cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
8 ANTI-MLLERIAN HORMONE AT WEANING AND BREEDING AS A PREDICTOR OF BEEF HEIFER FERTILITY

This study examined the relationship between serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) concentration at weaning and breeding to determine if either or both measures could predict subsequent fertility of beef heifers. Blood was collected from 71 Angus based heifers at ~7 and 14 months of age and serum stored frozen (−20°C) until analysis for AMH, using bovine AMH ELISA kits (AL115; Ansh Laboratories, Webster, TX, USA). Before breeding, transrectal ultrasonography was used to determine cyclic status of heifers. Heifers received 25 mg of prostaglandin F2α (PGF) and those detected in oestrus were AI ~12 h after detected oestrus. Heifers not detected in oestrus after 7 days received a second PGF injection and oestrus detection and AI continued for 4 days. Ten days later, the heifers were exposed to fertile bulls for a 45-days breeding season. At 50 to 60 days after insemination, transrectal ultrasonography was used to identify pregnant heifers and to confirm conception date based on fetal size. At 60 days after bull removal, ultrasonography was performed to determine pregnancy in heifers conceiving during the breeding season and confirm continuing pregnancy in heifers previously identified as pregnant. Based on fetal size at ultrasonography, the oestrous cycle after initiation of breeding when conception occurred was estimated. For comparison, AI pregnancies were considered cycle 1, and pregnancies initiated during subsequent 21-day intervals of the breeding season were classified as cycles 2, 3, and 4, respectively. For analysis, frequency distribution was used to assign serum AMH concentration measured at weaning, breeding, and the change from weaning to breeding, into quartiles. Comparisons were then made via Chi-squared analysis for heifers in each quartile that were cyclic at synchronization, detected in oestrus, conceived after AI, pregnant at the end of the breeding season, and the estimated cycle that conception occurred. Comparison of heifers based on serum AMH quartiles at weaning failed (P ≥ 0.35) to detect any effect of AMH on subsequent heifer cyclicity at breeding, oestrous response after synchronization, AI conceptions, overall pregnancy rate, or estimated oestrous cycle of the breeding season when conception occurred. Based on AMH concentration at breeding, heifers in the lowest quartile (Q1) had a lower (10%; P = 0.02) AI conception rate than heifers in other quartiles (43 to 73%), and conceived at a later oestrous cycle (P = 0.03) in the breeding season. Comparison of heifers based on the change in AMH concentrations from weaning to breeding revealed that none of the heifers in the lowest quartile (Q1) conceived after AI, compared with 80% in the highest quartile (Q4; P < 0.001). Heifers in the lowest quartile also conceived at a later oestrous cycle in the breeding season than heifers in the other quartiles (P = 0.01). Results indicate that either AMH concentration at breeding or the change in AMH from weaning to breeding can identify beef heifers more likely to conceive to AI and to conceive early in the breeding season.
Behavior Patterns, Performance Expectations, Gender, and Task Focus: A Replication and Extension:

Previous work by Webster and Rashotte (2010) experimentally tested a theory of behavior and performance expectations, and female and male participants acted quite differently in the experiment. Theories of status processes predict no differences in how women and men use status information. We replicated two conditions and added two more conditions to assess a plausible cause of gender effects here. New results do not show a gender difference. We also find that: (1) theoretical predictions are confirmed more strongly in the replication than in the first experiment, (2) extraneous processes that may have affected the earlier experiment did not appear in the replication, (3) steps to enhance task focus did not improve the data and so are not needed in this experimental design, and (4) results are robust across participant pools, experimenters, computer equipment, and eight years of historical and cohort differences.
Front-End Electronics for Embedded Systems

This chapter combines most of the sensors studied in the previous chapters to explain the electromechanical control circuits. The usage of relay switch, opto-isolator, Hall-effect device, pulse-width-modulation (PWM) circuits to operate electromechanical devices, such as DC motors, are also discussed. In the last part of this chapter, several full-scale, front-end electronics projects are presented. In each project, sensor characteristics are discussed, signal conditioning stage is designed to clean up the amplified sensor signal to prepare the unit for analog-to-digital conversion, and finally a proper ADC is selected to interface with the microcontroller.
Workplace spirituality in law enforcement: a content analysis of the literature

AbstractCommunity protests alleging police officers excessive use of force in places like Ferguson, Missouri, the place of Michael Brown’s controversial death from a policeman’s bullet, has raised public awareness of the need to reform law enforcement culture. Identifiable challenges to policing include burnout, higher rates of depression and anxiety, a militaristic sub-culture, and the need for community policing. Workplace spirituality’s holistic model in the context of law enforcement may contribute to police officer wellness and safety, but law enforcement lacks consensus on the definition, conceptualization, and operationalization of spirituality in its workplace. A content analysis of law enforcement literature was conducted to (1) explore and distil how workplace spirituality is viewed in law enforcement and training and (2) to propose new directions in the integration of workplace spirituality in policing. Workplace spirituality was associated with meaning making, policing values and ethics, spiri...
Surgical Management of Giant Intracranial Meningioma: Operative Nuances, Challenges, and Outcome.

Background The giant intracranial meningioma (GIM) constitutes a different spectrum of brain tumors that invade the vital neurovascular structures, which makes the primary mode of treatment, surgery, a technically challenging one. The surgery for GIM is unique because of the large size of the tumor, prominent vascularity, entangling and limited visualization of various neurovascular structures, and severe cerebral edema. This study reports the authors surgical experience of 80 GIM cases, the operative challenges and surgical outcome. Methods A retrospective analysis of 80 patients with histologically proven meningioma (≥5 cm) who underwent surgical treatment at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (Shreveport, Louisiana, USA) over a 20-year period (1995–2015) is presented. The clinical and radiologic data were collected from the hospital database. The tumors were categorized into histologic groups according to World Health Organization (WHO) classification. The relevant statistical analysis of the study was conducted using SPSS software, version 22.0. Results The study included 27 male patients (33.8%) and 53 female patients (66.3%). The mean age of the cohort was 56 years (56.3±16.1). The mean size of the tumor was 56.4 ±4 mm with a range from 50 mm to 84 mm. Skull base was the most common location of GIM (57 patients, 71.3%). Simpson grade 1 excision was achieved in 9 patients (11.3%), whereas grade 2 excision was achieved in 57 patients (71.3%); 80% of the tumors belonged to WHO grade 1. The operative mortality was seen in 4 patients (5%). Regression analysis showed that age, sex, location of the tumor, neuronavigation, Simpson grade of excision, and histology of tumor were the factors that significantly affected the recurrence-free survival (RFS). Conclusions The surgery for GIM is unique in different ways. As surgery for GIM is formidable, radiologic characteristics can be useful adjuncts for planning an effective and safe surgical strategy. The factors such as young age, male sex, use of neuronavigation, and skull base location positively influenced RFS, whereas Simpson grade 3 or 4 and poor histologic grade adversely influenced RFS. A careful preoperative evaluation, understanding of the risk factors, effective surgical approach, and judicious use of intraoperative adjuncts are the key factors with pivotal roles in GIM resection.
CRISPRi and CRISPRa Screens in Mammalian Cells for Precision Biology and Medicine

Next-generation DNA sequencing technologies have led to a massive accumulation of genomic and transcriptomic data from patients and healthy individuals. The major challenge ahead is to understand the functional significance of the elements of the human genome and transcriptome, and implications for diagnosis and treatment. Genetic screens in mammalian cells are a powerful approach to systematically elucidating gene function in health and disease states. In particular, recently developed CRISPR/Cas9-based screening approaches have enormous potential to uncover mechanisms and therapeutic strategies for human diseases. The focus of this review is the use of CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) and CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) for genetic screens in mammalian cells. We introduce the underlying technology and present different types of CRISPRi/a screens, including those based on cell survival/proliferation, sensitivity to drugs or toxins, fluorescent reporters, and single-cell transcriptomes. Combinatorial screens, in...
Energy Metabolism and Aging

Aging is strongly related to energy metabolism, but the underlying processes and mechanisms are complex and incompletely understood. Restricting energy intake and reducing metabolic rate can slow the rate of aging and extend longevity, implying a reciprocal relationship between energy metabolism and life expectancy. However, increased energy expenditure has also been associated with improved health and longer life. In both experimental animals and humans, reduced body temperature has been related to extended longevity. However, recent findings on the function of thermogenic (brown or beige) adipose tissue produced intense interest in increasing the amount of energy expended for thermogenesis to prevent and/or treat obesity, improve metabolic health, and extend life. Evidence available to-date indicates that increasing adipose tissue thermogenesis by pharmacologic, environmental, or genetic interventions can indeed produce significant metabolic benefits, which are associated with improved chances for healthy aging and long life.
Dissolved oxygen scavenging by acoustic droplet vaporization using intravascular ultrasound

Modification of dissolved gas content by acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV) has been proposed for several therapeutic applications. Reducing dissolved oxygen (DO) during reperfusion of ischemic tissue during coronary interventions could inhibit reactive oxygen species production and rescue myocardium. The objective of this study was to determine whether intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) can trigger ADV and reduce DO. Perfluoropentane emulsions were created using highspeed shaking and microfluidic manufacturing. High-speed shaking resulted in a polydisperse droplet distribution ranging from less than 1 micron to greater than 16 microns in diameter. Microfluidic manufacturing produced a narrower size range of droplets with diameters between 8.0 microns and 9.6 microns. The DO content of the fluids was measured before and after ADV triggered by IVUS exposure. Duplex B-mode and passive cavitation imaging was performed to assess nucleation of ADV. An increase in echogenicity indicative of ADV was observed after exposure with a clinical IVUS system. In a flow phantom, a 20% decrease in DO was measured distal to the IVUS transducer when droplets, formed via high-speed shaking, were infused. In a static fluid system, the DO content was reduced by 11% when droplets manufactured with a microfluidic chip were exposed to IVUS. These results demonstrate that a reduction of DO by ADV is feasible using a clinical IVUS system. Future studies will assess the potential therapeutic efficacy of IVUS-nucleated ADV and methods to increase the magnitude of DO scavenging.
Performance evaluation of photoacoustic oximetry imaging systems using a dynamic blood flow phantom with tunable oxygen saturation

Photoacoustic Imaging (PAI) is an emerging technology with strong potential for broad clinical applications from breast cancer detection to cerebral monitoring due to its ability to compute maps of blood oxygen saturation (SO 2 ) distribution in deep tissues using multispectral imaging. However, no well-validated consensus test methods currently exist for evaluating oximetry-specific performance characteristics of PAI devices. We have developed a phantombased flow system capable of rapid SO 2 adjustment to serve as a test bed for elucidation of factors impacting SO 2 measurement and quantitative characterization of device performance. The flow system is comprised of a peristaltic pump, membrane oxygenator, oxygen and nitrogen gas, and in-line oxygen, pH, and temperature sensors that enable real-time estimation of SO 2 reference values. Bovine blood was delivered through breast-relevant tissue phantoms containing vessel-mimicking fluid channels, which were imaged using a custom multispectral PAI system. Blood was periodically drawn for SO 2 measurement in a clinical-grade CO-oximeter. We used this flow phantom system to evaluate the impact of device parameters (e.g.,wavelength-dependent fluence corrections) and tissue parameters (e.g. fluid channel depth, blood SO 2 , spectral coloring artifacts) on oximetry measurement accuracy. Results elucidated key challenges in PAI oximetry and device design trade-offs, which subsequently allowed for optimization of system performance. This approach provides a robust benchtop test platform that can support PAI oximetry device optimization, performance validation, and clinical translation, and may inform future development of consensus test methods for performance assessment of photoacoustic oximetry imaging systems.
Control of CaV2 Calcium Channels and Neurosecretion by Heterotrimeric G Protein Coupled Receptors

CaV2.1 (P/Q-type) and CaV2.2 (N-type) voltage-gated Ca2+ channels play pivotal roles in synaptic transmission and neuroendocrine hormone secretion by coupling excitation (i.e. action potential firing) to transmitter release through Ca2+-dependent exocytosis. Consequently, multiple protein-protein interactions and cell signaling pathways converge on these channels to precisely control the amount, location, and timing of Ca2+ entry. Among these, G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) respond to autocrine, paracrine, and retrograde chemical signals to provide important feedback regulation. Several distinct signaling pathways recruited by GPCRs can converge on Ca2+ channels, however this chapter focuses on the so-called voltage-dependent inhibition mediated by direct binding of G protein βγ subunits (Gβγ) to the channels. This includes an overview of the functional impact of Gβγ on CaV2 channels and current understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved. Neuroendocrine chromaffin cells are also highlighted as both a physiologically important system and powerful cellular model to investigate modulation of Ca2+ channels and neurosecretion by GPCRs.
Computing Sphere Eversions

We consider several tools for computing and visualizing sphere eversions. First, we discuss a family of rotationally symmetric eversions driven computationally by minimizing the Willmore bending energy. Next, we describe programs to compute and display the double locus of an immersed surface and to track this along a homotopy. Finally, we consider ways to implement computationally the various eversions originally drawn by hand; this requires interpolation of splined curves in time and space.
Move to America

In 1955, I had attended a cosmic ray conference in Mexico, and I took a swing through the United States on the way back. My first stop in the USA was at the Mount Wilson and Palomar Observatories Pasadena where I was to meet again with Walter Baade, the highly successful astronomer and observer at the 200-in. telescope. The year before, I had discussed the problem of the Crab Nebula with him. This patch of milky nebulosity in our galaxy had been an interesting enigma to astronomers for some time, since the origin of the light from it could not be identified. There were some stars within the patch, but none sufficiently bright to cause a total light emission from the nebula that was judged to be about 100,000 times the output of the Sun. The Dutch astronomers Jan Oort and Theodore Walraven had just published (1956) a surprising new observation, namely, that the light from this nebula was strongly polarized. They gave a figure of approximately 6% polarization, which was high compared with other astronomical objects. They used a novel photometer attached to the 13-in. photographic telescope at Leiden Observatory, and they had been able to take only the light from the entire nebula for this observation, not from any specific part. I told Baade that I could not understand any mechanism that would make an overall polarization, but I could understand that perhaps the radiation came from fast electrons spiraling in magnetic fields. The theory of this effect (known as synchrotron radiation, first seen in particle accelerators) had been worked out initially by Hannes Alfven and Nicolai Herlofson in Norway. It seemed to me that it could apply to this case.
Thin-Walled Curved Beam Finite Element

The generalized displacements and forces at the two nodes of the beam elements are: three translations and their corresponding forces, three rotations and their corresponding moments, the out-of-plane warping of the end cross section and its corresponding bi-moment. The solutions to the homogeneous differential equations governing the static deformation of curved beams along with kinematical boundary conditions yield the required displacement functions of the element. The stiffness matrix is formed by evaluating the stress resultants at the two ends of the element corresponding to each unit generalized displacement. The method using the principle of virtual work to obtain the equivalent nodal forces due to external loading and the consistent mass matrix is outlined. Several examples are presented and comparisons made to demonstrate the accuracy and the usefulness of the element. This element has been successfully used in the finite element discretization of curved girders of horizontally curved highway bridges in studying the response of the bridges subjected to moving loads. /ASCE/
Domain agnostic online semantic segmentation for multi-dimensional time series

Unsupervised semantic segmentation in the time series domain is a much studied problem due to its potential to detect unexpected regularities and regimes in poorly understood data. However, the current techniques have several shortcomings, which have limited the adoption of time series semantic segmentation beyond academic settings for four primary reasons. First, most methods require setting/learning many parameters and thus may have problems generalizing to novel situations. Second, most methods implicitly assume that all the data is segmentable and have difficulty when that assumption is unwarranted. Thirdly, many algorithms are only defined for the single dimensional case, despite the ubiquity of multi-dimensional data. Finally, most research efforts have been confined to the batch case, but online segmentation is clearly more useful and actionable. To address these issues, we present a multi-dimensional algorithm, which is domain agnostic, has only one, easily-determined parameter, and can handle data streaming at a high rate. In this context, we test the algorithm on the largest and most diverse collection of time series datasets ever considered for this task and demonstrate the algorithm’s superiority over current solutions.
Broadband coherent cavity-enhanced dual-comb spectroscopy

Cavity-enhanced spectroscopic instruments impact a broad range of scientific fields because they are sensitive, self-contained, and can be packaged for use by nonspecialists. Infrared-laser-based cavity-enhanced instruments are typically limited to measuring a few small molecules because they rely on narrowly tunable lasers that each measure a molecular transition. Broadband dual-comb spectroscopy (DCS) is a spectroscopic technique capable of simultaneously probing molecular absorption on thousands of narrowly spaced wavelengths using a single high-speed photodetector. With coherent averaging, DCS can measure multiple species, including large molecules, with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Here, we lock a high-finesse optical cavity to a broadband mode-locked frequency comb with an approach that enables a high SNR, broadband cavity-enhanced DCS with coherent averaging. With a 7.5 cm optical cavity, we attain a >12,000× path-length-enhancement factor, 60 nm bandwidth near 1660 nm (3.5% fractional bandwidth), and >27 dB SNR in 160 s. We measure the dense rovibrational spectrum of ethane in a background of overlapping H2O, CH4, and CO2 absorption. By combining the broadband, high-resolution, and single-detector nature of DCS with a compact optical cavity, we enable future self-contained instruments that are able to simultaneously detect a variety of molecules in realistic ambient conditions.
Code of the Terrorists: The PKK and the Social Construction of Violence

According to Turkish authorities, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is a terrorist organization that uses violence indiscriminately to target and murder innocent civilians. Based on interviews conducted with a former longtime member of the PKK, we argue that this view of the nature of the PKK as an organization and its use of violence is misleading. The interviews reveal that the PKK’s use of violence is governed by a code that regulates (1) legitimate and forbidden targets; (2) rules of engagement; (3) treatment of enemy captives and detainees; and (4) conduct in regard to private property and protected places. A formal system exists to enforce the code. Rather than being indiscriminate, violence by the PKK is purposeful, restrained, and employed primarily in response to Turkish oppression. Understanding that the PKK is governed by a code has important policy implications, and we contend that the prospects for resolving the conflict between Turkey and the Kurds remain dim so long as the PKK is portrayed as a terrorist organization populated by bloodthirsty and irrational radicals. Instead, the PKK should be viewed as a political organization whose pursuit of political aims is most likely to be settled not through continued violent conflict but at the negotiating table.
Modeling the Energy Consumption of Blockchain Consensus Algorithms

With the development of Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain technologies, people find more and more blockchain applications in the IoT domain. While it is reasonable that IoT systems use hierarchical network structures, their sheer large scales may lead to hundreds or even thousands of non-leaf nodes, which may serve as full nodes when participating in IoT blockchains. From IoT blockchain design perspective, it is important to understand the scalability of the energy consumption feature of IoT blockchains. In our research we have collected real-world data that reflect the energy consumption features of several consensus algorithms of blockchain. In this work-in-progress paper, we report our results based on linear regression models. These models provide reference estimations of the energy consumption impact in designing blockchains for IoT systems.
Piezoelectric, conductive, and dielectric properties of magnetron sputtered PbZr54Ti46O3 films studied by scanning probe microscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry methods

It is established that the magnetron sputtered thin PbZr54Ti46O3 (PZT) films contain a certain amount of pores, which makes it impossible to investigate their properties by traditional methods. It ...
Quantum Mechanical Operators

Insofar as one can tell, a submicroscopic particle does not move along a definite path through the imposed Euclidean space. Instead, there exists a potentiality in each volume element; at a given time, the particle may appear in an infinitesimal region d3 r with the probability
At a Crossroads: Economic Hierarchy and Hardship at the Intersection of Race, Sex, and Nativity:

Immigration has been the focus of much contention in the United States in recent years. Indeed, concerns persist with regard to how the foreign-born will adapt and integrate into U.S. society and c...
Officer Wilson’s racialization of Mike Brown: a discourse of race, gender, and mental health

Mike Brown an 18-year-old, unarmed African American male, was stopped, while on foot, by a Ferguson, Missouri police officer named Darren Wilson, on August 9th, 2014. The encounter ended with Offic...
Proteomic analysis of the desmosome identifies novel components required for skin integrity

Summary Desmosomes are cell-cell adhesions necessary for the maintenance of tissue integrity in the skin and the heart. While the core components of the desmosome have been identified, peripheral components that modulate canonical desmosome functions or that have noncanonical roles remain largely unexplored. Here we used targeted proximity labeling approaches to elaborate the desmosome proteome in epidermal keratinocytes. Quantitative mass spectrometry analysis identified all core desmosome proteins while uncovering a diverse network of new constituents with broad molecular functions. By individually targeting the inner and outer dense plaques, we additionally define proteins enriched in these subcompartments. We validated a number of these novel desmosome-associated proteins and find that many show a dependence upon the core desmosomal protein, desmoplakin, for their localization. We further explored the mechanism of localization and function of two novel desmosome-associated adaptor proteins that we identified, Crk and Crkl. These proteins interacted with Dsg1 and require both Dsg1 and desmoplakin for robust cortical localization. Epidermal deletion of both Crk and CrkL in mice resulted in perinatal lethality with defects in desmosome morphology and keratin organization, thus demonstrating the utility of this dataset in identifying novel proteins required for desmosome-dependent epidermal integrity.
Analysis of retinopathy of prematurity

Objective To analyze the incidence and severity of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 210 premature children from September 2005 to May 2008 with weight equal to or less than 2500g or a gestational age at birth of 36 weeks or less.All of the mem-bers were examined by indirect binocular ophthalmoscopy.Results ROP occurred with an incidence rate of 12.9% among 210 premature children, and above ROP stages Ⅲ occurred with an incidence rate of 3.8%, This study showed the infants were more prone to develop ROP with short geststional age, low birth weight,long time of oxygen inhalation, and severe infants diseases.Twins had a significantly higher rate of ROP (20.5%) than singleton babies(10.8%), ROP were severer in twins than singleton babies.Conclusion Short gestational age, low birth weight, long time of oxygen inhalation, severe infants diseases, and non-singleton babies were the most significant factors associated with ROP. Key words: Retinopathy of prematurity(ROP); ROP epidemiology; ROP incidence
Promoting Far Transfer and 21st-Century Competency Through the Aural Skills Capstone Project

This essay shares a project that is designed to connect first-year ear-training coursework to the functional use of aural skills beyond traditional classroom limitations. In particular, we focus on a second-semester capstone project that utilizes transcription, transposition, composition, and primary-instrument performance of popular music songs using multi-track recording software. In addition to reinforcing the knowledge and skills of the curriculum, this capstone increases student engagement, gives students ownership of their own skill development, and allows them to experience a broader application of their acquired skills. After a brief discussion of the concept of transfer and its relevance to the ear training classroom, we examine the details of the capstone, consider some of its challenges, and share examples of student work.
Case report: characterization of a persistent, treatment-resistant, novel Staphylococcus aureus infection causing chronic mastitis in a Holstein dairy cow.

Mastitis is the most common health concern plaguing the modern dairy cow and costs dairy producers estimates of two billion dollars annually. Staphylococcus aureus infections are prevalent, displaying varied disease presentation and markedly low cure rates. Neutrophils are considered the first line of defense against mastitis causing bacteria and are frequently targeted in the development of treatment and prevention technologies. We describe a case of naturally occurring, chronic mastitis in a Holstein cow (1428), caused by a novel strain of S. aureus that was not able to be cleared by antibiotic treatment. The infection was identified in a single quarter, 2 months into the cow’s first lactation. The infection persisted for the following 20 months, including through dry off, and a second calving and lactation. This case of mastitis was associated with a consistently high somatic cell count, however presented with no other clinical signs. This cow was unsuccessfully treated with antibiotics commonly used to treat mastitis, consisting of two rounds of treatment during lactation and an additional round at the beginning of dry off. The chronic infection was also unchanged through an experimental mid-lactation treatment with pegylated granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (PEG-gCSF) and an additional periparturient treatment with PEG-gCSF. We isolated milk neutrophils from 1428 and compared them to two cows challenged with experimental S. aureus, strain Newbould 305. Neutrophils from 1428’s milk had higher surface expression of myeloperoxidase compared to experimental Newbould challenged animals, as well as increased presence of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps. This suggests a heightened activation state of neutrophils sourced from 1428’s naturally occurring infection. Upon postmortem examination, the affected quarter revealed multifocal abscesses separated by fibrous connective tissues. Abscesses were most common in the gland cistern and collecting duct region. Microscopically, the inflammatory reaction was pyogranulomatous to granulomatous and consistent with botryomycosis. Colonies of Gram-positive cocci were found within the eosinophilic matrix of the Splendore-Hoeppli reaction within granulomas and intracellularly within the acinar epithelium. Collectively, we describe a unique case of chronic mastitis, the characterization of which provides valuable insight into the mechanics of S. aureus treatment resistance and immune escape.
International Standards for Densified Products

The primary solid fuel standard used in the United States is the Pellet Fuel Institute (PFI) standard. In contrast, combined standards throughout various European countries—such as Austria, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France, and Denmark—are governed by what is known as the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). CEN/TC 335 developed technical specifications and testing methods for solid biofuels. CEN/TS 14961 gives the standards for densified solid fuels like pellets and briquettes. International standards for pellets and briquettes (ISO 17225-1:2014) are guided by the International Standards Organization (ISO). This chapter compares the quality of these densified products produced from various woody, herbaceous, and municipal solid waste (MSW) with respect to the existing standards.
Abstract SS1-03: Examining a decade of racial disparity in partial mastectomy and oncoplastic surgery

BACKGROUND: Breast Conservation Surgery (BCS) includes either partial mastectomy or oncoplastic surgery, of which oncoplastic surgery has become increasingly prevalent. Previous studies have examined BCS rates and post-operative complications, however, no known study has analyzed racial disparity in BCS utilization rates. Understanding racial disparity is crucial to addressing health equality and access to care. Therefore, our study aims to examine racial differences in BCS utilization rates within an 11-year period to determine how these rates have changed over time. METHODS: This retrospective cohort analysis utilized the NSQIP (National Surgical Quality Improvement Program) database to identify women who underwent BCS procedures between 2008-2018. All patients were diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ or invasive breast cancer. BCS was further sub-divided into partial mastectomy and oncoplastic surgery. Patient demographics were recorded, and racial utilization trends were analyzed using a Cochran- Armitage test and Index of Disparity analysis, which is a method for summarizing proportional changes within a group’s population and its subgroups. RESULTS: In the 11-year period, 180,700 women underwent a breast cancer resection, of which 46% underwent BCS. Within BCS, 92% underwent a partial mastectomy and 8% received oncoplastic procedures. For both BCS subgroups, Caucasian women held the highest sample size (82%), followed by African Americans (12%), and Asian Americans (5%). Within the total sample size, BCS utilization increased from 38% in 2008 to 53% in 2018. Within the BCS subgroup, the proportion of patients having oncoplastics increased from 3.5% in 2008 to 10% in 2018, leading to a declining proportion of partial mastectomies: 96.5% to 90.0% (all p Citation Format: Jolie Jean, Michael M. Jonczyk, Christopher Homsy, Stephen Naber, Abhishek Chatterjee. Examining a decade of racial disparity in partial mastectomy and oncoplastic surgery [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr SS1-03.
I. Pedagogy Toward Refusal

Recognizing that thousands of people of color have suffered the many brutalities of racism, the editorial staff of Horizons marks the somber first anniversary of the tragic murder of George Floyd (May 25, 2020) with a pedagogical roundtable considering the possibility or impossibility of teaching antiracism in colleges and universities.
Predictors of overall survival (OS) in patients (pts) with melanoma brain metastasis (MBM) in the modern era.

9540Background: The management and OS of pts with metastatic melanoma have improved due to new systemic therapies. However, relatively little is known about the use of these treatments (tx) and the...
THE SEMANTIC ENVIRONMENT OF SCIENCE

The introductory chapter presents ideas on the needs for both research scientists and science practitioners to communicate with each other and nonscientists and to control the environment in which the communication takes place. It introduces Neil Postman’s idea of the semantic environment, in which meanings for words and other communication techniques are exchanged within a situation. As in a biological ecosystem, every element influences meanings communicated. Postman declares that these elements include the people involved, purpose, rules of discourse, and particular talk used, but every situation has particular influences that alter the communication. In scientific writing and presentation, chief elements are the situation in which the communication occurs (as at a conference or for a journal), speaker or writer, subject and purpose, and audience, in addition to numerous other influences. Chapter 1 describes the importance of each of these elements and notes how they and lesser elements interrelate and influence one another.
An integrated vision-based positioning system for video stabilization and accurate local navigation and terrain mapping

This paper deals with the design, construction and calibration processes in the use of angle sensors to improve the accuracy of a vision-based positioning system. These sensors are used for measurements that cannot be determined accurately (enough) from motion vision techniques. Furthermore, they provide a mechanism to stabilize the video data with respect to undesirable motion effects, e.g., cyclic motions in the surf zone. To use the integrated system effectively, a high-precision calibration procedure is employed to determine the transformations among the coordinate systems of the angle sensors and the vision system. With the positioning information presented in a common coordinate frame, the ROV control system can be optimized for operations that require high-precision navigation, trajectory following, terrain mapping, etc. Results of the calibration process and the testing of the system are presented to evaluate effectiveness and performance.
A unified algorithm for estimation and scheduling in data path synthesis

A unified algorithm is presented to solve the problem of estimation and scheduling for performance constrained data path synthesis. The algorithm achieves superior results by first computing a lower bound on the number of functional units required to satisfy the performance constraint T, and then scheduling the operations into the best control steps using the lower bound algorithm. The lower bound not only greatly reduces the size of the solution space, but also provides a means to measure the proximity of the final solution to an optimal one. Our unified algorithm can also be incorporated in a branch-and-bound algorithm to solve the scheduling problem optimally. Experiments indicate that our scheduling algorithm can produce results very close to the lower bound. For all of the test cases the difference between our upper and lower bounds is not greater than one. >
Partial Plan Recognition Using Predictive Agents

This work explores the benefits of using user models for plan recognition problems in a real-world application. Interface agents axe designed for the prediction of resource usage in the UNIX domain using a stochastic approach to automatically acquire regularities of user behavior. Both sequential information from the command sequence and relational information such as system's responses and arguments to the commands are considered to typify a user's behavior and intentions. Issues of ambiguity, distraction and interleaved execution of user behavior are examined and taken into account to improve the probability estimation in hidden Markov models. This paper mainly represents both ideal and simplified models to represent and solve the prediction problem on a theory basis.
cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C consensus site mutations of the beta-adrenergic receptor. Effect on desensitization and stimulation of adenylylcyclase.

Activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cAPK) or protein kinase C (PKC) causes a rapid desensitization of beta 2-adrenergic receptor (beta AR) stimulation of adenylylcyclase in L cells, which previous studies suggest involves the cAPK/PKC consensus phosphorylation site in the third intracellular loop of the beta AR, RRSSK263. To determine the role of the individual serines in the cAPK- and PKC-mediated desensitizations, wild type (WT) and mutant beta ARs containing the substitutions, Ser261-->Ala, Ser262-->Ala, Ser262-->Asp, and Ser261/262-->Ala, were constructed and stably transfected into L cells. Results showed that serine 262 was the primary site of the cAPK-induced desensitization, whereas either serine 261 or serine 262 was sufficient to confer the 4 beta-phorbol 12 beta-myristate 13 alpha-acetate (PMA)/PKC-mediated desensitization. Coincident stimulation of cAPK and PKC caused an additive desensitization (6-8-fold increase in the EC50) which was significantly reduced (80%) only by the double substitution mutation. Quantitative evaluation of the coupling efficiencies and the GTP-shift of the WT and mutant receptors demonstrated that only one of the mutants, Ser262-->Ala, was partially uncoupled. The Ser262-->Asp mutation did not significantly uncouple, demonstrating that introducing a negative charge did not appear to mimic the desensitized state of the receptor. The beta AR expression level played a critical role in determining the pattern of beta AR desensitization; i.e. while the overall desensitization was unaltered within a large range of beta AR expression level (10-300 fmol/mg), the increase in EC50 and decrease in Vmax were differentially affected by the change in the receptor level.
Overview: The Effects of Chemical Pollutants on the Fetus and Child

What I have to say in my summary will be very personal. It concerns information that has filtered through those remaining neurones, and perhaps reflects certain prejudices which result from a good many years of association with a rather comparable field, the prevention of infectious diseases and the development and introduction of vaccines. This work has many problems similar to those pertaining to chemical pollutants. Throughout this Conference we have emphasized repeatedly the peculiar susceptibility of the fetus and young child to environmental chemical pollutants. It has been pointed out that, in addition to the periods of special vulnerability (particularly evident in early fetal life), the infant and child are more subject to certain environmental risks at different stages of development (e.g., the high incidence of poisonings in toddlers). Our special concern for the fetus and the young child is not based on these considerations alone. Clearly, any adverse happening to an individual early in life, particularly if it affects intellectual achievement, provides a great burden on the social system; and, the longer the period this person must be supported by society, the greater the burden and the greater the cost-not just in money but in many other ways. Death from the socioeconomic point of view is relatively unimportant, compared to a chronic disability. Behavioral psychologists have taught us about imprinting, which is particularly evident in some animals but has not been demonstrated in children. Dr. Holland9s comments about the effect of air pollution in the first year of life, and its sequelae in later life are of great importance, and certainly need to be subjected to further study.
Applied General Equilibrium Modeling with MPSGE as a GAMS Subsystem: AnOverview of the Modeling Framework and Syntax

This paper describes a programming environment for economic equilibrium analysis. The system introduces the Mathematical Programming System for General Equilibrium analysis (MPSGE, Rutherford 1987) within the Generalized Algebraic Modelling System (GAMS, Brooke, Kendrick and Meeraus (1988)). This arrangement exploits GAMS‘ set-oriented algebraic syntax for data manipulation and report writing. The system based on the tabular MPSGE input format provides a compact, non-algebraic representation of a model‘s nonlinear equations. This paper provides an overview of the modelling environment and three worked examples in tax policy analysis.
Quantum dot detectors for mid-infrared sensing: bias-controlled spectral tuning and matched filtering

ABSTRACT Quantum-dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs), based on intersubband transitions in nanoscale self-assembleddots, are perceived as a promising technology for mid-infrared-regime sensing since they are based on a matureGaAs technology, are sensitive to normal incidence radiation, exhibit large quantum conned stark eect thatcan be exploited for hyperspectral imaging, and have lower dark currents than their quantum-well counter-parts. High detectivity ( D =10 11 cmHz 1 / 2 /Watt at 9 µ m) QDIPs have been recently shown to exhibit broadspectral responses ( 2 µ m FWHM) with a bias-dependent shift in their peak wavelengths. This controllable,bias-dependent spectral diversity, in conjunction with signal-processing strategies, allows us to extend the op-eration of the QDIP sensors to a new modality that enables us to achieve: (1) spectral tunability (single- ormulti-color) in the range 2-12 µm in the presence of the QDIPs dark current; and (2) multispectral matchedltering in the same range. The spectral tuning is achieved by forming an optimal weighted sum of multiplephotocurrent measurements, taken of the object to be probed, one for each bias in a set of prescribed operationalbiases. For each desired spectral response, the number and values of the prescribed biases and their associatedweights are tailored so that the superposition response is as close as possible, in the mean-square-error sense,to the response of a sensor that is optically tuned to the desired spectrum. The spectral matching is achievedsimilarly but with a dierent criterion for selecting the weights and biases. They are selected, in conjunctionwith orthogonal-subspace-projection principles in hyperspectral classication, to nullify the interfering spectralsignatures and maximize the signal-to-noise ratio of the output. This, in turn, optimizes the classication of theobjects according to their spectral signatures. Experimental results will be presented to demonstrate the QDIPsensors capabilities in these new modalities. The eect of dark-current noise on the spectral-tuning capabilityis particularly investigated. Examples of narrowband and wideband multispectral photocurrent synthesis as wellas matched ltering are presented.Keywords: quantum dot, self assembled, infrared detectors, spectral tuning, matched ltering
Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase isoform 2 activity limited and further inhibited by slowing down the rate of dissociation of ADP.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 2 (PDK2) activity is enhanced by the dihydrolipoyl acetyltransferase core (E2 60mer) that binds PDK2 and a large number of its pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1) substrate. With E2-activated PDK2, K+ at ∼90 mM and Cl- at ∼60 mM decreased the Km of PDK2 for ATP and competitive Ki for ADP by ∼3-fold and enhanced pyruvate inhibition. Comparing PDK2 catalysis ± E2, E2 increased the Km of PDK2 for ATP by nearly 8-fold (from 5 to 39 μM), increased kcat by ∼4-fold, and decreased the requirement for E1 by at least 400-fold. ATP binding, measured by a cold-trapping technique, occurred at two active sites with a Kd of 5 μM, which equals the Km and Kd of PDK2 for ATP measured in the absence of E2. During E2-aided catalysis, PDK2 had ∼3 times more ADP than ATP bound at its active site, and the pyruvate analogue, dichloroacetate, led to 16-fold more ADP than ATP being bound (no added ADP). Pyruvate functioned as an uncompetitive inhibitor versus ATP, and inclusion of ADP transformed pyruvate inh...
School Consultation and Response to Intervention: A Tale of Two Literatures

School consultation and response to intervention (RTI) are both problem-solving methods employed in school-based service delivery, but beyond that characteristic, how are they the same and how are they different? A major purpose of this commentary is to compare and contrast the scholarly literatures of school consultation and RTI. A selective review of recent source materials indicated that less than 4% of references cited in the RTI literature contain the word consultation or collaboration in their titles, and less than 1% of references cited in the school consultation literature contain response to intervention or RTI in their titles. More substantive thematic similarities and differences between the two literatures as well as thoughts on the future relationship between school consultation and RTI are offered.