cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Farmers’ knowledge and perception of privatization and commercialization of agricultural extension services in Delta state, Nigeria

This study examined the knowledge and perception of farmers on the privatization and commercialization (P and C) of agricultural extension services in Delta State, Nigeria. A sample size of 90 farmers in contact with extension was randomly selected for the study. Agricultural extension agents in each of the 9 extension cells involved in the study provided the list of farmers from which sample was drawn. Data for the study was collected through the use of a validated structured interview schedule. Trained field assistants selected in each location in addition to the researcher collected the data. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in analyzing data generated from the study. Results showed that respondents had a low to moderate knowledge regarding the concept, principles and objectives of P and C. Respondents also had a favourable perception towards P and C of agricultural extension services. There was no significant difference in the perceptions of small, medium and large-scale farmers. The study concluded that the favourable perception held by the respondents was an indication of their willingness to accept the introduction of P and C in agricultural extension services delivery. It therefore recommends that the government of Delta State should consider privatizing and/or commercializing agricultural extension services in the state.
Peru earthquake prediction update

Brian Brady of the U.S. Bureau of Mines has altered his prediction that three major earthquakes will rock Lima, Peru, this summer (Eos, March 31). He had predicted that a magnitude 7.5–8.0 event would occur on or about June 28, followed by a magnitude 9.2 event (Kanamori scale) on or about August 10, and a magnitude 9.9 event on or about September 16. No such earthquake occurred in June. Without the occurrence of the first quake, the other two ‘are very improbable,’ Brady told Eos. He communicated the update in a personal letter to Alberto Giesecke, the retired head of the Peruvian Geophysical Institute. Brady said he has not made a substitute specific prediction.
The Concept of Evil

Though ‘evil’ is often used loosely as merely the generic opposite of ‘morally good’, used precisely it is the worst possible term of opprobrium available. In this essay it is taken as applying primarily to persons, secondarily to conduct; evil deeds must flow from the volition to do something evil. An evil action is one so horrendously bad that no ordinary decent human being can conceive of doing it, and an evil person is one who knowingly wills or orders such actions. Malignant evil—doing evil because it is evil—is not just possible but real, and is one of several kinds of evil delineated. There are incidental discussions of cruelty, Rosenbaum on Explaining Hitler, Baumeister on Evil, and Benn on wickedness.
Establishing a reproducible large animal survival model of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass

Abstract Background The advent of metabolic surgery and the increasing focus on the substantial resolution rate of type 2 diabetes after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) call for additional fundamental investigations as to the mechanisms behind this effect. These investigations require an adequate animal model. Our objective was to develop a reproducible survival model of LRYGB performed in a large animal at a tertiary university hospital. Methods LRYGB was performed on 11 Yorkshire pigs that where then followed for 6 weeks. The operative time, morbidity, and mortality were recorded for each case. Necropsy was performed, and the anastomoses were harvested and inspected for leaks. Results The surgical technique and difficulties are carefully described. Of the 11 pigs, 10 survived to the end of the study period. The 1 death was from intraoperative cardiac dysrhythmia. The postoperative complications consisted of a postoperative febrile episode in 2 pigs. The mean initial weight was 31.5 ± 3.4 kg. The mean operative time was 214 ± 71 minutes. No anastomotic leaks were identified at necropsy or on histologic examination of anastomoses. The mean weight gain at the end of the study period was .8 ± 1.4 kg compared with an expected 17.5 kg weight gain. Conclusion We have described an effective survival porcine model of LRYGB that can be consistently reproduced. This will enable additional investigation into the complex physiologic mechanisms that control hunger, weight loss, and the development, as well as resolution, of type 2 diabetes, potentially leading to the development of novel, targeted bariatric procedures and diabetic treatments.
De novo meta-assembly of ultra-deep sequencing data

Author(s): Mirebrahim, Hamid; Close, Timothy J; Lonardi, Stefano | Abstract: UnlabelledWe introduce a new divide and conquer approach to deal with the problem of de novo genome assembly in the presence of ultra-deep sequencing data (i.e. coverage of 1000x or higher). Our proposed meta-assembler Slicembler partitions the input data into optimal-sized 'slices' and uses a standard assembly tool (e.g. Velvet, SPAdes, IDBA_UD and Ray) to assemble each slice individually. Slicembler uses majority voting among the individual assemblies to identify long contigs that can be merged to the consensus assembly. To improve its efficiency, Slicembler uses a generalized suffix tree to identify these frequent contigs (or fraction thereof). Extensive experimental results on real ultra-deep sequencing data (8000x coverage) and simulated data show that Slicembler significantly improves the quality of the assembly compared with the performance of the base assembler. In fact, most of the times, Slicembler generates error-free assemblies. We also show that Slicembler is much more resistant against high sequencing error rate than the base assembler.Availability and implementationSlicembler can be accessed at http://slicembler.cs.ucr.edu/.
Visions of control

Technological disciplines are defined by their visions no less than their practices. The long-term, even futuristic, projections of the former serve as beacons, illuminating (it is hoped) the trail for researchers and practitioners who, at any time, are likely to be mired in their quotidian tasks. This is particularly true in the re-engineered world, where the next deadline, milestone, or deliverable may become an all-consuming pursuit-a succession of impermanent efforts that are likely to produce a permanent myopia. Immediate concerns may be necessary stepping stones, but grand visions can become the casualties of their reductive, analytic pursuits. Paradoxically, the greater the successes on the staging grounds, the more remote the ultimate goal can appear. And even research, the activity explicitly chartered with maintaining the long-term perspective, can be compromised.
Simultaneous uniformization for uniformly quasisymmetric circle dynamical systems

In the 1960s Bers showed how to uniformize simultaneously two Riemann surfaces of the same finite analytic type by using a single quasi-Fuchsian group of the first kind. In this paper, we show how to uniformize simultaneously two uniformly quasisymmetric circle endomorphisms of the same degree by a unique normalized branched covering of the Riemann sphere of the same degree such that this branched covering has a unique normalized quasicircle as an invariant limit set. We use this simultaneous uniformization to define a transformation between their spaces of probability invariant measures and formulate several equivalent conjectures to the uniqueness conjecture for symmetric invariant probability measures. In a subsequent paper, we study these conjectures.
Linking human impacts within an estuary to ebb-tidal delta evolution

DALLAS, K.L. and BARNARD, P.L., 2009. Linking Human Impacts within an Estuary to Ebb-tidal Delta Evolution. Journal of Coastal Research, SI 56 (Proceedings of the 10th International Coastal Symposium), 713 – 716. Lisbon, Portugal, ISSN 0749-0258 San Francisco Bay, California, USA is among the most anthropogenically altered estuaries in the entire United States, but the impact on sediment transport to the coastal ocean has not been quantified. Analysis of four historic bathymetric surveys has revealed large changes to the morphology of the San Francisco Bar, an ebb-tidal delta at the mouth of the San Francisco Bay. From 1873 to 2005 the bar eroded an average of 80 cm, which equates to a total volume loss of 100 + 65 x 10 m of sediment. Comparison of the surveys indicates the entire ebb delta has contracted radially while its crest has moved landward an average of 1 km. Compilation of historic records reveals that 130 x 10 m of sediment has been permanently removed from the San Francisco Bay and adjacent coastal ocean. Constriction of the bar is hypothesized to be from a decrease in sediment supply from San Francisco Bay, a reduction in the tidal prism of the estuary, and/or a reduction in the input of hydraulic mining debris. Changes to the morphology of the San Francisco Bar have likely altered wave refraction and focusing patterns on adjacent beaches and may be a factor in persistent beach erosion occurring in the area. ADITIONAL INDEX WORDS: San Francisco Bay, San Francisco Bar, long-term changes, bathymetry, sedimentation, erosion
IDRC-TTI Workshop on Rural Urban Linkage

The workshop on ‘rural-urban linkage’, held at IRMA opened with a broad acceptance of the discourse that rural and urban are in continuum and cannot be seen as separate entities. In the present state of economic development and migration it would be a fallacy on the part of scholars, planners, and policy makers to view rural and urban as disjointed units. It was held that village as a self-sufficient unit is a misplaced concept there being ample evidence available from ancient times about the linkage existing between towns and villages for trade and livelihood purposes. In the present times there has been a greater influx of people from rural to urban areas searching for a better life, no longer available in villages owing to the lack of basic amenities. With these broad questions under consideration the workshop explored and discussed important issues faced by the Indian academia and policy-makers. The major focus was on broader issues concerning the rural-urban continuum and the role of policy and planners. A discussion was held on the agriculture-industry dynamics, trends in non-farm employment, issue of land acquisition and urbanization, and the existence of rural areas in urban centers like Delhi, and its policy implication. There was a discussion on the unique ways in which urbanization has been taking place in Gurgaon, the resettlement related issues of a village Nangal Devat in Delhi, the planning and development issues of Delhi and the environmental dimensions in rural-urban planning. The impact of industrialization on rural communities was also discussed in general followed by case studies. Specific case studies regarding the impact of industrialization on rural communities of the Mundra Taluka in Gujarat and the issue of how a housing colony came up in Kanpur was also discussed. There was also a discussion on the issues of linking of rural-urban continuums while expressing concern for livelihood promotion, settlement, and understanding different dimensions of the subjective well being of people. Cases were discussed on topics concerning the i) supply chain management of tomato production in the Madanpalle region and the ii) Gherkin processing industry in India. Emphasis was laid on how imperative it was to take into consideration infrastructure issues such as rural roads, sanitation issues (cases from the Gujarat state and Kanpur city were discussed in this context), and health challenges while planning for rural-urban linkages.
Reliability and Validity of the Physical Education Activities Scale.

BACKGROUND Measuring adolescent perceptions of physical education (PE) activities is necessary in understanding determinants of school PE activity participation. This study assessed reliability and validity of the Physical Education Activities Scale (PEAS), a 41-item visual analog scale measuring high school adolescent perceptions of school PE activity participation. METHODS Adolescents (N = 529) from the Pacific Northwest aged 15-19 in grades 9-12 participated in the study. Construct validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Measurement invariance across sex groups was tested by multiple-group CFA. Internal consistency reliability was analyzed using Cronbach's alpha. Inter-subscale correlations (Pearson's r) were calculated for latent factors and observed subscale scores. RESULTS Exploratory factor analysis suggested a 3-factor solution explaining 43.4% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis showed the 3-factor model fit the data adequately (comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.90, Tucker-Lewis index [TLI] = 0.89, root mean squared error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.063). Factorial invariance was supported. Cronbach's alpha of the total PEAS was α = 0.92, and for subscales α ranged from 0.65 to 0.92. Independent t-tests showed significantly higher mean scores for boys than girls on the total scale and all subscales. CONCLUSION Findings provide psychometric support for using the PEAS for examining adolescent's psychosocial and environmental perceptions to participating in PE activities.
On the Cultural Reason of Neoteric China Choosing Marxism

As a kind of western culture,Marxism was introduced to china and the sinicizing of Marxism began,because in addition that it could satisfy the political demand of neoteric china,in addition,culture was an important reason.The crisis of Chinese dominant culture provided cultural precondition for the introduction of Marxism;cultural demand of survival made Marxism extrude inmany western cultures;the correspondence of cultural characters made Marxism gain universal cultural identification;the deeper new culture movement promoted the ultimate putting forward of sinicizing of Marxism.
Determination of 10 kinds of halogenated hydrocarbon in drinking water with headspace gas chromatography

Objective:To establish the method for determining halogenated hydrocarbon in drinking water with Headspace Gas Chromatography.Methods: Halogenated hydrocarbon in the water were extracted by Headspace technology,then analyzed with Rtx-1701 capillary column,and determined with GC by controlling the temperature.Retention time of the peaks was used for qualitative analysis,while external standard method was used for quantitative analysis.Results: The linear ranges of trichloromethane,1,1,1-trichloroethane,carbon tetrachloride,1,2-dichloroethane,trichloroethylene,dichloromomethane,1,2-dibromoethene,tetrachloroethylene,1,1,2-trichloroethane,dibromochloromethane were 0.0020 μg/L～686 μg/L,the limit of detection were 0.00062 μg/L～0.65 μg/L,the recovery rates were 84%～108% and RSDs were 1.8%～7.4%.Conclusion: This method was suitable for determining10 kinds of halogenated hydrocarbon accurately in the water.It′s simple,rapid and sensitive.
Food Safety and Rice Production in China

Based on the history of rice production,from the view of grain consume and world grain commerce,the paper pointed out the importance of rice production in china agricultural food production,the stable increase of rice yield was the guarantee of national grains safety;based on the comparison of the rice yield perhectare home and abroad,rice production potential was analyzed,the paper point out rice yield perhectare in China still had grade increase space,rice yield could meet the demand of future;The development strategies of rice production to guarantee China national food safety was also probed.
Svrvey of HIV/TP infection of gay men in Dali prefecture

Objective:To understand the gay men population in the human immunodeficiency virus(HIV) and Treponema pallidum(TP) infection status.Methods: To recruit gay men population in Dali,using Enzyme-Linked Immuno-sorbent Assay(ELISA) for HIV antibody screening,using Western Blot Corroborating test to the positive infections,using Rapid plasma reagin(TRUST) for syphilis antibody early screen,positive infections using Treponema pallidum particle agglutination(TPPA) for syphilis diagnosis.Results: In the 305 gay men,it have been detected HIV antibody positive,were 9 patients(2.95%);detected TP antibody positive,were 6 patients(1.97%).Conclusion: HIV/TP infection status in men gay population is exist in Dali prefecture.We must strengthen propaganda prevention knowledge of AIDS and syphilis in high-risk places,to raise people′s awareness of health.
Development of the Adaptive Volume Puff Model

The Lagrangian Adaptive Volume Plume Model (AVP) of Ludwig et al (1989) approximates a continuous plume by a series of discrete volumes that change shape in response to vertical wind shear and changes of atmospheric stability with height (Fig. 1). Each volume is described by five Lagrangian points at different altitudes. Horizontal and temporal changes in meteorological parameters are accounted for as the five points move and diffuse independently according to local meteorological conditions along their trajectories; thus each adaptive volume element consists of four segmented parts.
Long-term solar generation forecasting

The rapid growth of solar Photovoltaic (PV) technology has been very visible over the past decade. Such increase in the integration of solar generation has brought attention to the forecasting issues. This paper presents a new approach to tackle the long-term forecasting challenge and accordingly reduce the uncertainty of the PV forecast, which would accordingly help facilitate its integration into the electric power grid. The new method includes a set of pre- and post-processes that will be undertaken before the data is fed to the forecasting model and after the forecast is obtained. Using the proposed method, the historical solar PV radiation data, which is non-stationary, is converted to a set of stationary data which will accordingly allow utilization of a larger set of data for forecasting. Numerical simulations exhibit the performance of the proposed method.
Maintaining three languages: the teenage years (parents’ and teachers’ guides)

In Maintaining three languages: The teenage years (parents’ and teachers’ guides), Xiao-lei Wang takes readers, parents of multilingual children, along on the linguistic journey of her sons, Leandr...
Explaining Black-White Differences in College Outcomes at Missouri Public Universities

Conditional on enrollment at a four-year public university, African American students are less likely to graduate and less likely to graduate with a STEM degree than White students. This article reports on evidence from Missouri showing that these outcome differences in college can be explained entirely by differences in students? academic preparation prior to college enrollment. While this result should not be taken to imply that college-level interventions cannot help to reduce observed college success gaps by race, it does point toward pre-college interventions as being better targeted at their underlying source.
A Look into the Past of America's Pastime

Amidst the cheers a familiar crack, the sound of bat meeting ball, resounded throughout the stadium. Silence ensued as the fans held their breath in anticipation; suddenly the roar of their voices resumed as the ball sailed gracefully over the wall. As the crowd chanted his name, the batter trotted around the bases, wondering if one day his legacy would join the historic players in the baseball Hall of Fame. The names of baseball's greats—Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Jackie Robinson to name a few—are known throughout the country. The mere word baseball conjures up patriotic sentiments, images of cheering crowds joined together, singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," and of fathers and sons playing catch. Yet the actual history of baseball is not mere grand slams; baseball gathered quite a few strikes against it throughout its days as America's pastime. Two examples of negative experiences in baseball are the Black Sox scandal of 1919 and the modern day steroid scandal. Neither of the events were isolated incidents, but instead were a significant part of baseball's development. While differences existed between the ways the baseball industry eventually addressed these two issues, a closer look reveals that during the early twentieth century and during the modern era, baseball's initial response toward them was disregard. In both instances the baseball industry's reactions were intimately linked with protecting the sport's national image and the management's investments within it.
Relapsing Pleural Effusion in a Patient on Automated Peritoneal Dialysis.

Pleural effusion is a known complication of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). We present the case of a patient who had recurrent right pleural effusion while on automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) that resolved when intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) was instituted. A 54-year-old male
Development of the Advance Energetic Pair Telescope (AdEPT) for medium-energy gamma-ray astronomy

Progress in high-energy gamma-ray science has been dramatic since the launch of INTEGRAL, AGILE and FERMI. These instruments, however, are not optimized for observations in the medium-energy (approx.0.3< E(sub gamma)< approx.200 MeV) regime where many astrophysical objects exhibit unique, transitory behavior, such as spectral breaks, bursts, and flares. We outline some of the major science goals of a medium-energy mission. These science goals are best achieved with a combination of two telescopes, a Compton telescope and a pair telescope, optimized to provide significant improvements in angular resolution and sensitivity. In this paper we describe the design of the Advanced Energetic Pair Telescope (AdEPT) based on the Three-Dimensional Track Imager (3-DTI) detector. This technology achieves excellent, medium-energy sensitivity, angular resolution near the kinematic limit, and gamma-ray polarization sensitivity, by high resolution 3-D electron tracking. We describe the performance of a 30x30x30 cm3 prototype of the AdEPT instrument.
The Roles of Parental Support and Family Stress in Adolescent Sleep.

The current study examines the association between parental support and adolescent sleep under varying levels of family stress. Participants included 316 adolescents (Mage = 16.40 years, 43% male) and their parents (Mage = 45.67 years, 91% mothers) from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Both adolescents and parents completed questionnaires and adolescents wore wrist actigraphs and completed self-reports on their sleep for 7 consecutive days. Results indicated that under contexts of family stress, more parental support was linked to longer sleep duration, less sleep variability, and less time spent awake during the night. Findings suggest that under contexts of family stress, cohesive family relationships may provide a sense of stability and security that is necessary for healthful sleep.
Notes: Undergraduate Requirements in Anatomy and Physiology for Physical Education Majors in Eighty-three Colleges and Universities

(1956). Notes: Undergraduate Requirements in Anatomy and Physiology for Physical Education Majors in Eighty-three Colleges and Universities. Research Quarterly. American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 117-119.
Renal scar formation and kidney function following antibiotic-treated murine pyelonephritis.

ABSTRACT We present a new preclinical model to study treatment, resolution and sequelae of severe ascending pyelonephritis. Urinary tract infection (UTI), primarily caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), is a common disease in children. Severe pyelonephritis is the primary cause of acquired renal scarring in childhood, which may eventually lead to hypertension and chronic kidney disease in a small but important fraction of patients. Preclinical modeling of UTI utilizes almost exclusively females, which (in most mouse strains) exhibit inherent resistance to severe ascending kidney infection; consequently, no existing preclinical model has assessed the consequences of recovery from pyelonephritis following antibiotic treatment. We recently published a novel mini-surgical bladder inoculation technique, with which male C3H/HeN mice develop robust ascending pyelonephritis, highly prevalent renal abscesses and evidence of fibrosis. Here, we devised and optimized an antibiotic treatment strategy within this male model to more closely reflect the clinical course of pyelonephritis. A 5-day ceftriaxone regimen initiated at the onset of abscess development achieved resolution of bladder and kidney infection. A minority of treated mice displayed persistent histological abscess at the end of treatment, despite microbiological cure of pyelonephritis; a matching fraction of mice 1 month later exhibited renal scars featuring fibrosis and ongoing inflammatory infiltrates. Successful antibiotic treatment preserved renal function in almost all infected mice, as assessed by biochemical markers 1 and 5 months post-treatment; hydronephrosis was observed as a late effect of treated pyelonephritis. An occasional mouse developed chronic kidney disease, generally reflecting the incidence of this late sequela in humans. In total, this model offers a platform to study the molecular pathogenesis of pyelonephritis, response to antibiotic therapy and emergence of sequelae, including fibrosis and renal scarring. Future studies in this system may inform adjunctive therapies that may reduce the long-term complications of this very common bacterial infection.
Sex differences in the association between perceived stress and adiposity in a nationally representative sample.

Abstract Purpose Prior studies examining the association between perceived stress and adiposity have reported mixed findings, and sex differences have largely not been examined. Methods We examined the relationship between perceived stress and body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference in young adults in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Participants (mean age 29 years; N = 14,044) completed the short form of Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale during a home visit. Height, weight, and waist circumference were assessed during the same visit. BMI was calculated based on measured height and weight. Results In the sample, 52% were male and 65% were identified as white. In adjusted linear regression analyses, a sex by Perceived Stress Scale interaction was noted ( P Conclusions In this nationally representative sample of young adults, perceived stress was associated with lower levels of adiposity among men. Noted differences could be attributed to different behavioral and coping strategies in response to stress between men and women as well as biological mechanisms which should be explored further.
Perspective Taking, Self-Anchoring, and Attention to Context in Long-Distance and Geographically Close Romantic Relationships

We manipulated perspective taking and measured romantic intimates’ attention to their partners’ context. Participants read a letter supposedly from their romantic partner describing the partner's precarious situation (e.g., stress and financial issues) and either imagined their partner's difficult situation (n = 87) or remained objective and detached (n = 85). Afterwards, they drew a picture of their romantic partner in the situation (drawing task) and wrote about the thoughts they had while reading the letter (writing task). As predicted, when adopting their romantic partner's perspective (vs. remaining detached), geographically close intimates focused more on their partner's context, whereas long-distance intimates relied on self-anchoring processes to produce knowledge about their partner's feelings and thoughts in that specific situation. We discuss theoretical, clinical, and therapeutic implications of the findings for the study of differential perspective-taking processes and mechanisms in long-distance and geographically close relationships.
Evaluation of affibody charge modification identified by synthetic consensus design in molecular PET imaging of epidermal growth factor receptor.

Tumor overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) correlates to therapeutic response in select patient populations. Thus, molecular positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of EGFR could stratify responders versus non-responders. We previously demonstrated effectiveness of a “synthetic consensus” design principle to identify six neutralizing mutations within a 58-amino acid EGFR-targeted affibody domain. Herein, we extend the approach to identify additional neutralized variants that vary net charge from −2 to either −4 or +4 while retaining high affinity (1.6 ± 1.2 nM and 2.5 ± 0.7 nM), specific binding to EGFR, secondary structure, and stability (Tm = 68 °C and 59 °C). We radiolabeled the resultant collection of five charge variants with 64Cu and evaluated PET imaging performance in murine models with subcutaneously xenografted EGFRhigh and EGFRlow tumors. All variants exhibited good EGFRhigh tumor imaging as early as 1 h, with EA35S (+3/−5) achieving 7.7 ± 1.4 %ID g−1 tumor at 4 h with 1.5 ± 0.3 %ID g−1 EGFRlow tumor, 34 ± 5 tumor : muscle and 12 ± 3 tumor : blood ratios. The positively charged EA62S mutant (+6/−2) exhibited 2.2–3.3-fold higher liver signal than the other variants (p < 0.01). The EA68 variant with higher charge density was more stable to human and mouse serum than neutralized variants. In a comparison of radiometal chelators, 1,4,7-triazacyclononane,1-glutaric acid-4,7-acetic acid (NODAGA) exhibited superior physiological specificity to 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA). In total, these studies comparatively evaluated a set of EGFR-targeted affibodies varying in net charge and charge density, which revealed functional variations that are useful in engineering an ideal probe for translational studies.
Histamine-releasing factor: a promising therapeutic target for food allergy

The prevalence of food allergies has been increasing at an alarming rate over the last few decades. Despite the dramatic increase in disease prevalence, the development of effective therapies has not kept pace. In this issue of the JCI, Ando et al. provide a causal link between histamine-releasing factor (HRF) interactions with IgE and food allergy in a murine model. Successful oral immunotherapy of both egg-allergic human patients and food-allergic mice was associated with sustained suppression of HRF-reactive IgE levels. These results support a role for HRF-IgE interactions in the amplification of intestinal inflammation and suggest HRF as a therapeutic target in food allergy.
Residual risk of breast cancer recurrence 5 years after adjuvant therapy

3892 Background: A substantial number of patients remain at risk for late breast cancer recurrences after initial adjuvant systemic therapy (AST). Identifying patients who have a high residual risk of recurrence has important clinical relevance since extended AST therapy with aromatase inhibitors improves disease-free survival in estrogen receptor (ER) or progesterone receptor (PR) breast cancers. We evaluated the magnitude of the residual risk of recurrence among early stage breast cancer patients who remained alive and disease-free 5 years after starting AST and examined the effect of clinical factors on their 5-year residual recurrence-free survival. Methods: Patients (n=2,840) treated at the MD Anderson Cancer Center between 1985 and 2001 for stages I-III breast cancer and who remained alive and disease-free 5 years after the start of AST were identified from our patient databases. The Kaplan-Meier product limit method was used to estimate the recurrence-free survival and the log-rank test was used to compare groups. All statistical tests were two sided and P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The majority of patients (52%) were postmenopausal and 9% were Black, 12% Hispanic and 73% White. The median follow-up time for all patients calculated from the 5 year disease-free anniversary to breast cancer recurrence was 28 months. The median time to breast cancer recurrence calculated from the 5 year disease-free anniversary to breast cancer recurrence was not reached. The 5-year residual risk of recurrence was 7% in stage I, 12% in stage II and 13% in stage III patients. In multivariate analysis, stage II or III disease, nuclear grade 1 tumors (well differentiated) and ER or PR positive tumors were statistically significantly associated with an increased residual risk of recurrence. Conclusion: Breast cancer patients remain at substantially increased risk for recurrence 5 years after starting AST. The residual risk of recurrence was greater in patients with ER or PR positive disease versus ER and PR negative disease supporting the use of extended AST. A higher proportion of nuclear grade 1 breast cancers were ER or PR positive which may explain the increased residual risk of recurrence associated with these tumors. Further research is needed to identify host and tumor characteristics predictive of late recurrences in order to individualize both initial and extended AST.
A Framework for Analyzing Biometric Template Aging and Renewal Prediction

Biometric technology and systems are modernizing identity capabilities. With maturing biometrics in full, rapid development, a higher accuracy of identity verification is required. An improvement to the security of biometric-based verification systems is provided through higher accuracy; ultimately reducing fraud, theft, and loss of resources from unauthorized personnel. With trivial biometric systems, a higher acceptance threshold to obtain higher accuracy rates increase false rejection rates and user unacceptability. However, maintaining the higher accuracy rate enhances the security of the system. An area of biometrics with a paucity of research is template aging and renewal prediction, specifically in regards to facial aging. Through the methods presented in this research, higher accuracy rates are obtained without lowering the acceptance threshold, therefore improving the security level, false rejection rates, and user acceptability. As a proof of concept, this research develops a biometric template aging and renewal prediction framework currently absent in the biometric literature. The innovative framework is called the Carls Template Aging and Renewal Prediction Framework (CTARP Framework). The research integrates a diversity of disparate developments to provide a critical fundamental framework of significant advancement in the biometrics body of knowledge. This research presents the CTARP Framework, a novel foundational framework for methods of modeling and predicting template aging and renewal prediction based on matching score analysis. The groundwork discusses new techniques used in the template aging and renewal prediction framework, to include "perfect match score matrix", "error score matrix", and "decay error estimate" concepts. The matching scores are calculated using commercially available facial matching algorithms/SDKs against publicly available facial databases. Improving performance error rates over biometric authentication systems without a template aging and renewal prediction process is accomplished with the new CTARP framework while maintaining or improving upon the overall matching and/or rejection levels. Using such scores, timeframe predictions of when an individual needs to be renewed with a new template is feasible.
General foundations of high-dimensional model representations

A family of multivariate representations is introduced to capture the input–output relationships of high‐dimensional physical systems with many input variables. A systematic mapping procedure between the inputs and outputs is prescribed to reveal the hierarchy of correlations amongst the input variables. It is argued that for most well‐defined physical systems, only relatively low‐order correlations of the input variables are expected to have an impact upon the output. The high‐dimensional model representations (HDMR) utilize this property to present an exact hierarchical representation of the physical system. At each new level of HDMR, higher‐order correlated effects of the input variables are introduced. Tests on several systems indicate that the few lowest‐order terms are often sufficient to represent the model in equivalent form to good accuracy. The input variables may be either finite‐dimensional (i.e., a vector of parameters chosen from the Euclidean space $$\mathcal{R}^n$$ ) or may be infinite‐dimensional as in the function space $${\text{C}}^n \left[ {0,1} \right]$$ . Each hierarchical level of HDMR is obtained by applying a suitable projection operator to the output function and each of these levels are orthogonal to each other with respect to an appropriately defined inner product. A family of HDMRs may be generated with each having distinct character by the use of different choices of projection operators. Two types of HDMRs are illustrated in the paper: ANOVA‐HDMR is the same as the analysis of variance (ANOVA) decomposition used in statistics. Another cut‐HDMR will be shown to be computationally more efficient than the ANOVA decomposition. Application of the HDMR tools can dramatically reduce the computational effort needed in representing the input–output relationships of a physical system. In addition, the hierarchy of identified correlation functions can provide valuable insight into the model structure. The notion of a model in the paper also encompasses input–output relationships developed with laboratory experiments, and the HDMR concepts are equally applicable in this domain. HDMRs can be classified as non‐regressive, non‐parametric learning networks. Selected applications of the HDMR concept are presented along with a discussion of its general utility.
The Significance of Oil in the Gulf of Mexico

It was 9:15 p.m. on April 20, 2010, and the captain of the Deepwater Horizon was entertaining heavyweights from British Petroleum (BP) and Transocean, by showing off the computers and software at his disposal. After the Captain welcomed his visitors on the bridge, Yancy Keplinger, one of two dynamic-positioning officers, began a tour while the second officer, Andrea Fleytas, was at the desk station. The officers explained how the rig’s thrusters kept the Deepwater Horizon in place above the well, showed off the radars and current meters, and offered to let the visitors try their hands at the rig’s dynamic-positioning video simulator. One of the visitors, a man named Winslow, watched as the crew programmed-in 70-knot winds and 30-foot seas, and hypothetically put two of the rig’s six thrusters out of commission. Then they set the simulator to manual mode and let another visitor work the hand controls to maintain the rig’s location. While Keplinger was advising about how much thrust to use, Winslow decided to grab a quick cup of coffee and a smoke. He walked down to the rig’s smoking area, poured some coffee, and lit his cigarette.
Numerical Studies of the Linear Quadratic Control Problem for Retarded Systems with Delay in Control

In this paper we report on the results of our continuing efforts on using the averaging approximation scheme for retarded functional differential equations. The central focus of this paper is our numerical studies of constructing feedback soLutions to linear quadratic regulator (LQR) problems for retarded systems with delay in control. For completeness, we shall also give a brief summary and discussion of an abstract approximation framework and convergence theory developed previously by Ito and Tran in[9]. In [9]we presented an approximation framework for the numerical treatment of algebraic Riccati equations for a class of linear infinite dimensional systems with unbounded input and output operators studied by Pritchard and Salamon in[19] In this paper we will call it the Pritchard-Salamon clans. This approximation theory which yields convergence of the approximating Riccati operators as well as convergence of the approximating gain operators extends earlier results developed in[7][2][8]in which the input and output operators are assumed to be bounded to the unbounded cases. The main features which distinguish the work in [9]from other work existing in the literature, see e.g.[11][14][15] are the assumptions on the smoothness of the underlined semigroup and the observation map. Because of the smoothness assumptions, the algebraic Riccati soLution has a smoothing property which in turn implies boundedness of the feedback gain operator. Although the theory developed in[9]does not cover many important boundary control problems studied by Lasiecka and Triggiani in [13] and Flandoli, Lasiecka, and Triggiani in[6] for example, it does enable us to treat the control problem governed by delay differential equations with delays in control and observation.
Recent Progress in the Identification of Neurotransmitters used by Vertebrate and Invertebrate Photoreceptors

In both vertebrates and invertebrates, the synaptic connections and electrophysiological properties of photoreceptors have been well documented. The neurotransmitters that mediate signal transmission from these cells are, however, less well understood. Several lines of evidence strongly suggest that L-glutamate is the transmitter used by cone photoreceptors. L-glutamate and L-aspartate are also likely to be the transmitter employed by rod photoreceptors in vertebrates. Recent biochemical, pharmacological and immunocytochemical data suggest that histamine is likely to be the transmitter used by insect and possibly other invertebrate photoreceptors.
A Global Ethical Framework for Public Health Disasters

Public health disasters reflect a class of global problems that generate moral quandaries and challenges. As such, they demand a global bioethical response involving an approach that is sufficiently nuanced at the local, trans-national, and global domains. Using the overlapping ethical issues engendered by Ebola and pandemic influenza outbreaks, atypical drug-resistant tuberculosis, and earthquakes, this chapter develops a global ethical framework for engaging PHDs. This framework exhibits sufficient responsiveness to local, global, microbial, and metaphysical realities as well as scientific concerns.
Effects of chronic decaffeinated green tea extract supplementation on lipolysis and substrate utilization during upper body exercise.

Abstract Background Decaffeinated green tea extract (dGTE) can increase fat oxidation during leg exercise, but dGTE is unsuitable for many people (e.g., those with injuries/disabilities), and its effects on arm exercise and women are unknown. Methods Eight adults (23–37 years old, 4 women) performed an incremental arm cycle test to measure peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak), followed by four 1-h trials at 50% VO2peak. Subjects were randomly assigned to 650 mg of dGTE or placebo (PLA) for 4 weeks followed by a 4-week washout and crossover trial. Blood samples were obtained pre-exercise and post-exercise for glycerol and free fatty acid analysis. Respiratory gases were collected continuously. Results VO2 showed no differences across trials ((0.83–0.89) ± (0.19–0.25) L/min, p = 0.460), neither did energy expenditure ((264–266) ± (59–77) kcal, p = 0.420) nor fat oxidation (dGTE = 0.11 to 0.12 g/min vs. PLA = 0.10 to 0.09 g/min, p = 0.220). Fat oxidation as percentage of energy expenditure was not different for dGTE vs. PLA (23% ± 12% to 25% ± 11% vs. 23% ± 10% to 21% ± 9%, p = 0.532). Glycerol concentration increased post-exercise in all trials, independent of treatments (pre = (3.4–5.1) ± (0.6–2.6) mg/dL vs. post = (7.9–9.8) ± (2.6–3.7) mg/dL, p = 0.867, η2 = 0.005 for interaction), as did free fatty acid ((3.5–4.8) ± (1.4–2.2) mg/dL vs. (7.2–9.1) ± (2.6–4.5) mg/dL, p = 0.981, η2 = 0.000). Conclusion Chronic dGTE supplementation had no effect on lipolysis and fat oxidation during arm cycle exercise in men and women.
Myopathies Presenting with “dropped-head syndrome” (P3.439)

Objective: To characterize the clinical spectrum of myopathies presenting with dropped-head syndrome. Background: “Dropped-head syndrome” is caused by weakness of neck extensors and can be a manifestation of various neuromuscular disorders including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and disorders of neuromuscular transmission (Lambert Eaton myasthenic syndrome and myasthenia gravis). However, many acquired and hereditary myopathies, some of which are potentially treatable, can also present with dropped-head syndrome posing a major diagnostic challenge. Design/Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review to identify patients who presented with head drop, seen between May 2000 and June 2017. We only included patients with a myopathy. Clinical and laboratory data were collected. Results: We identified 50 patients thus far. Respiratory symptoms were reported in 22 patients and dysphagia in 18. Severe neck extensor weakness was present in 25 patients and significant gait impairment requiring a walker or a wheelchair in 10. Creatine kinase levels ranged from normal to 10 times upper limit of normal. 13/19 patients had neuromuscular respiratory insufficiency on pulmonary function tests and 8/13 had an abnormal swallow evaluation. Two patients had a cardiomyopathy. 22/41 patients had a diagnostic muscle biopsy, 8 of which necessitated more than 1 biopsy to reach the diagnosis. Ultimately, a specific diagnosis was reached in 52% of the patients: inflammatory myopathy including inclusion body myositis and dermatomyositis (11 patients), radiation-induced myopathy (5), sporadic late-onset nemaline myopathy (5), fascioscapulohumeral dystrophy (3) and necrotizing autoimmune myopathy (2). In 19 patients, a diagnosis was not established despite a comprehensive workup including a muscle biopsy and/or genetic testing. Five patients had only a limited workup. Conclusions: Dropped-head syndrome secondary to a myopathy represents a diagnostic challenge resulting in treatment delay and significant morbidity. Choosing an appropriate muscle to biopsy enhances the diagnostic yield and guides further genetic testing if needed. Disclosure: Dr. Alhammad has nothing to disclose. Dr. Naddaf has nothing to disclose.
De Novo Assembly and Transcriptome Dataset of Liver, Testis and Head Kidney from Red Drum ( Sciaenops ocellatus )

Abstract Red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) is an estuarine Sciaenid with high commercial value and recreational demand. During the past 50 years, overfishing has caused declines in the population that resulted in the development of red drum commercial and stock enhancement aquaculture fisheries. Despite the potential high economic value in both wild and aquaculture commercial fisheries the availability of transcriptomic data for red drum in public databases is limited. The data here represents the transcriptome profiles of three tissues: liver, testis and head kidney from red drum. The data was generated using Illumina high-throughput RNA sequencing, Trinity for de novo assembly and Blast2GO for annotation. Six individual libraries were pooled for sequencing of the transcriptome and the raw fastq reads have been deposited in the NCBI-SRA database (accession number SRP11690 ).
Phase I/II trial of perioperative avelumab in combination with chemoradiation in the treatment of stage II/III resectable esophageal cancer.

TPS181Background: Neoadjuvant chemoradiation (CRT) followed by resection is the standard treatment for patients with stage II and III esophageal cancer. However, about 50% of patients develop recur...