remains the only oral anticoagulant approved for long-term secondary thromboprophylaxis in VTE. The oral direct thrombin inhibitor ximelagatran was withdrawn from the world market due to safety concerns. Newer anticoagulant drugs such as parenteral pentasaccharides (idraparinux, SSR126517E), oral direct thrombin inhibitors (dabigatran), oral direct factor Xa inhibitors (rivaroxaban, apixaban, YM-150, DU-176b), and tissue factor/factor VIIa complex inhibitors are tailor-made to target specific procoagulant complexes and have the potential to greatly expand oral antithrombotic targets for both acute and long-term treatment of venous thromboembolism, acute coronary syndromes, and prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillation patients.
Tritium Permeation through Fe-2¼Cr-1 Mo Steam Generator Material

The permeability of tritium through Fe-2¼Cr-1 Mo steel (Croloy) steam generator material has been measured for the surface-clean metal and for the metal oxidized in steam at 755 K (482°C). The temp...
The application of strip strain gages for measuring residual surface stresses in beryllium: Author discusses the use of tiny constantan foil-strip strain gages for measuring residual surface stresses on various beryllium parts in a region of high-stress gradient

Evaluation and application of tiny, 0.031-in. gage length, constantan foil-strip strain gages for measuring residual surface stresses in beryllium parts are discussed. The strain gages were applied to one side of the beryllium parts at locations known to have high residual surface stresses. Small coupons were machined from the parts and the opposite side of the coupon was chemically milled with a 10 to 20-percent hydrochloric-acid solution. The strain-gage installation was protected with micro-crystalline wax. The etching process required approximately 20 hr at 75°F. Because of their high stability, glass-fiber-reinforced epoxyphenolic strain gages were used rather than the more readily available polyimide-backed strain gages. Details of the strain-gage installation are presented.
Practical Approach to the Patient with Hyperlipidemia

The National Cholesterol Education Program/Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP/ATP) guidelines reviewed in Chapter 2 provide an excellent evidencebased foundation for the management of hyperlipidemia. Using a consistent stepwise approach leads to better patient outcomes. All portions of the lipid profile are important to consider when assessing risk of cardiovascular disease, but it is prudent to first focus on optimizing low density lipoprotein (LDL). Most studies have proven the significant benefits of reducing LDL. Triglycerides (TG) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) are important, but they are secondary targets of therapy. An important exception is the patient with triglycerides greater than 500 mg/dl. In these patients, triglycerides should be reduced first to lower the risk of pancreatitis. Also, unless the LDL is directly measured, a very high triglyceride level makes the measurement and interpretation of LDL cholesterol difficult.
Novel 2D and 3D multiple-quantum bi-directional HCNCH experiments for the correlation of ribose and base protons/carbons in 13C/15N labeled RNA

Multiple-quantum 2D and 3D bi-directional HCNCH experiments are presented for the correlation of base and ribose protons/carbons in 13C/15N labeled HIV-1 TAR RNA. In both 2D and 3D experiments, the magnetization of H1′ is transferred to H6/H8 and H1′ through H1′-C1′-N1/9-C6/8-H6/8 and H1′-C1′-N1/9-C1′-H1′ pathways, and the magnetization of H6/8 is transferred to H1′ and H6/8 through H6/8-C6/8-N1/9-C1′-H1′ and H6/8-C6/8-N1/9-C6/8-H6/8 pathways. Chemical shifts of four different nuclei (H1′, C1′, C6/8 and H6/8) are sampled in the 2D experiment. The correlation of base and ribose protons/carbons is established by the rectangular arrangement of crossover and out-and-back peaks in the proton/carbon correlated spectrum. The rectangular connections can be further resolved using the nitrogen dimension in a 1H/13C/15N 3D experiment. Furthermore, by taking advantage of the well separated chemical shifts of N1 (pyrimidine) and N9 (purine), the 2D spectrum can be simplified into two sub-spectra based on their base type. Both experiments were tested on a 13C/15N labeled 27-mer HIV-1 TAR RNA containing a UUCG hairpin loop.
Addressing Research Needs in the Field of Plant Virus Ecology by Defining Knowledge Gaps and Developing Wild Dicot Study Systems

Viruses are ubiquitous within all habitats that support cellular life and represent the most important emerging infectious diseases of plants. Despite this, it is only recently that we have begun to describe the ecological roles of plant viruses in unmanaged systems and the influence of ecosystem properties on virus evolution. We now know that wild plants frequently harbor infections by diverse virus species, but much remains to be learned about how viruses influence host traits and how hosts influence virus evolution and vector interactions. To identify knowledge gaps and suggest avenues for alleviating research deficits, we performed a quantitative synthesis of a representative sample of virus ecology literature, developed criteria for expanding the suite of pathosystems serving as models, and applied these criteria through a case study. We found significant gaps in the types of ecological systems studied, which merit more attention. In particular, there is a strong need for a greater diversity of logistically tractable, wild dicot perennial study systems suitable for experimental manipulations of infection status. Based on criteria developed from our quantitative synthesis, we evaluated three California native dicot perennials typically found in Mediterranean-climate plant communities as candidate models: Cucurbita foetidissima (buffalo gourd), Cucurbita palmata (coyote gourd), and Datura wrightii (sacred thorn-apple). We used Illumina sequencing and network analyses to characterize viromes and viral links among species, using samples taken from multiple individuals at two different reserves. We also compared our Illumina workflow with targeted RT-PCR detection assays of varying costs. To make this process accessible to ecologists looking to incorporate virology into existing studies, we describe our approach in detail and discuss advantages and challenges of different protocols. We also provide a bioinformatics workflow based on open-access tools with graphical user interfaces. Our study provides evidence that dicot perennials in xeric habitats support multiple, asymptomatic infections by viruses known to be pathogenic in related crop hosts. Quantifying the impacts of these interactions on plant performance and virus epidemiology in our logistically tractable host systems will provide fundamental information about plant virus ecology outside of crop environments.
Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Cardiothoracic Surgery Patient: Thrombolytic Therapy or Mechanical Thrombectomy?

Purpose: To review and outline evidence-based guidance of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in post-operative cardiac surgery patients. Background: Stroke is a devastating complication after cardiac surgery and accounts for substantially high post-surgical mortality and morbidity. Peri-surgical stroke leads to longer hospital stay and increased economic burden in the management of post cardiovascular surgery patients. Management of AIS in patients with recent cardiac surgery is challenging and needs careful consideration of both, risks and benefits of different interventions. Addressing the risk factors and timely secondary prevention for neurologic complications is crucial in improving outcomes post cardiac surgery. Method: Evidence-based review of management of stroke post cardiac surgery and important steps of secondary prevention post cardiac surgery are depicted in this chapter. This chapter illustrates recommendations on difficult decisions in managing stroke in post cardiac surgery patients using GRADE classification. Conclusion: Intravenous t-PA (tissue plasminogen activator) is contraindicated in treatment of stroke in patients post cardiothoracic surgery. Available options include intra-arterial t-PA and mechanical thrombectomy. Interventional procedures have emerged as a promising option for management of stroke post cardiac surgery. Timely detection of neurological complications is challenging but crucial to improve outcomes in patients post cardiac surgery. Medical management of AIS post cardiac surgery presents several challenging questions reviewed in this chapter along with gaps which need to be addressed in the future.
Analysis of toxicity and clinical outcomes (CO) in full versus reduced dose cabozantinib (cabo) in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients (pts).

671Background: The full dose of cabo is 60 mg, but some pts are treated with a reduced dose with the clinical anticipation of adverse events (AEs). We compared AEs and CO in mRCC pts treated with f...
Dempster–Shafer Theory applications in post-seismic structural damage and social vulnerability assessment

The inherent uncertainty involved in assessments of both post-seismic structural damage and the social vulnerability of those affected motivates the search for a suitable analysis framework. As the...
A real options model of market entry: Endogenous uncertainty and exogenous uncertainty

Abstract We develop a real options model of market entry that focuses on the dueling growth and deferral options by differentiating between endogenous uncertainty and exogenous uncertainty. While exogenous uncertainty influences the growth option market value or price, it is endogenous uncertainty that influences the value of the growth option through the ability to create a competitive advantage from preemptive market entry. First, the firm can decrease the exercise price of the growth option (i.e., the cost of the follow-on investment) through experiential learning that reduces endogenous uncertainty. Second, the firm can increase the relative discounted cash flows of the follow-on investment due to its ability to influence market demand that reduces endogenous uncertainty. On the other hand, the value of the deferral option increases with exogenous uncertainty as firms cannot influence exogenous uncertainty, and therefore, should invest elsewhere while waiting for the exogenous uncertainty to subside. As such, we provide a solution to the conundrum that the value of both the growth option and the deferral option increase with uncertainty. Finally, we demonstrate how the model addresses sequential market entry; irreversibility and market entry mode; competition; scarce strategic resources; host country development level; and industry life cycle stage.
Soil Organic Matter Mapping Using Hyperspectral Imagery and Elevation Data

Knowledge of the spatial distribution of soil organic matter (OM) is highly important in many of today's applications of digital agriculture. Spatial OM awareness provides important insights to agronomists and allows the application of farm management practices in the right locations. Soil organic matter, which accumulates as a result of plant and animal decomposition, affects soil reflectance properties. The concentration of soil organic matter can be detected using aerial imagery, where darker images are correlated with higher OM concentration. In this paper we evaluate different approaches to OM analysis using hyperspectral imagery. By utilizing bare earth fields we can analyze a single image for the field without the need to acquire multiple images during the growing season or to time image acquisition before plant senescence and vegetation indice saturation. Here we report on a study in which bare earth spectral images, together with soil samples were collected in various counties in the Midwest. Two meter LIDAR digital elevation models were obtained from public sources. Soil reflectance, elevation, and topographic attributes and indices were used to describe the correlation between soil organic matter and various bands. Automated machine learning methods were used to analyze the relationship between soil spectral reflectance and soil organic matter. From a remote sensing and soil sampling perspective, in-field OM data collection is costly and time consuming. For this reason, more significant band identification using hyperspectral imagery is important for future sensor and OM prediction model development.
Diagnostic and Treatment Trends in Children With Kawasaki Disease in the United States, 2006-2015

Objective:To evaluate variations in treatment practice and compliance with national guidelines for the diagnostic evaluation of children with Kawasaki disease (KD).Study Design:We used the Pediatric Hospital Information System database to analyze demographic, laboratory and treatment data from patie
Current Education of Physicians: Lost in Translation?

The first warning about the endangered future of physician-scientist careers was articulated by James Wyngaarden in 1979, later director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He noted that the number of MD applicants for research grants from the NIH was decreasing while that of PhD applicants
MEK inhibition activates STAT signaling to increase breast cancer immunogenicity via MHC-I expression.

Aim Immunotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have changed cancer care for many patients; however, breast cancers have exhibited minimal response to single agent ICI therapy. There is a significant need to identify novel targets capable of increasing cancer cell immunogenicity and response to ICIs in breast cancer. Mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling is essential for many cellular processes but the relationship between MAPK signaling and cancer cell immunogenicity is less well understood. Recent reports suggest that MEK inhibition (MEKi) affects the tumor-immune microenvironment by altering the expression of interferon responsive PD-L1 and MHC-I through unknown mechanisms. Methods Using western blotting and flow cytometry, we sought to determine whether MEKi affects JAK-STAT signaling upstream of PD-L1 and MHC-I expression in a panel of mouse mammary cancer and triple negative breast cancer cell lines. Results The cell lines tested exhibited increased STAT activation in response to MEKi treatment. Furthermore, MEKi-induced MHC-I and PD-L1 expression are dependent upon STAT1 in MMTV-Neu cells. Interestingly, MEKi-induced STAT activation and interferon-responsive protein expression are abrogated with ErbB-family inhibitor co-treatment in MMTV-Neu cells, suggesting ErbB receptor signaling dependence, but not in basal-like cell lines. Importantly, analysis of basal-like breast cancer patient samples exhibited an inverse relationship between STAT1 and Ras/MAPK activation signatures. Conclusion These findings suggest that MAPK signaling and STAT activation are inversely related in both mouse and human mammary tumors. This work also supports further study of MEKi to increase STAT signaling and potentially, immunotherapy responses through increased MHC-I and PD-L1 expression.
Phoenix: Towards Ultra-Low Overhead, Recoverable, and Persistently Secure NVM

Emerging Non-Volatile Memories (NVMs) bring a unique challenge to the security community, namely persistent security. As NVM-based memories are expected to restore their data after recovery, the security metadata must be recovered as well. However, persisting all affected security metadata on each memory write would significantly degrade performance and exacerbate the write endurance problem. On the other hand, relying on encryption counters recovery scheme would take hours to rebuild the integrity tree, and will not be sufficient to rebuild the Tree-of-Counters (ToC). Due to intermediate nodes dependencies it is not possible to recover this type of trees using the encryption counters. To ensure recoverability, all updates to the security metadata must be persisted, which can be tens of additional writes on each write. In this paper, we propose Phoenix, a practical novel scheme which relies on elegantly reproducing the cache content before a crash, however with minimal overheads. Our evaluation results show that Phoenix reduces persisting security metadata overhead writes to 3.8% less than a write-back encrypted system without recovery, thus improving the NVM lifetime by 8x. Overall Phoenix performance is better than the baseline.
Learning gene networks underlying clinical phenotypes using SNP perturbation

Availability of genome sequence, molecular, and clinical phenotype data for large patient cohorts generated by recent technological advances provides an opportunity to dissect the genetic architecture of complex diseases at system level. However, previous analyses of such data have largely focused on the co-localization of SNPs associated with clinical and expression traits, each identified from genome-wide association studies and expression quantitative trait locus mapping. Thus, their description of the molecular mechanisms behind the SNPs influencing clinical phenotypes was limited to the single gene linked to the co-localized SNP. Here we introduce PerturbNet, a statistical framework for learning gene networks that modulate the influence of genetic variants on phenotypes, using genetic variants as naturally occurring perturbation of a biological system. PerturbNet uses a probabilistic graphical model to directly model the cascade of perturbation from genetic variants to the gene network to the phenotype network along with the networks at each layer of the biological system. PerturbNet learns the entire model by solving a single optimization problem with an efficient algorithm that can analyze human genome-wide data within a few hours. PerturbNet inference procedures extract a detailed description of how the gene network modulates the genetic effects on phenotypes. Using simulated and asthma data, we demonstrate that PerturbNet improves statistical power for detecting disease-linked SNPs and identifies gene networks and network modules mediating the SNP effects on traits, providing deeper insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms.
Testing the multiple stressor hypothesis: chlorothalonil exposure alters transmission potential of a bumblebee pathogen but not individual host health

Numerous threats are putting pollinator health and essential ecosystem pollination services in jeopardy. Although individual threats are widely studied, their co-occurrence may exacerbate negative effects, as posited by the multiple stressor hypothesis. A prominent branch of this hypothesis concerns pesticide-pathogen co-exposure. A landscape analysis demonstrated a positive association between local chlorothalonil fungicide use and microsporidian pathogen (Nosema bombi) prevalence in declining bumblebee species (Bombus spp.), suggesting an interaction deserving further investigation. We tested the multiple stressor hypothesis with field-realistic chlorothalonil and N. bombi exposures in worker-produced B. impatiens microcolonies. Chlorothalonil was not avoided in preference assays, setting the stage for pesticide-pathogen co-exposure. However, contrary to the multiple stressor hypothesis, co-exposure did not affect survival. Bees showed surprising tolerance to Nosema infection, which was also unaffected by chlorothalonil exposure. However, previously fungicide-exposed infected bees carried more transmission-ready spores. Our use of a non-declining bumblebee and potential higher chlorothalonil exposures under some scenarios could mean stronger individual or interactive effects in certain field settings. Yet, our results alone suggest consequences of pesticide co-exposure for pathogen dynamics in host communities. This underlies the importance of considering both within- and between-host processes when addressing the multiple stressor hypothesis in relation to pathogens.
Adaptive code generation for data-intensive analytics

Modern database management systems employ sophisticated query optimization techniques that enable the generation of efficient plans for queries over very large data sets. A variety of other applica...
Novel vertically aligned nanocomposite of Bi2WO6-Co3O4 with room-temperature multiferroic and anisotropic optical response

A new vertically aligned nanocomposite (VAN) structure based on two-dimensional (2D) layered oxides has been designed and self-assembled on both LaAlO3 (001) and SrTiO3 (001) substrates. The new VAN structure consists of epitaxially grown Co3O4 nanopillars embedded in the Bi2WO6 matrix with a unique 2D layered structure, as evidenced by the microstructural analysis. Physical property measurements show that the new Bi2WO6-Co3O4 VAN structure exhibits strong ferromagnetic and piezoelectric response at room temperature as well as anisotropic permittivity response. This work demonstrates a new approach in processing multifunctional VANs structure based on the layered oxide systems towards future nonlinear optics, ferromagnets, and multiferroics.
A Computational Tool to Study Vocal Participation of Women in UN-ITU Meetings

International organizations such as the United Nations drive policies that impact our everyday lives. Diverse representation of people and ideas in the decision making process of such bodies is critical to ensure that the policies work for everyone. One aspect of the representation is the partipants’ expressed gender. In this work, we focus on analyzing meetings at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). These meetings include a moderator who mediates the proceedings between delegates from across the world speaking in different languages. For the purpose of quantifying the participation of delegates, we propose a scalable, human-in-the-loop system to first identify the moderator’s speech and estimate the speaking time with respect to gender for all the speakers. Our proposed system includes three main audio modules: speech activity detection, gender identification and moderator verification using a human-labelled speech probe. We then estimate percentage of speaking time controlled for the moderator’s speech. We present detailed and multilingual performance evaluation of the component systems using state-of-the-art technologies for these tasks. Finally, we examine the vocal participation of female delegates in the 2018 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference spanning for 18 days and about 108 hours of audio recordings.
Early neuroinflammation is associated with lower amyloid and tau levels in cognitively normal older adults.

Abstract CNS inflammation is a key factor in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), but its relation to pathological Aβ, tau, and APOE4 is poorly understood, particularly prior to the onset of cognitive symptoms. To better characterize early relationships between inflammation, APOE4, and AD pathology, we assessed correlations between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) inflammatory markers and brain levels of Aβ and tau in cognitively normal older adults. Each participant received a lumbar puncture to collect and quantify CSF levels of TNFα, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10, a T1-weighted MRI, and PET scanning with [18F]flortaucipir (FTP; n = 57), which binds to tau tangles and/or [18F]florbetapir (FBP; n = 58), which binds to Aβ. Parallel voxelwise regressions assessed relationships between each CSF inflammatory marker and FTP and FBP SUVR, as well as APOE4*CSF inflammation interactions. Unexpectedly, we detected significant negative associations between regional Aβ and tau PET uptake and CSF inflammatory markers. For Aβ PET, we detected negative associations with CSF IL-6 and IL-8 in regions known to show early accumulation of Aβ (i.e. lateral and medial frontal lobes). For tau PET, negative relationships were observed with CSF TNFα and IL-8, predominantly in regions known to exhibit early tau accumulation (i.e. medial temporal lobe). In subsequent analyses, significant interactions between APOE4 status and IL-8 on Aβ and tau PET levels were observed in spatially distinct regions from those showing CSF–Aβ/tau relationships. Results from the current cross-sectional study support previous findings that neuroinflammation may be protective against AD pathology at a given stage of the disease, and extend these findings to a cognitively normal aging population. This study provides new insight into a dynamic relationship between neuroinflammation and AD pathology and may have implications for whom and when neuroinflammatory therapies may be appropriate.
Neurokinin-1 Antagonism Distinguishes the Role of Norepinephrine Transporter from Dopamine Transporter in Mediating Amphetamine Behaviors.

BACKGROUND Amphetamine (AMPH) and other psychostimulants act on the norepinephrine (NE) transporter (NET) and the dopamine (DA) transporter (DAT) and enhance NE and DA signaling. Both NET and DAT share anatomical and functional characteristics and are regulated similarly by psychostimulants and receptor-linked signaling pathways. We and others have demonstrated that NET and DAT are downregulated by AMPH and substance P/neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R)-mediated protein kinase C pathway. OBJECTIVES Since both NET and DAT are downregulated by AMPH and NK1R activation and share high sequence homology, the objective of the study was to determine the catecholamine transporter specificity in NK1R modulation of AMPH-induced behaviors. METHODS The effect of NK1R antagonism on AMPH-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) as well as AMPH-induced NET and DAT downregulation was examined using NET and DAT knockout mice (NET-KO and DAT-KO) along with their wild-type littermates. RESULTS Aprepitant (5 mg/kg i.p.) significantly attenuated AMPH (2 mg/kg i.p.)-induced CPP in the wild-type and DAT-KO but not in the NET-KO. Locomotor activity measured during the post-conditioning test (in the absence of AMPH) showed higher locomotor activity in DAT-KO compared to wild-type or NET-KO. However, the locomotor activity of all 3 genotypes remained unchanged following aprepitant. Additionally, in the ventral striatum of wild-type, the AMPH-induced downregulation of NET function and surface expression but not that of DAT was attenuated by aprepitant. CONCLUSIONS The results from the current study demonstrate that aprepitant attenuates the expression of AMPH-induced CPP in DAT-KO mice but not in NET-KO mice suggesting a role for NK1R-mediated NET regulation in AMPH-induced behaviors.