cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Shallow population histories in deep evolutionary lineages of marine fishes: insights from sardines and anchovies and lessons for conservation

Most surveys of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in marine fishes reveal low levels of sequence divergence between haplotypes relative to the differentiation observed between sister taxa. It is unclear whether this pattern is due to rapid lineage sorting accelerated by sweepstakes recruitment, historical bottlenecks in population size, founder events, or natural selection, any of which could retard the accumulation of deep mtDNA lineages. Recent advances in paleoclimate research prompt a reexamination of oceanographic processes as a fundamental influence on genetic diversity; evidence from ice cores and anaerobic marine sediments document strong regime shifts in the world’s oceans in concert with periodic climatic changes. These changes in sea surface temperatures, current pathways, upwelling intensities, and retention eddies are likely harbingers of severe fluctuations in population size or regional extinctions. Sardines (Sardina, Sardinops) and anchovies (Engraulis) are used to assess the consequences of such oceanographic processes on marine fish intrageneric gene genealogies. Representatives of these two groups occur in temperate boundary currents on a global scale, and these regional populations are known to fluctuate markedly. Biogeographic and genetic data indicate that Sardinops has persisted for at least 20 million years, yet the mtDNA genealogy for this group coalesces in less than half a million years and points to a recent founding of populations around the rim of the Indian–Pacific Ocean. Phylogeographic analysis of Old World anchovies reveals a Pleistocene dispersal from the Pacific to the Atlantic, almost certainly via southern Africa, followed by a very recent recolonization from Europe to southern Africa. These results demonstrate that regional populations of sardines and anchovies are subject to periodic extinctions and recolonizations. Such climate-associated dynamics may explain the low levels of nucleotide diversity and the shallow coalescence of mtDNA genealogies. If these findings apply generally to marine fishes, management strategies should incorporate the idea that even extremely abundant populations may be relatively fragile on ecological and evolutionary time scales.
A role for protein kinase C δ in the differential sensitivity of MCF-7 and MDA-MB 231 human breast cancer cells to phorbol ester-induced growth arrest and p21WAFI/CIP1 induction

The goal of this study was to investigate the differential sensitivity of estrogen receptor (ER) positive MCF-7 and ER negative MDA-MB 231 breast cancer cells to phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-dependent growth arrest. MCF-7 cells were growth arrested by 80% while MDA-MB 231 cells were arrested by 20% in response to seven days of treatment with 10 nM PMA. Coincident with the increased sensitivity of MCF-7 cells to be growth arrested by the protein kinase C (PKC) activator PMA, PMA induced 9-fold higher levels of the cyclin dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor p21(WAF1/GIP1) in MCF-7 compared to MDA-MB 231 cells. A comparison of the PKC isoforms expressed in MCF-7 versus MDA-MB 231 cells showed that only the PMA-sensitive PKC delta and eta isoforms were expressed at markedly (> or =10-fold) elevated levels in MCF7 versus MDA-MB 231 cells. These results suggested that the differential sensitivity to growth arrest and induction of p2l(WAFl/CIPl) could reflect, at least in part, increased expression of PMA-dependent PKC isoforms delta and/or eta. Direct evidence to support this hypothesis was provided by the ability of transient transfections into MCF-7 cells of constitutively active PKC delta but not of PKC's eta or alpha or epsilon to enhance p21(WAFl/CIP1) promoter activity. These results suggest that PKC delta plays a fundamental role in the regulation of growth in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cells.
Transforming men into mice (polynomial algorithm for genomic distance problem)

Many people believe that transformations of humans into mice happen only in fairy tales. However, despite some differences in appearance and habits, men and mice are genetically very similar. In the pioneering paper, J.H. Nadeau and B.A. Taylor (1984) estimated that surprisingly few genomic rearrangements (178/spl plusmn/39) happened since the divergence of human and mouse 80 million years ago. However, their analysis is nonconstructive and no rearrangement scenario for human-mouse evolution has been suggested yet. The problem is complicated by the fact that rearrangements in multi chromosomal genomes include inversions, translocations, fusions and fissions of chromosomes, a rather complex set of operations. As a result, at first glance, a polynomial algorithm for the genomic distance problem with all these operations looks almost as improbable as the transformation of a (real) man into a (real) mouse. We prove a duality theorem which expresses the genomic distance in terms of easily computable parameters reflecting different combinatorial properties of sets of strings. This theorem leads to a polynomial time algorithm for computing most parsimonious rearrangement scenarios. Based on this result and the latest comparative physical mapping data we have constructed a scenario of human-mouse evolution with 131 reversals/translocaitons/fusions/fissions. A combination of the genome rearrangement algorithm with the recently proposed experimental technique called ZOO FISH suggests a new constructive approach to the 100 year old problem of reconstructing mammalian evolution.
Layered representations for human activity recognition

We present the use of layered probabilistic representations using Hidden Markov Models for performing sensing, learning, and inference at multiple levels of temporal granularity. We describe the use of the representation in a system that diagnoses states of a user's activity based on real-time streams of evidence from video, acoustic, and computer interactions. We review the representation, present an implementation, and report on experiments with the layered representation in an office-awareness application.
Tuning in to the Voices: A Multisite fMRI Study of Auditory Hallucinations

Introduction: Auditory hallucinations or voices are experienced by 75% of people diagnosed with schizophrenia. We presumed that auditory cortex of schizophrenia patients who experience hallucinations is tonically “tuned” to internal auditory channels, at the cost of processing external sounds, both speech and nonspeech. Accordingly, we predicted that patients who hallucinate would show less auditory cortical activation to external acoustic stimuli than patients who did not. Methods: At 9 Functional Imaging Biomedical Informatics Research Network (FBIRN) sites, whole-brain images from 106 patients and 111 healthy comparison subjects were collected while subjects performed an auditory target detection task. Data were processed with the FBIRN processing stream. A region of interest analysis extracted activation values from primary (BA41) and secondary auditory cortex (BA42), auditory association cortex (BA22), and middle temporal gyrus (BA21). Patients were sorted into hallucinators (n = 66) and nonhallucinators (n = 40) based on symptom ratings done during the previous week. Results: Hallucinators had less activation to probe tones in left primary auditory cortex (BA41) than nonhallucinators. This effect was not seen on the right. Discussion: Although “voices” are the anticipated sensory experience, it appears that even primary auditory cortex is “turned on” and “tuned in” to process internal acoustic information at the cost of processing external sounds. Although this study was not designed to probe cortical competition for auditory resources, we were able to take advantage of the data and find significant effects, perhaps because of the power afforded by such a large sample.
PEDIATRIC USE OF INTRAVENOUS AND INTRAMUSCULAR PHENYTOIN : LESSONS LEARNED

First developed in 1950, parenterally administered phenytoin offered substantial advantages over parenterally administered phenobarbital and paraldehyde, which were the treatments for status epilepticus until the 1960s. During the 1950s, clinical research established the pediatric dosage of parenteral phenytoin for the treatment of seizures, which was based on the adult dosage adjusted to each child's weight. Studies in the late 1970s and early 1980s established more appropriate dosing for neonates and children on a milligram-per-kilogram basis. Scientifically derived dosing guidelines have been available only for the past 12 years. Side effects associated with parenteral phenytoin, caused primarily by its high pH level and the propylene glycol content needed to increase its solubility, were frequently reported during the 1970s and 1980s, after 25 years of clinical use. Intravenous administration of phenytoin caused burning at the infusion site and was associated with severe local cutaneous reactions following infiltration into surrounding tissue, leading to a recommendation that intravenous phenytoin be avoided in young children and the elderly. The propylene glycol solvent was linked to seizures, arrhythmia, asystole, and hepatic and renal damage. When administered intramuscularly, phenytoin is poorly absorbed and can cause hemorrhagic necrosis of the soft tissues at the injection site. Many of these side effects can be avoided in children with the use of fosphenytoin.
A subset of mouse tracheal epithelial basal cells generates large colonies in vitro.

Airway epithelial stem cells are not well characterized. To examine clonal growth potential, we diluted single, viable B6.129S7-Gtrosa26 (Rosa26) mouse tracheal epithelial cells that constitutively...
Strengths and Weaknesses of FDA-Approved/ Cleared Diagnostic Devices for the Molecular Detection of Respiratory Pathogens

The rapid, sensitive, and specific identification of the microbial etiological characteristics of respiratory tract infections enhances the appropriate use of both antibiotics and antiviral agents and reduces the risk of nosocomial transmission. This article reviews the current nucleic acid amplification tests approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the detection of respiratory pathogens. In addition, Emergency Use Authorization tests for the detection of 2009 influenza A H1N1 are discussed. The advantages and limitations of the current FDA-approved/cleared tests are reviewed.
Mediators and Moderators of Parental Alcoholism Effects on Offspring Self-Esteem

Aims: The goal of the proposed study was fourfold: (i) to examine the effects of parental alcoholism on adult offspring's self-esteem; (ii) to identify and test possible mediators and moderators of parental alcoholism effects on the self-esteem of adult offspring; (iii) to examine the utility and relevance of attachment theory (Bowlby J. (1969) Attachment and Loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. New York: Basic Books) in explaining parental alcoholism effects on self-esteem and (iv) to address some of the methodological limitations identified in past research on adult children of alcoholics (ACOA). Methods: Participants ( N = 515) completed retrospective reports of parental alcoholism, family stressors, family communication patterns, parental attachment and a current measure of self-esteem. Results: The results showed support for the detrimental effects of parental alcoholism on offspring self-esteem and offered partial support for family stressors as a mediator of parental alcoholism effects on parental attachment and parental attachment as a mediator of parental alcoholism effects on offspring self-esteem, respectively. Finally, support was found for family communication patterns as a moderator of the effects of family stressors on attachment. Conclusions: The study findings offer preliminary support for the utility of attachment theory in explicating parental alcoholism effects on the self-esteem of adult offspring. Findings from the present study make salient the need to consider factors beyond the identification of parental alcohol abuse when explicating individual differences in offspring self-esteem in adulthood. The identification of protective and risk factors can contribute to the development of optimal intervention strategies to help ACOAs better than simply the knowledge of family drinking patterns.
The Measurement of Racial/Ethnic Identity in Children: A Critical Review

Researchers have long been interested in racial attitudes and preferences of young children with a focus on the implications of societal racism on healthy development. The doll study paradigm popul...
Minimum satisfying assignments for SMT

A minimum satisfying assignment of a formula is a minimum-cost partial assignment of values to the variables in the formula that guarantees the formula is true. Minimum satisfying assignments have applications in software and hardware verification, electronic design automation, and diagnostic and abductive reasoning. While the problem of computing minimum satisfying assignments has been widely studied in propositional logic, there has been no work on computing minimum satisfying assignments for richer theories. We present the first algorithm for computing minimum satisfying assignments for satisfiability modulo theories. Our algorithm can be used to compute minimum satisfying assignments in theories that admit quantifier elimination, such as linear arithmetic over reals and integers, bitvectors, and difference logic. Since these richer theories are commonly used in software verification, we believe our algorithm can be gainfully used in many verification approaches.
Combustion toxics: Available data and additional needs

With the continuing expansion of air pollution regulations there is an increasing awareness of the potential need to assess the emissions and impact of trace compounds from combustion sources in refineries and chemical plants. It has been found that these trace compounds may be emitted as the result of incomplete fuel combustion, formation of new compounds during combustion, or the presence of inorganics (e.g. metals) in the fuel. Emission factors based on field data from these sources have recently been published by both the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the American Petroleum Institute (API). The emission factors indicate that a large number of trace compounds may be emitted from combustion sources including volatiles, semi-volatiles, PAHs, metals, and dioxins/furans. Some of these trace compounds have been classified as hazardous or toxic. A review of the EPA and API published data sets indicates that, while there is some overlap, many gaps exist in specific source and emission types. Where gaps exist, there is a lack of confirmation for the reported emission factor. Comparison of the EPA and API emission factors for gas and fuel oil fired boilers, however, indicates reasonable agreement for several metals and some PAHs where the data overlap. EPA, however, has sampled for many more metals than API and several EPA factors for PAHs are significantly higher than reported by API. Additional tests may be warranted where there is insufficient overlap. Much additional work needs to be done to provide reliable factors which can be used to estimate trace toxic emissions from combustion. Many gaps and inconsistencies exist in the emission factors database and changes to existing factors are expected as the database is expanded.
Cooperative Learning: A Review of Factors that Increase the Effectiveness of Cooperative Computer-Based Instruction.

Despite great expectations in the educational community, Cooperative Computer-Based Instruction (C-CBI) has not been shown to increase students's learning over individual CBI (I-CBI). These lack of findings may be due to the varied implementation of C-CBI. This meta-analysis concentrates on the presence of two factors, cooperative learning training and problem-solving CBI, in studies which compare C-CBI and I-CBI. The results of twenty-three studies were coded and effect sizes were calculated. Effect sizes were analyzed to determine if a greater difference exists between the cooperative and individual conditions when students were trained and used a problem-solving CBI. Results show that studies that included these elements have greater mean effect sizes (es = .413) than the mean of all studies (es = .251). This study provides more evidence that cooperative learning and problem-solving CBIs are important factors in increasing achievement, group interaction, and elaboration in C-CBI.
A novel role for RIP1 kinase in mediating TNFα production

Receptor-interacting protein 1 (RIP1) is a Ser/Thr kinase with both kinase-dependent and kinase-independent roles in death receptor signaling. The kinase activity of RIP1 is required for necroptosis, a caspase-independent pathway of programmed cell death. In some cell types, the inhibition of caspases leads to autocrine production of TNFα, which then activates necroptosis. Here, we describe a novel role for RIP1 kinase in regulating TNFα production after caspase inhibition. Caspase inhibitors activate RIP1 kinase and another protein, EDD, to mediate JNK signaling, which stimulates Sp1-dependent transcription of TNFα. This pathway is independent of nuclear factor κB and also occurs after Smac mimetic/IAP antagonist treatment or the loss of TNF receptor-associated factor 2 (Traf2). These findings implicate cIAP1/2 and Traf2 as negative regulators of this RIP1 kinase-dependent TNFα production pathway and suggest a novel role for RIP1 kinase in mediating TNFα production under certain conditions.
Pathogenesis of Paradoxical Hypertension after Coarctation Repair

A recent review of 25 patients who had repair of coarctation of the aorta at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center revealed a 56% incidence of paradoxical hypertension in the immediate postoperative period. Analysis of results from recent animal experiments helped us to formulate a logical explanation of the pathogenesis of this hypertension. Stimulation of sympathetic nerve fibers located between the media and adventitia of the aortic isthmus has two effects, both of which result in hypertension. The first effect is release of norepinephrine and consequential rise in systemic blood pressure. Second, this spinal reflex directly stimulates the juxtaglomerular cells to release renin and cause additional hypertension. An additional effect of this increased renin production might be the shunting of blood from mesenteric arteries, thus causing the abdominal symptoms of so-called post-coarctectomy syndrome. The inability of some patients to adapt to this spinal reflex may be related to the age of the patient when the coarctation was repaired. This probably explains the high incidence of persistent hypertension in patients who undergo coarctation repair after adolescence.
Automatic assembly of crystal filters

Everett/Charles Production Systems Inc. — a manufacturer of electronically reprogrammable factory automation systems — recently completed a crystal filter assembly machine, which was specifically built for one customer. Its design and operation are described in detail.
Back Channels Can Be Useful! – Layering Authentication Channels to Provide Covert Communication (Transcript of Discussion)

Robert Watson: Can you just clarify the problem very slightly. Is the goal to make users use some passwords less frequently or you want them to have the ability to delegate?
Electric field fluctuations in conductors with spherical inclusions

Abstract Probability distributions of electric field and electric potential in two-phase particulate composite materials with spherical inclusions are found in the limit of small particle concentration.
Multicultural Nursing Providing Better Employee Care

Living in an increasingly multicultural society, nurses are regularly required to care for employees from a variety of cultural backgrounds. An awareness of cultural differences focuses occupational health nurses on those differences and results in better employee care. This article explores the concept of culturally competent employee care, some of the non-verbal communication cues among cultural groups, models associated with completing a cultural assessment, and how health disparities in the workplace can affect delivery of employee care. Self-evaluation of the occupational health nurse for personal preferences and biases is also discussed. Development of cultural competency is a process, and occupational health nurses must develop these skills. By developing cultural competence, occupational health nurses can conduct complete cultural assessments, facilitate better communication with employees from a variety of cultural backgrounds, and improve employee health and compliance with care regimens. Tips and guidelines for facilitating communication between occupational health nurses and employees are also provided.
An Airport Clustering Method for Air Traffic Flow Contingency Management

This paper presents a new airport clustering algori thm that facilitates the design of an air traffic flow network in support of a Flow Conti ngency Management decision support system concept. As Flow Contingency Management is concerned with decision making in the strategic timeframe, aggregating airports into clus ters provides a useful mechanism to capture the traffic while limiting network size; ho wever the specific needs of the Flow Contingency Management Framework require an alternate approach to airport clustering. To meet these needs, the algorithm proposed, termed Split by City-Pair, first assigns all eligible airports to one cluster and then, based on origin-destination city pair information, uses a hierarchical top-down method to split cluste rs until no cluster has a top city-pair contained within. Four metrics were defined to eva luate the quality of the clusters generated using the proposed method as well as two well-known clustering algorithms, the K-means method and the Weighted Proximity Classifier method. The results show that the Split by City-pair method performs as well or better than th e other two methods while also satisfying the specific requirements of a Flow Contingency Management network.
Consultative and Comanagement

This chapter covers the role of the hospitalist as a consultant and their interaction with surgical specialties. Included are discussions of perioperative care in the hospital and clinic. Oral and parenteral nutrition for the hospitalized patient are examined. A special emphasis is placed on palliative care for the hospitalized patient. Comanagement of surgical patients with an emphasis on orthopedics is reviewed.
Evidence accumulation to identify discriminatory signatures in biomedical spectra

Extraction of meaningful spectral signatures (sets of features) from high-dimensional biomedical datasets is an important stage of biomarker discovery. We present a novel feature extraction algorithm for supervised classification, based on the evidence accumulation framework, originally proposed by Fred and Jain for unsupervised clustering. By taking advantage of the randomness in genetic-algorithm-based feature extraction, we generate interpretable spectral signatures, which serve as hypotheses for corroboration by further research. As a benchmark, we used the state-of-the-art support vector machine classifier. Using external crossvalidation, we were able to obtain candidate biomarkers without sacrificing prediction accuracy.
NCAM in Neuropsychiatric and Neurodegenerative Disorders

The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) has roles in normal brain development, including axonal/dendritic growth and branching and synaptic plasticity. A growing body of evidence has implicated NCAM as a susceptible risk for neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety disorder, as well as the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease, Alzheimer’s disease. While individuals with these diseases vary in symptoms, age of onset, treatment, and neuronal systems affected, they share cognitive dysfunction as a core feature. This review will highlight the evidence for NCAM in the cause or progression of each of these disorders.
Clock Synchronization and Localization

WSNs have numerous applications and are usually embedded in the environment. The basic objective in a WSN is to collect sensed data from a large number of SNs at one location commonly known as BS (or sink node), analyze the data to monitor the environment, and eventually control the actuator.
Analysis of Associations between Motivation and Previous Computer Science Experience, Gender, Ethnicity and Privilege as Observed in a Large Scale Survey of Middle School Students (Abstract Only)

Previous experience correlates to student retention in computer science at the secondary and undergraduate levels, it's impact in middle school is less well understood. Previous research findings from a University of Colorado large scale survey of students' conceptions of computer science have shown that there is a pervasive gender gap in middle school student confidence and interest in computer science. This study conducts a follow up investigation, analyzing data from fall 2014 to spring 2016 (n=6,128), using multiple regression analysis to investigate how student responses to motivational items concerning both confidence and interest vary by gender, previous experience with computer science, minority status, and having a computer at home (a proxy for privilege). Results show statistically significant associations (p
Familial Pancreatic Cancer and the Future of Directed Screening

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related death in the United States and the 12th most common worldwide. Mortality is high, largely due to late stage of presentation and suboptimal treatment regimens. Approximately 10% of PC cases have a familial basis. The major genetic defect has yet to be identified but may be inherited by an autosomal dominant pattern with reduced penetrance. Several known hereditary syndromes or genes are associated with an increased risk of developing PC and account for approximately 2% of PCs. These syndromes include the hereditary breast-ovarian cancer syndrome, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, familial atypical multiple mole melanoma, Lynch syndrome, familial polyposis, ataxia-telangiectasia, and hereditary pancreatitis. Appropriate screening using methods such as biomarkers or imaging, with endoscopic ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, may assist in the early detection of neoplastic lesions in the high-risk population. If these lesions are detected and treated before the development of invasive carcinoma, PC disease morbidity and mortality may be improved. This review will focus on familial PC and other hereditary syndromes implicated in the increased risk of PC; it will also highlight current screening methods and the future of new screening modalities.
Herpes simplex virus infections in pulmonary cytology rarely represent pulmonary disease but remain a marker for mortality risk.

Introduction Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection can be diagnosed in pulmonary cytology specimens. We sought to determine the clinical significance of this finding. Methods Our medical records were searched for cases of HSV infection diagnosed in cytology specimens and the results compared with those in the literature. Results In our sample, 9 patients had HSV inclusions. All patients had pulmonary disease, 8 of 9 had multi-organ system disease, and 8 of 9 had been treated with either steroids or chemotherapy. Patients were either not treated with antiviral therapy (6 of 9) or treated for oral with or without cutaneous disease only (3 of 9). Two patients died; pulmonary infection was confirmed in only 1 patient. Compared with prior series, the number of cases with 10 or fewer cells with inclusions was significantly higher (89% versus 17%, P Conclusions Compared with prior series, most patients with HSV inclusions in pulmonary cytology specimens have fewer cells with inclusions, have oral and or cutaneous disease as well, and are not treated for pulmonary HSV. Nevertheless, this finding is associated with a risk of death, from both pulmonary infection and/or comorbid disease.
Latinas and AIDS

AIDS is one of the most urgent and challenging health problems facing Hispanics living in the United States and its territories. Since 1989, Hispanics (approximately 9% of the population) have represented 15–16% of all male AIDS cases, 20–21% of all female cases, and almost 25% of all pediatric cases of AIDS. In the 3-year period from 1989 through 1992, 3626 Hispanic women were newly diagnosed with AIDS, representing a 171% increase from the cumulative cases among Hispanic women reported through December 31, 1989. The corresponding increase for non-Hispanic white women during the same time period was 139%. The AIDS case rate among Hispanics is 21/2 times higher than that among non-Hispanic whites (Diaz, Buehler, Castro, & Ward, 1993). Clearly, AIDS and HIV are disproportionately affecting Hispanic men and women.
A novel GIT2-BRAF fusion in pilocytic astrocytoma.

KIAA1549-BRAF fusion is the most common genetic event in pilocytic astrocytoma (PA), and leads to activation of the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Fusions of BRAF with other partner genes, as well as other genetic alterations not involving BRAF but also leading to MAPK pathway activation have been described rarely. We present a new fusion partner in the low-grade glioma of a 10-year-old male, who presented with headaches and recent episodes of seizures. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a right temporal lobe tumor. Histological and immunohistochemical evaluation, and a next generation sequencing assay (Oncopanel, Illumina, 500 genes) including breaKmer analysis for chromosomal rearrangements were performed. Histology was remarkable for a low-grade glioma composed of mildly atypical astrocytes with piloid processes, in a focally microcystic background. Mitoses were not seen; unequivocal Rosenthal fibers or eosinophilic granular bodies were absent. The tumor was positive for OLIG2 and GFAP and negative for BRAF V600E and IDH1 R132H mutant protein immunostains. Oncopanel showed low SOX2 (3q26.33) copy number gain, and no gains at 7q34. There were no significant single nucleotide variants. BreaKmer detected a GIT2-BRAF fusion with loss of BRAF exons 1–8. The integrated diagnosis was low-grade glioma with piloid features, most consistent with pilocytic astrocytoma, WHO grade I. GIT2-BRAF fusion has not been reported in the literature in any tumor. Given that the BRAF sequence deleted is identical to that seen in other fusion events in PA, it most likely acts as tumor driver by activation of the MAPK pathway.
Engaging the emotions in Spanish culture and history

This volume gathers together essays by 16 different authors on subjects in Spanish culture ranging from the eighteenth through the early twenty-first centuries. The common denominator is an interes...
Bias in Direct-to-Consumer Advertising and Its Effect on Drug Safety

Although the Consumers Union is primarily known for Consumer Reports magazine, with its expert evaluations of electronic devices, automobiles, and household appliances, we have always been active in the health arena as well, since the magazine was founded in 1936. The monthly newsletter Consumer Reports on Health has been around since 1989. More recently, we have established two health-related Web sites. BestBuyDrugs.org was the first and remains free to all comers. Based on the Drug Efficacy Review Project developed in Oregon, it offers consumers what we consider to be the best buys in each of fourteen different drug categories, based not only on efficacy and safety but also on price. Our other online effort is a joint venture with the British Medical Journal, called Consumer Reports Medical Guide. This is an online medical encyclopedia in which we rate treatments for many diseases, primarily on how solid the evidence base is for that treatment. Here I will address direct-to-consumer (“DTC”) advertising of prescription drugs and its relationship to drug safety. This is a subject that Consumers Union has been interested in for many years. It is a virtually unique form of advertising because the consumer to whom it is directed does not control the purchase of the advertised product. The only other commercials of this kind are the breakfast-cereal and junkfood ads that interrupt the cartoons my grandson watches on any Saturday morning. In both instances, an intermediary is necessary—in one case a parent who has the money and, in the other case, a physician who has the prescription pad.
Long-term safety and efficacy of benralizumab in patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma: 1-year results from the BORA phase 3 extension trial

Summary Background Benralizumab is an interleukin-5 receptor α-directed cytolytic monoclonal antibody that has been shown to safely reduce exacerbations and improve lung function for patients with asthma. We assessed the long-term safety and efficacy of benralizumab for patients with severe, uncontrolled eosinophilic asthma. Methods We conducted a randomised, double-blind, parallel-group, phase 3 extension study at 447 sites in 24 countries. Eligible patients had to have completed the SIROCCO or CALIMA trials and remained on subcutaneous benralizumab 30 mg every 4 weeks (Q4W) or every 8 weeks (Q8W). Patients who had received placebo in those trials were re-randomised in a 1:1 ratio, using an interactive web-based system, to benralizumab 30 mg either Q4W or Q8W (first three doses 4 weeks apart). Treatment lasted for 56 weeks for adult patients (age ≥18 years) and 108 weeks for adolescent patients (age 12–17 years). The primary endpoint was the safety and tolerability of the two dosing regimens of benralizumab up to 68 weeks for adult patients (including the follow-up visit post-treatment) and up to 56 weeks for adolescent patients. This endpoint was assessed in the full analysis set, which included all patients from the SIROCCO and CALIMA predecessor studies who received at least one dose of study treatment in BORA and did not continue into another trial. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT02258542 ). Findings Between Nov 19, 2014, and July 6, 2016, we enrolled 1926 patients, of whom 633 had received benralizumab Q4W and 639 had received benralizumab Q8W in SIROCCO or CALIMA. The remaining 654 patients had received placebo in those trials and were randomly re-assigned in this trial to receive benralizumab Q4W (n=320) or Q8W (n=334). 1576 patients, including 783 who received benralizumab Q4W (265 newly assigned) and 793 who received benralizumab Q8W (281 newly assigned), were included in the full analysis set. The most common adverse events in all groups were viral upper respiratory tract infection (14–16%) and worsening asthma (7–10%). The most common serious adverse events were worsening asthma (3–4%), pneumonia ( Interpretation The 2 years of safety results validate that observations observed in the first year of benralizumab continued through a second year of treatment. No new consequences of long-term eosinophil depletion occurred, and the incidence of other adverse events, including opportunistic infections, were similar during the second year. Funding AstraZeneca and Kyowa Hakko Kirin.
Fractional Order PI Control for a Three-Phase Microgrid Application

The increasing use of distributed energy resources has motivated the development of microgrid systems to improve the reliability of electric power distribution systems. However, as microgrids become more complex, there is an increased occurrence of instabilities. This research investigates fractional order proportional-integral (FOPI) control technique implemented in a decentralized manner to stabilize the voltage levels throughout a microgrid system. The resulting controller design would be synchronized into a grid system forming a smart grid. A method for linearizing an islanded microgrid system is presented. To validate the proposed control algorithm, MATLAB simulation is used and the FOPI is compared to a conventional PI controller design. The proposed controller design method demonstrates improved stability performance and enhanced response to regulate the power flow and current conduction levels throughout the system.
Coherent population trapping of an electron spin in a single negatively charged quantum dot

Coherent population trapping is a process by which a particle is induced to exist in a superposition of two ground states. This has now been demonstrated for an electron spin on a single quantum dot, which could prove useful in a variety of photonic and information-processing applications. Coherent population trapping (CPT) refers to the steady-state trapping of population in a coherent superposition of two ground states that are coupled by coherent optical fields to an intermediate state in a three-level atomic system1. Recently, CPT has been observed in an ensemble of donor-bound spins in GaAs (ref. 2) and in single nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond3 by using a fluorescence technique. Here, we report the demonstration of CPT of an electron spin in a single quantum dot. The observation demonstrates both the CPT of an electron spin and the successful generation of Raman coherence between the two spin ground states of the electron4,5,6. This technique can be used to initialize, at about a gigahertz rate, an electron spin state in an arbitrary superposition by varying the ratio of the Rabi frequencies between the driving and probe fields. The results show the potential importance of charged quantum dots for a solid-state approach to the implementation of electromagnetically induced transparency7,8, slow light9, quantum information storage10 and quantum repeaters11,12.
A Novel Collapsible Flat-Layered Metamaterial Gradient-Refractive-Index Lens Antenna

With the advent of small-scale satellite technologies, there has been significant interest in developing low-profile antennas. This article presents a novel collapsible flat-layered lens based on gradient-refractive-index (GRIN) metamaterials. The 3-D lens consists of multilayer double-sided microstrip square-rings units of variable sizes distributed on planar dielectric substrates to satisfy the required refractive index distribution. Adjacent layers can be stored compressed in a stacked configuration with minimal height, then deployed to an operational arrangement to their full dimensions and capabilities. The key factor in this design is the judicious choice of the discretized metamaterial unit cell such that neighboring layers are separated by an air gap, which allows the lens to collapse. A proof-of-concept prototype operating at 13.4 GHz with a 11.2 cm diameter and a height of 0.4 and 2.1 cm in collapsed and operational arrangement, respectively, was manufactured within fabrication tolerances. A resonant patch array feed was used and the lens antenna was measured in the UCLA Plane Bi-Polar Near-Field measurement range achieving a 23 dBi directivity and 22.2 dBi gain. The numerical and experimental results agree well and demonstrate that this new lens is advantageous in terms of low packaging height without compromising high-performance.
Exploring the evolution of two girls’ conceptions and practices in computational thinking in science

Abstract As the definition of computational thinking (CT) in education continues to evolve, researchers have investigated the integration of CT in K-12 learning contexts and students' perceptions and development of CT in these integrated learning experiences. Drawing on prior work, this study explored the evolution of two elementary school girls’ conceptions and practices of CT in science as they participated in a four-week CT-integrated science unit at a summer camp using the Dash robot and the Blockly app. Three CT concepts: loops, sequences, and conditionals, were integrated into a unit on the reproduction cycle of flowerless plants. Observations, participant drawings, and analysis of Blockly code revealed that the children improved in their CT practices. In addition, the CT-integrated science unit developed for this study successfully engaged both participants, even when one expressed a low interest in science. The study suggested that defining computing vocabulary, using checkpoint activities with immediate and corrective feedback, and scaffolding of coding concepts with unplugged activities were particularly necessary in promoting CT and the integration of CT and science education in an elementary-level informal learning context.
Biologics for Allergic Dermatologic Diseases

Atopic dermatitis (AD), chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), and allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) represent three important allergic dermatoses with many unmet therapeutic needs. The development of biologic agents has opened the door to both new treatment options and improved understanding of the underlying pathophysiology, both shared and unique for these entities. With several FDA-approved medications available and many more in development, the biologic revolution has begun for allergic dermatoses. This is a narrative review on the current state of pathomechanisms and appropriately targeted biologic agents for these three common allergic skin conditions. The importance of Th2 inflammation and the effect of inflammatory cytokines on the skin barrier may help explain the impressive efficacy of biologic agents, while maintaining relative safety. While some of the biologic agents show efficacy across multiple allergic dermatoses, more often it seems these more targeted pathways show accordingly precise efficacy. However, in each disease, multiple agents hold promise, and may be differentiated by safety and adverse effect profile rather than simply by efficacy. New understanding of the pathogenesis of the allergic dermatoses has ushered in a new era of biologic therapies. Competing mechanisms and molecules will continue to be developed and vetted in trials with hopes of continuously refined precision therapies with optimized safety and efficacy profiles.
A Note on the Impact of Daily Deals on Local Retailers’ Online Reputation: Mediation Effects of the Consumer Experience

This study investigates the impact of daily deals on local retailers’ (restaurants’) online ratings. We collected and utilized a comprehensive panel data set that combines information on restaurants’ deal offerings (Groupon or LivingSocial) with their Yelp review details. Although demonstrating a negative main effect of daily deals on a restaurant’s monthly average ratings, we worked to uncover the underlying mechanisms by focusing on the mediating role of consumers’ postconsumption perception. Our mediation analyses show that daily deals are associated with the reduction of both consumers’ perceived food quality and perceived service quality as revealed in review texts, which leads to subsequent declines in a restaurant’s online ratings. We further noted and studied two types of reviews that existed during the deal-redemption period: (1) reviews that mentioned daily deals ( DD Reviews ) and (2) reviews that did not mention daily deals ( NDD Reviews ). NDD Reviews are usually from regular customers, whereas DD Reviews are likely from a different base of customers, deal users. Our separate analyses demonstrate differential mediation processes between DD Reviews and NDD Reviews . For DD Reviews , both perceived food and service quality had mediation roles, suggesting a mismatch effect. That is, daily deals attract discount-focused consumers, including new customers, who are less likely to appreciate the food or service and, therefore, leave a negative review. In contrast, for NDD Reviews , only perceived service quality had a mediation role, suggesting a negative externality effect. That is, the large volume of deal redemptions by deal users may induce a longer waiting time (to be seated and/or served) and, thus, reduced perceived service quality for regular customers. These results deepen our understanding of the impact of daily deals on business online reputation and provide important practical guidance to both local retailers and daily deal platforms.
A feasibility study of combined epigenetic and vaccine therapy in advanced colorectal cancer with pharmacodynamic endpoint.

Epigenetic therapies may modulate the tumor microenvironment. We evaluated the safety and optimal sequence of combination DNA methyltransferase inhibitor guadecitabine with a granulocyte macrophage-colony-stimulating-factor (GM-CSF) secreting colon cancer (CRC) vaccine (GVAX) using a primary endpoint of change in CD45RO + T cells. 18 patients with advanced CRC enrolled, 11 underwent paired biopsies and were evaluable for the primary endpoint. No significant increase in CD45RO + cells was noted. Grade 3–4 toxicities were expected and manageable. Guadecitabine + GVAX was tolerable but demonstrated no significant immunologic activity in CRC. We report a novel trial design to efficiently evaluate investigational therapies with a primary pharmacodynamic endpoint. Trial registry Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01966289. Registered 21 October, 2013.
Not Just About Price: Whether Consumers Seek Quality or Taste Determines Their Response to Retailer Pricing Strategies

Current models of the consumer response to retailer pricing strategies focus on how they impact price perceptions and retailer preferences. While intuitive, this perspective overlooks perceptions of value, which are a function of the benefits consumers acquire relative to price. We argue that the type of benefit consumers seek interacts with pricing strategy to impact consumers’ value perceptions and ultimately, retailer preference. We distinguish between quality benefits (subject to vertical differentiation) and taste benefits (subject to horizontal differentiation), and note that the type of benefit a consumer seeks impacts the value that they are able to obtain under different retail pricing strategies. We demonstrate that, all else equal, when consumers seek quality benefits, they prefer retailers that use discounts, but when consumers seek taste benefits, they prefer retailers that rely on every-day-low-pricing. We report a series of experiments and an analysis of consumer panel data to examine the proposed relationship between type of benefit sought and retailer preference, the mediating role of value, and managerially relevant moderators: cherry-picking cost, the relationship between price and quality, and discount pattern.
FEED for Piperazine with the Advanced Stripperr™ on NGCC at Denver City, Texas

The University of Texas at Austin is developing a Front End Engineering Design (FEED) for CO2 capture using Piperazine with the Advanced StripperTM (PZASTM) at Mustang Station in Denver City, Texas. CO2 will be captured from a 460 MW natural gas combined cycle (NGCC). With two parallel process trains, the FEED will capture 90% of the CO2 from 1.56 X 106 kg/s flue gas producing 190 tonnes/hr CO2. The design incorporates advancements including cold and hot cross exchangers, and pump-around intercooling in the bottom of the absorber. The capture system will benefit from the 45Q tax credit and CO2 sales for use in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The FEED is in progress; this paper reports on the design and preliminary costs estimated after completion of the process design package (PDP) and receipt of budgetary equipment cost estimates for a subset of the major equipment. The total investment for the system is currently estimated to be $415 X 106. The expected marginal profit of the capture system is $48 X 106/yr.