cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Elevated plasma and tissue levels of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide in the watery-diarrhea syndrome due to pancreatic, bronchogenic and other tumors.

Abstract The actions of the vasoactive intestinal polypeptide make it a potential candidate for mediating certain manifestations of the watery-diarrhea syndrome. Peptide levels were measured by radioimmunoassay in 25 controls and 30 patients with chronic watery diarrhea. Plasma levels were too low to measure ( < 200 pg per milliliter) in 22 of the controls, averaging 79 ± 64 pg per milliliter (S.D.). Levels were elevated in 26 of 28 plasma samples (5.1 ± 2.5 ng per milliliter), and ineach of 13 tissue extracts (5.1 ± 10.9 μg per gram); in all, 28 patients had elevated levels in plasma or tissue or both. Thirteen patients had pancreatic islet-cell adenoma, four islet-cell hyperplasia, five bronchogenic carcinoma, and one each pheochromocytoma and ganglioneuroblastoma.The findings indicate that the peptide is a probable mediator of the watery-diarrhea syndrome, that the syndrome may result from a variety of non-pancreatic tumors, and that this or a related peptide may also be secreted by these tumors. (N En...
Investigation of the population composition of bloodsucking midges in Wusulijiang River valley

Objective To investigate the population composition of bloodsucking midges in Hulin city,Raohe county and Fuyuan county along the Wusulijiang River in Heilongjiang province.Methods Human-baited net traps,light traps,animal-baited traps and insect nets were used to capture bloodsucking midges.Results A total of 131 393 bloodsucking midges were collected,which belonged to 2 genera and 38 species.Seven newly recorded species were found and described.The predominant species was Culicoides punctatus(56.7%).The species composition varied in different habitats,places,months and collecting methods.C.punctatus presented obvious phototaxis.Conclusion The investigation provided the basis for further studies on the population composition of bloodsucking midges in this area.
Study of the Theory of Cooperative Teaching Model of Event Elective Courses in Common Universities and Colleges

Constructing the teaching model based on advanced educational concept in P E teaching has been the key in P E teaching reform.Cooperative teaching has been valued and promoted since it was put foreword,and has influenced the reform of P E curriculum in common universities and colleges.This article probes its background,its research condition,theoretical base of cooperative teaching model,teaching object,the condition of operation,teaching strategy,evaluation and its features to realize the concept "Students cooperate in learning,and learn in cooperating."
Spatial misregistration of vascular flow during MR imaging of the CNS: cause and clinical significance.

Spatial misregistration of signal recovered from flowing spins within vascular structures is a common phenomenon seen in MR imaging of the CNS. The condition is displayed as a bright line or dot offset from the true anatomic location of the lumen of the imaged vessel. Its origin is the time delay between application of the phase- and frequency-encoding gradients used to locate spins within the plane of section. The principal condition necessary for the production of spatial misregistration is flow oblique to the axis of the phase-encoding gradient. Flow-related enhancement (entry slice phenomenon), even-echo rephasing, and gradient-moment nulling contribute to the production of the bright signal of spatial misregistration. Familiarity with the typical appearance of flow-dependent spatial misregistration permits confirmation of a vessel9s patency; identification of the direction of flow; estimation of the velocity of flow; and differentiation of this flow artifact from atheromas, dissection, intraluminal clot, and artifacts such as chemical shift.
Observations on the variation in volumes of self-collected oral fluid samples submitted for HIV antibody detection.

(2014). Observations on the variation in volumes of self-collected oral fluid samples submitted for HIV antibody detection. British Journal of Biomedical Science: Vol. 71, No. 3, pp. 130-132.
Cathodoluminescence of Evaporated Zinc Sulfide-manganese Films*

The cathodoluminescence of thin evaporated ZnS—Mn films has been investigated by varying both the manganese concentration and the postheat time. The effect of different powders and experimental techniques are described in detail. A superior method of evaporating zinc sulfide by means of electron bombardment heating and an ion collecting electrode is explained.
Static Resilience of Large Flexible Engineering Systems: Axiomatic Design Model and Measures

Our modern life has grown to depend on many and nearly ubiquitous large complex engineering systems. Many disciplines now seemingly ask the same question: “In the face of assumed disruption, to what degree will these systems continue to perform and when will they be able to bounce back to normal operation.” This paper seeks to partially fulfill this need with static resilience measures for large flexible engineering systems based upon an axiomatic design model. This development is founded upon graph theory and axiomatic design for large flexible engineering systems (LFESs). Central to the development is the concept of structural degrees of freedom as the available combinations of system processes and resources, which could be individually measured to describe system capabilities or sequentially measured to give a sense of the skeleton of a system's behavior. This approach facilitates the enumeration of service paths through an LFES, along which valuable artifacts flow. Therefore, this work compares the value and quantity of service paths before and after a disruption as measures of static resilience or survivability. To complete the contribution, a full illustrative example from the production system domain is given.
Electron transport and dielectric breakdown in silicon nitride using a charge transport model

Silicon nitride is an important material used in the electronics industry. As such, the electronic transport and reliability of these materials are important to study and understand. We report on a charge transport model to predict leakage current and failure trends based on previously published data for a stoichiometric silicon nitride dielectric. Failure occurs when the defect density increases to a critical value of approximately 6 × 1025 traps/m3. The model's parameters are determined using voltage ramp data only, and yet, the model is also able to predict constant voltage stress failure over a time scale ranging from minutes to months. The successful fit of the model to the experimental data validates our assumption that the dominant defect in the dielectric is the Si dangling bond, located approximately 2.2 eV below the conduction band. A comparison with previous SiCOH simulations shows SiN and SiCOH have similar defect-related material properties. It is also speculated that, based on the estimated parameter values of 2.75 eV for the defect formation activation energy, the materials' TDDB wear-out are caused by broken Si-H bonds, resulting in Si dangling bond defects.
The role of photonics in future exascale data systems

We discuss the role of photonics in our pursuit for future exascale data systems. High-throughput, low-latency, low-contention, and high-radix switching together with energy-efficient silicon photonics intimately integrated with electronics will be vitally important.
Subcritical detection of an elongated target buried under a rippled interface

This paper describes recent results from an ongoing measurement and modeling effort investigating shallow grazing angle acoustic detection of targets buried under a rippled bottom. The measurements are being performed in a 13.7-m deep, 110-m long, 80-m wide test-pool with a 1.5-m layer of sand on the bottom. The rippled bottom is formed by scraping the sand with a machined rake. A parametric sonar (1 to 20 kHz) and broad band (10 to 50 kHz) transducers are placed onto the shaft of a tilting motor, which in turn is attached to an elevated rail that enables this assembly to be translated horizontally, permitting acquired data to be processed and displayed as images. Data acquired with the broad band transducers could be further processed using synthetic aperture sonar (S AS) techniques. In previous work, measured calibrated backscatter levels obtained from a buried silicone oil-filled sphere were compared to predictions of a model that uses perturbation theory. Most of the data-model comparisons exhibited good agreement (Lopes et al., "Subcritical Detection of Targets Buried Under a Rippled Interface: Calibrated Levels and Effects of Large Roughness," MTS/IEEE, pp.485-493.). In order to evaluate model predictions on more complex scatterers, an additional series of measurements was conducted using an elongated cylindrical shaped target that was buried under the rippled surface. Images of the buried cylindrical target were generated and are presented. Also presented are signal-to-noise ratios of the buried target
A blockchain currency that beat s bitcoin on privacy [News]

In October, I was in a van in Denver with Zooko Wilcox, the CEO of Zcash, a company that was soon to launch a new blockchain-based digital currency of the same name. On the floor next to me was a bunch of recently purchased computer equipment. I knew we were going to a hotel but didn’t know which one. I only knew that I’d be there for the next two days straight and that it would be my job to watch, ask questions, stave off sleep, and document as much as I possibly could.
β-Carboline Amides as Intrinsic Directing Groups for C(sp2)–H Functionalization

Many site-selective palladium-catalyzed C–H functionalization methods require directing groups. We report here β-carboline amides as intrinsic directing groups for C(sp2)–H functionalization. Various substrates including the natural product alangiobussinine and the marinacarboline core structure were functionalized using carboline-directed δ-C(sp2)–H alkynylations. This transformation proceeds under mild conditions and is compatible with a wide variety of β-arylethamines. δ-Alkynylation of β-arylethamines via a six-membered palladacycle is favored over γ-C(sp2)–H bond functionalization when both positions are accessible. The versatility of β-carboline amides as directing groups is evidenced by other δ-C(sp2)–H functionalizations such as alkenylation, arylation, and C–N bond formation.
A Biosocial Model of Affective Decision Making: Implications for Dissonance, Motivation, and Culture

Abstract Drawing on recent advances in both neuroscience and animal behavior, we propose a biosocial model of affective decision making, which holds that when people face a conflict between two competing behavioral options (e.g., go vs. no-go, approach vs. avoidance), they develop a new affective disposition that resolves the conflict. This newly emerging affect will enable one to select a response while forming the basis for an elaborate cognition that justifies the selected response. The model reconceptualizes cognitive dissonance as fundamentally affective and involving both predecisional and postdecisional components. Furthermore, by postulating both top-down and bottom-up neural pathways to regulate the sensitivity to behavioral conflict, it integrates prior evidence on factors that moderate dissonance, including action orientation, self-affirmation, mortality salience, and culture. It also offers new insights into a disparate set of motivational phenomena including animal behaviors that mimic cognitive dissonance, sunk-cost fallacy, addiction, and ego-depletion. Lastly, the biosocial model has implications for how humans may be affectively and motivationally attached to symbols of culture. Directions for future research are discussed.
Hypothalamic Amenorrhea and the Long-Term Health Consequences

The menstrual cycle is a reproductive vital sign and provides insight into hormonal imbalance as well as pregnancy. The significance of estrogen, however, extends beyond fertility and plays a role on tissues and organs throughout the body. Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea is a common form of secondary amenorrhea resulting in estrogen deficiency in young premenopausal women. While reversible, the cause of this disorder is related to psychological stress, excessive exercise, disordered eating, or a combination of these factors resulting in suppression of the hypothalamic–pituitary–ovarian axis. The resulting loss of estrogen has profound effects on many systems throughout the body, including cardiac, skeletal, psychological, and reproductive. Often, these young women are “walking well,” as they do not have bothersome symptoms of low estrogen and are unaware of the consequences of estrogen deficiency. This review focuses on the health consequences of hypothalamic amenorrhea, current research, and available treatment options.
Fusion Stage of HIV-1 Entry Depends on Virus-Induced Cell Surface Exposure of Phosphatidylserine

Summary HIV-1 entry into host cells starts with interactions between the viral envelope glycoprotein (Env) and cellular CD4 receptors and coreceptors. Previous work has suggested that efficient HIV entry also depends on intracellular signaling, but this remains controversial. Here we report that formation of the pre-fusion Env-CD4-coreceptor complexes triggers non-apoptotic cell surface exposure of the membrane lipid phosphatidylserine (PS). HIV-1-induced PS redistribution depends on Ca 2+ signaling triggered by Env-coreceptor interactions and involves the lipid scramblase TMEM16F. Externalized PS strongly promotes Env-mediated membrane fusion and HIV-1 infection. Blocking externalized PS or suppressing TMEM16F inhibited Env-mediated fusion. Exogenously added PS promoted fusion, with fusion dependence on PS being especially strong for cells with low surface density of coreceptors. These findings suggest that cell-surface PS acts as an important cofactor that promotes the fusogenic restructuring of pre-fusion complexes and likely focuses the infection on cells conducive to PS signaling.
U.S. milled rice markets and integration across regions and types

Rice is among the top seven U.S. major crops in terms of harvested acres – covering over 2.6 million acres – and sixth in terms of sales, with annual cash receipts around 3.1 billion dollars. This paper investigates whether U.S. milled rice markets are integrated across regions and whether these markets are integrated by rice types. Understanding dynamic relationships across regions and types provides important insights for risk management and policy making. Of the four major producing regions, three are in the South – Arkansas-Missouri, Louisiana-Mississippi, and Texas – and the other is California. There are different rice types associated with a production region. California mainly produces short and medium grain; while Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana primarily produce long and also medium grains. We determine the potential market integration of these rice markets by applying a Vector Error Correction Model and Directed Acyclic Graphs to monthly free on board milled rice price data from August 1986 to D...
Why Narrative Identity Matters: Preserving Authenticity in Neurosurgical Interventions

Jecker and Ko (2017) argue that numerical identity is not the only aspect of identity that matters to patients faced with certain neurosurgical interventions. Put differently: Surviving an interven...
The life of politics: the compositional history of The Life of Poetry and Muriel Rukeyser’s changing appraisal of emotion and belief

ABSTRACTBetween 1940 and 1949, the period when Muriel Rukeyser composed The Life of Poetry, the United States moved from pre-war into wartime and then post-war periods. Rukeyser’s politicised poetics shifted in response to these changing conditions. A bibliographic approach that reads the book through Rukeyser’s original lectures’ extant unpublished scripts, drafts and reading notes, and other archival sources illuminates how her increasing emphasis on emotion and psychology, coupled with her de-emphasis of belief, inflected her leftist poetics.
Stiffness-reduction mechanisms in composite laminates

It now is recognized widely that stiffness changes during the service loading of composite laminates can be significantly large, especially as those changes affect deflections, dimensional changes, vibration characteristics, and load or stress distributions. Several generic sources of stiffness change can be identified, in various degrees, in fibrous composite materials. The source which occurs quite early in the life of a specimen or component is matrix cracking, the subject of this paper. While most laboratories now report stiffness changes, very little systematic philosophy has been developed to account for and explain such stiffness changes. The complexity of this situation requires systematic study, and motivates the search for a model, or models, which can describe the behavior and predict unfamiliar response. The present paper reports the results of an experimental program and an analytical modelling exercise which indicate that much of the observed matrix cracking can be predicted and the effects on stiffness calculated with various degrees of accuracy depending upon the sophistication of the model used.
Summation: Ideas presented and lessons learned

We can summarize omental topics covered by this meeting in terms of what I call ‘H-S-G-I and N’. The ‘H’ represents the omental transposition as a ‘hose’. Here the omentum delivers blood, or neurotransmitters or it delivers angiotrophic, neurotrophic or other regulating substances because it is a physiologic delivery system. A delivery system that brings in blood or trophic stimulation to an area in need. But in addition to it being a ‘hose’, it is also a ‘sucker’ (‘S’) and where we have excess fluid, traumatic or congenital hydrocephalus, or the oedema of injury, the omentum acts as a lymphatic conduit to remove oedema or cerebral spinal fluid. Thus, in omental clinical utilization, we have a ‘hose’ and a ‘sucker’ as a physiologic controlling system wherein perhaps we can both deliver fluid or oxygen and remove oedema fluid and/or modulate the volume of spinal fluid.
Towards a Domain Independent Semantics: Enhancing Semantic Representation with Construction Grammar

In Construction Grammar, structurally patterned units called constructions are assigned meaning in the same way that words are -- via convention rather than composition. That is, rather than piecing semantics together from individual lexical items, Construction Grammar proposes that semantics can be assigned at the construction level. In this paper, we investigate whether a classifier can be taught to identify these constructions and consider the hypothesis that identifying construction types can improve the semantic interpretation of previously unseen predicate uses. Our results show that not only can the constructions be automatically identified with high accuracy, but the classifier also performs just as well with out-of-vocabulary predicates.
Practice trends in the treatment of actinic keratosis in the United States: 0.5% fluorouracil and combination cryotherapy plus fluorouracil are underused despite evidence of benefit.

Background Topical fluorouracil and cryotherapy are among the most commonly used treatments for actinic keratosis. Evidence shows that 0.5% fluorouracil has similar efficacy and is better tolerated than 5% fluorouracil. Evidence also shows that combination therapy with cryosurgery and fluorouracil is beneficial. Objective To examine fluorouracil and cryotherapy use in the treatment of actinic keratosis. Methods The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey database was queried for visits for actinic keratosis. Visits were analyzed for patient demographics, provider specialty, and treatment regimens. Fluorouracil and cryotherapy use was analyzed over time. Results Cryotherapy was the most commonly used treatment for actinic keratosis. Fluorouracil products were prescribed to 1.1 million patients (6.6%) between 2001 and 2008; of these, dermatologists prescribed 0.5% fluorouracil in 51.8% of cases and 5% fluorouracil in 38.9% of cases. Combination fluorouracil and cryotherapy was used for only 1.1% of actinic keratosis visits between 1993 and 2008 and was never used by nondermatologists. Conclusions Despite evidence suggesting comparable efficacy, greater tolerability, and lower cost of 0.5% fluorouracil relative to 5% fluorouracil, 5% fluorouracil is used by dermatologists almost as often as 0.5% fluorouracil. Among nondermatologists, 5% fluorouracil is used exclusively. Combination therapy of fluorouracil and cryotherapy is underused despite evidence of its benefit.
Network Model of the Disordered Phase in Symmetric Diblock Copolymer Melts

We present a model for the order-disorder transition of symmetric $A\text{\ensuremath{-}}B$ diblock copolymer melts in which the disordered phase is treated as a bicontinuous network, and in which self-consistent field predictions of properties of an analogous ordered network are used to estimate some properties. Such a model is shown to accurately predict the latent heat of this transition. The dependence of the location of the transition upon the invariant degree of polymerization $\overline{N}$ is shown to be consistent with a simple hypothesis that the disordered bicontinuous structure is stabilized relative to an analogous ordered network by a nearly constant entropy per network junction.
Creation of a remotely monitored and controlled ion beam laboratory using novel hardware and software tools

Abstract The Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory (MIBL) at the University of Michigan houses three electrostatic accelerators and six ion sources, providing beams to five target chambers and a TEM via nine distinct beamlines. Such a large system incorporates numerous control and monitoring instruments that can more easily be managed through a digital remote interface system. MIBL has implemented a variety of standard laboratory hardware and custom alternative hardware and software tools into a remote interface system that provides for greater laboratory efficiency, increased application flexibility and information flow and reduced cost. The outcome is that users can operate three accelerators and their corresponding beamline system from one console using a master control program, eliminating the need to constantly traverse the facility to monitor and manipulate instruments. Furthermore, the digitalization and centralization of the data generated by each subsystem has allowed for logging and variable correlation that would otherwise be impossible at such a large scale, and enabled the future application of modern tools such as machine learning to enhance operational efficiency.
Interview Techniques Utilized in Radiology Resident Selection—A Survey of the APDR

Rationale and Objectives To evaluate interview techniques currently used in the selection of diagnostic radiology resident candidates and to identify factors influencing the use of alternative interview techniques. Materials and Methods An anonymous 25 question e-mail survey was provided to 319 active members of the Association of Program Directors in Radiology. The survey included questions on residency demographics, organization of resident applicant interviews, types of interview techniques utilized, scoring and ranking of applicants, and facets of the interview/application felt most important to the selection process. Statistical analysis was performed to identify factors associated with the use of alternative interview techniques. Results 93.7% of responding programs use traditional interview techniques, with 92% using unblinded, unstructured interviews, 8% blinded, unstructured interviews. Structured interview questions were incorporated in 22%. Few programs used alternative techniques like the multiple mini-interview. None of the programs used written prompts during the interview, 3% used casual visual cognitive testing, 10% used panel interview techniques, and none used formal personality testing. For ranking candidates in the match, the most important facets considered were USMLE Step scores, performance on the interview, clinical course grades, and letters of reference. Factors associated with use of alternative techniques were domains associated with program size and number of faculty. Conclusion The majority of radiology training programs still rely upon the traditional unblinded interview technique. There is an opportunity for training programs to examine alternative techniques that reduce bias and may provide better insight into other aspects of the candidate that may not be as readily highlighted with the traditional, unblinded interview.
Responding to disruptive business model innovations: the case of traditional banks facing fintech entrants

The revolutionary changes brought by fintech entrants (“Fintechs”) in the financial services sector has caused severe turbulence in the operational and service activities of the incumbent ‘traditional’ banking organizations (“Banks”). Prior research in strategy and marketing literatures has suggested several general options for incumbents’ strategic responses to entrants with disruptive business models, such as competition, alliance or acquisitions. So far, however, no research paper has offered a systematic framework to guide an incumbent bank’s choice of the appropriate strategic response based on its assessment of the nature of the threat posed by a fintech entrant in its domain. In this conceptual article, we first review the evolution of the current fintech challenge to well-established traditional banks taking a marketing perspective that amalgamates key marketing concepts with an understanding of millennial lifestyles. Next, we define four categories of the type of threat posed by a fintech entrant to an incumbent bank by distinguishing between high and low levels of market-centered disruptive threats and technology-centered disruptive threats as perceived by the incumbent. Based on this categorization, we identify with supporting rationale the incumbent bank’s most appropriate choice from the strategic options of Buy, Make, Ally, Hold or Exit considering the type of fintech threat it faces. We also provide several case examples from the Indian context to support our prescriptions.
Recovery in the US ‘Opioid Crisis’

In this essay, I draw on in-depth ethnographic research conducted in and around Sunrise, a treatment center located in a US state that has been characterized as the ‘overdose capital of America,’ from 2014 to 2015. Inspired by E. Summerson Carr’s call to question the work of ‘crisis,’ I explore the meanings, experiences, and stakes of recovery for Sunrise residents in the context of the ‘crisis.’ The urgency to intervene in the ‘opioid crisis,’ I will argue, intensifies the stakes and dilemmas of treatment for individuals, who are attempting to recover the ‘right’ way under the threat of death. This urgency exacerbates tensions between co-existing, and often contradictory, biomedical and 12 Step models of recovery rooted in disparate ways of framing the role of medications and relapse in recovery.
On central versus factorial moments

For many probability distributions, especially in the case of discrete distributions, it is relatively easy to find factorial moments. Relations exist (see Comtet, 1974, p. 160) between factorial and ordinary moments. Using such relations, ordinary moments are found first customarily in order to have central moments. Needless to mention, central moments play a key role in statistical inference. In this paper we introduce two numbers with their properties and establish, using these numbers, direct relations between factorial and central moments. We illustrate our results for modified power series distributions.
Abstract 132: Direct interactions of oral bacteria and oral squamous cell carcinoma cells

Head and neck cancers (HNC) are the sixth most common cancer worldwide with more than 90% being squamous cell carcinoma. HNC can occur in the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx or hypopharynx, or nasal cavities. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is estimated to be diagnosed in 50,000 patients this year with an overall 5-year survival rate of 64%. The tumor microenvironment has been shown to play a vital role in the progression of many human cancers, including OSCC. Given the complexity of the oral microbiome, we hypothesize that OSCC and oral bacteria interact to affect the tumorigenic properties of OSCC. Methods: OSCC cells were cultured in the presence of oral pathogenic (Streptococcus mutans, Enterococcus faecalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans) and non-pathogenic (Streptococcus parasanguinis) bacteria. OSCC cells (A253, Cal27, FaDu, SCC-4, SCC- 9, SCC-25, SCC-152) were assessed for changes in cell proliferation, gene expression, and capacity to invade. Results: Pathogenic oral bacteria increased proliferation in A253 OSCC cells. Enterococcus faecalis increased proliferation of SCC-4, SCC-25 and SCC-152 cells. No increase in proliferation was seen in FaDu and Cal27 cells. When examining changes in gene expression, oral bacteria increased MMP2 expression in A253 cells.Enterococcus faecalis increased JAG1, markers of hedgehog signaling (GLI1, GLI2), cell proliferation (CCDN1, CDKN1A), and cell invasion (MMP2) in SCC-4. In SCC-25 cells, Enterococcus faecalis increased JAG1, GLI1, and GLI2. Despite having no effect in total proliferation, Enterococcus faecalis increased HES1 (a marker of Notch activity), GLI1, and GLI2 in Cal27 cells. In SCC-9 cells, GLI1 expression was increased with all treatments. Streptococcus mutans increased MMP9 and HES1. Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans increased MMP2 and MMP9. Enterococcus faecalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum also increased HES1. Conclusions: Both the chemical and spatial interactions between OSCC and oral bacterium may play a role in tumor progression and migration by regulating proliferation of cancer cells and cellular signaling. A direct infection model, as opposed to interactions with bacterial spent media, showed more potential in terms of affecting cell viability and likely gene regulation as well. Future experiments will further explore the interactions, including the complexity of the oral biofilm in cancer patients and the presence of multiple bacteria. Citation Format: Stefan Kovac, Tiara Napier, Jessica Scoffield, Hope Amm. Direct interactions of oral bacteria and oral squamous cell carcinoma cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 132.
Below C Level: A Student-Centered x86-64 Simulator

Learning an assembly language introduces students to important computing concepts such as the program stack and lays the conceptual groundwork for topics such as caching. While many instructors choose a RISC language such as MIPS for teaching assembly languages, the pervasiveness of x86-64 in both the desktop and server environments has compelled many instructors to adopt it in their courses. Unfortunately, x86-64 is a complex assembly language and as a result students often have difficulty understanding and visualizing the execution of an x86-64 program. This is especially the case for introductory level students, who struggle with the concepts of control flow; the difference between registers and memory; and memory organization (e.g. the stack).While students can use debuggers (e.g. GDB) to help them step through the execution of a program and examine the program state, these tools are challenging to learn and are therefore not an ideal fit for introductory level students. This paper introduces Below C Level (BCL), an x86-64 open source simulator aimed at helping novices overcome the barriers to learning this challenging language. BCL offers an intuitive interface and many features that allow students to easily simulate x86-64 code snippets or programs. During simulation BCL helps students decipher individual instructions and visualizes the program stack and register file, allowing students to quickly trace through their program and gain a deeper understanding of x86-64 code.
Degrees of Freedom Region of the MIMO $2 \times 2$ Interference Network With General Message Sets

We establish the degrees of freedom (DoF) region for the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) two-transmitter, and two-receiver ( $2 \times 2$ ) interference network with a general message set consisting of nine messages, one for each pair of a subset of transmitters at which that message is known and a subset of receivers where that message is desired. An outer bound on the general nine-message $2 \times 2$ interference network is obtained and it is shown to be tight, thereby establishing the DoF region for the most general antenna setting wherein the four nodes have an arbitrary number of antennas each. The DoF-optimal scheme is applicable to the MIMO $2 \times 2$ interference network with constant channel coefficients, and hence, a fortiori , to time/frequency varying channel scenarios. In particular, a linear precoding scheme is proposed that can achieve all the DoF tuples in the DoF region. In it, the precise roles played by transmit zero-forcing, interference alignment, random beamforming, symbol extensions, and asymmetric complex signaling (ACS) are delineated. For instance, we identify a class of antenna settings, in which ACS is required to achieve the fractional-valued corner points. Evidently, the DoF regions of all previously unknown cases of the $2 \times 2$ interference network with a subset of the nine-messages are newly established as special cases of the general result of this paper. For instance, the DoF region of the well-known four-message (and even three-message) MIMO $X$ channel is newly established. This problem had remained open despite previous studies, which had found inner and outer bounds that were not tight in general. Hence, the DoF regions of all special cases obtained from the general DoF region of the nine-message $2\times 2$ interference network of this paper that include at least three of the four $X$ channel messages are new, among many others. This paper sheds light on how the same physical $2 \times 2$ interference network could be used by a suitable choice of message sets to take most advantage of the channel resource in a flexible and efficient manner.
Efficacy of a Web-Based Intervention to Increase Uptake of Maternal Vaccines: An RCT.

Introduction Tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) and influenza vaccines are recommended for pregnant women in each pregnancy, yet uptake is suboptimal. This study tested the efficacy of an online vaccine resource in increasing uptake of Tdap and influenza vaccines among pregnant women. Study design RCT. Setting/participants This study was conducted among women in the third trimester of pregnancy in an integrated healthcare system in Colorado in September 2013–July 2016, with data analysis in 2017–2018. Intervention Women were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 arms: website with vaccine information and interactive social media components, website with vaccine information only, or usual care. Participants in the website with vaccine information and interactive social media components and website with vaccine information only arms had access to the same base vaccine content. The website with vaccine information and interactive social media components also included a blog, discussion forum, and “Ask a Question” portal. Main outcome measures Tdap and influenza vaccination. These outcomes were analyzed separately. Results For influenza (n=289), women in both the website with vaccine information and interactive social media components (OR=2.19, 95% CI=1.06, 4.53) and website with vaccine information only (OR=2.20, 95% CI=1.03, 4.69) arms had higher vaccine uptake than the usual care arm. The proportions of women receiving the influenza vaccine were 57%, 55%, and 36% in the website with vaccine information and interactive social media components, website with vaccine information only, and usual care arms, respectively. For Tdap (n=173), there were no significant differences in vaccine uptake between study arms. The proportions of women receiving Tdap were 71%, 69%, and 68% in the website with vaccine information and interactive social media components, website with vaccine information only, and usual care arms, respectively. Conclusions Web-based vaccination information sent to pregnant women can positively influence maternal influenza vaccine uptake. Because of potential scalability, the impact of robust vaccination information websites should be studied in other settings. Trial registration This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT01873040.
Committed Participation or Flashes of Action? Mobilizing Public Attention to Climate on Twitter, 2011–2015

Climate advocacy organizations are increasingly focused on citizen mobilization via social media as a strategy, proposing that by mobilizing the existing climate issue public into expressive action...
Transit timetable synchronization for transfer time minimization

Abstract This paper aims to synchronize timetables in a transit network so as to minimize the total passenger transfer waiting time. Assuming a fixed headway for each line, we first formulate the problem as an optimization problem with congruence constraints. We show that the problem is NP-hard, and investigate several special cases of the problem that are solvable in polynomial time. Furthermore, we show that the local search for the general problem is equivalent to the well-studied maximum directed cut problem. As such, we use an approximation algorithm for the maximum directed cut problem to solve the timetable synchronization problem. We assess the quality of the algorithm on a real-world case study, and show that our algorithm significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art in the literature. Lastly, we relax the fixed headway assumption, and propose an efficient recursive quasi-linear time algorithm to minimize the total transfer waiting time in this general setting.
Multi-Tiered Mentorship Models: Increasing Learning Outcomes of Underserved Populations:

In order to successfully achieve intended outcomes, mentorship models must be able to provide their target population with opportunities to gain entree into their prospective field, the tools neces...
Regulation of Murine Myeloma Cell Growth and Differentiation: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Implications

Publisher Summary This chapter presents previous studies which established the following: (1) murine myeloma cells differentiate during in vivo growth, (2) myeloma cell growth and differentiation can be regulated by the myeloma-bearing host, and (3) myeloma cell regulation is effected by experimentally focusing onto the malignant antibody-producing cells components of the immunoregulatory apparatus that ordinarily are targeted to nonneoplastic B cells. These findings with murine myeloma raise the possibility that neoplastic B cells in humans may be amenable to therapeutic control using an immunoregulatory approach. As normal plasma cells are the differentiated progeny of nonsecretory B lymphocytes that synthesize antibody and incorporate it into their cell surface membranes, the possibility that secretory myeloma cells might be derived from nonsecretory precursors was considered and the idiotype-specific myeloma transplantation resistance was mediated at the level of a nonsecretory myeloma cell. Inherent in such a scheme was the assumption that myeloma cells were heterogeneous and that they differentiated during in vivo growth. To determine whether myeloma cells differentiated, the growth, morphology, and immunoglobulin expression of MOPC-315 cells enclosed in Millipore diffusion chambers implanted into the peritoneal cavities of normal mice was monitored.
Factors Affecting Cognition and Depression in Adult Patients with Epilepsy.

Background and purpose Epilepsy patients are more likely to experience depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment compared to individuals in the general population. As the reasons for this are not definitively known, we sought to determine what factors correlate most strongly with cognition and a screening test for depression in epilepsy patients. Methods Our study population included 379 adult patients diagnosed with epilepsy or seizure in our neurology clinic. We collected detailed demographic and clinical data during patient visits using structured clinical documentation support tools that we have built within our commercial electronic medical records system (Epic), including a depression score (Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy, NDDIE) and cognition score test measures (specifically in this study, Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE]). Medication, age, gender, body mass index, duration of epilepsy, seizure frequency, current number of anti-epileptic medications, years of education were assessed in relation to baseline score as well as change in score from initial visit to first annual follow-up. Results Of the analyzed factors, two statistically significant associations were found after correction for multiple testing. Male gender and lower anti-seizure medication count were associated with better mood, as assessed by NDDIE score, at initial visit. Specifically, male gender was associated with a 1.3 decrease in NDDIE and for each additional anti-seizure medication, there was an associated 1.2 increase in NDDIE. Conclusions However, these factors were not associated with change in NDDIE score from initial to first annual follow-up visit. These findings, although interesting, are preliminary. Additionally, these findings were based on a homogenous (mainly Caucasian) clinic-based population and detailed information on previous medication use was lacking. Further work is needed to replicate these findings and to understand any mechanisms that may explain these associations.
Because Empire Means Forever: Babylon and Imperial Disposition

Having to use the term “empire” to describe Mesopotamian states prior to the first millennium (And specifically prior to the undeniably imperial expansionist Assyrian state before 910 bc.) can cause Assyriologists to shift uncomfortably in their seats. The heroic word fits poorly on the skinny frames of Uruk, Ur, and maybe even Akkad: these states are either not large enough, long-lived enough (hence this volume’s attention to “short-term empires”), or internally coordinated enough to seem to fully qualify.
Accelerated radial echo-planar spectroscopic imaging using golden angle view-ordering and compressed-sensing reconstruction with total variation regularization.

PURPOSE: To implement a novel, accelerated, 2D radial echo-planar spectroscopic imaging (REPSI) sequence using undersampled radial k-space trajectories and compressed-sensing reconstruction, and to compare results with those from an undersampled Cartesian spectroscopic sequence. METHODS: The REPSI sequence was implemented using golden-angle view-ordering on a 3T MRI scanner. Radial and Cartesian echo-planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) data were acquired at six acceleration factors, each with time-equivalent scan durations, and reconstructed using compressed sensing with total variation regularization. Results from prospectively and retrospectively undersampled phantom and in vivo brain data were compared over estimated concentrations and Cramer-Rao lower-bound values, normalized RMS errors of reconstructed metabolite maps, and percent absolute differences between fully sampled and reconstructed spectroscopic images. RESULTS: The REPSI method with compressed sensing is able to tolerate greater reductions in scan time compared with EPSI. The reconstruction and quantitation metrics (i.e., spectral normalized RMS error maps, metabolite map normalized RMS error values [e.g., for total N-acetyl asparate, REPSI = 9.4% vs EPSI = 16.3%; acceleration factor = 2.5], percent absolute difference maps, and concentration and Cramer-Rao lower-bound estimates) showed that accelerated REPSI can reduce the scan time by a factor of 2.5 while retaining image and quantitation quality. CONCLUSION: Accelerated MRSI using undersampled radial echo-planar acquisitions provides greater reconstruction accuracy and more reliable quantitation for a range of acceleration factors compared with time-equivalent compressed-sensing reconstructions of undersampled Cartesian EPSI. Compared to the Cartesian approach, radial undersampling with compressed sensing could help reduce 2D spectroscopic imaging acquisition time, and offers a better trade-off between imaging speed and quality.
Individual recognition and individual identity signals in Polistes fuscatus wasps vary geographically

Geographical variation in animal phenotypes is common, yet we know surprisingly little about how recognition varies across populations. Instead, much recognition research focuses on one or a few populations and assumes recognition behaviour is consistent across a species' range. Here, we show that individual identity signals and individual recognition vary across the geographical range of Polistes fuscatus wasps. Polistes fuscatus in Michigan and New York, U.S.A., have variable facial patterns that signal individual identity and are used by receivers for individual recognition. However, P. fuscatus from Rothrock, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., lack individual identity signals, as they have less variable facial patterns than P. fuscatus from Michigan. Furthermore, P. fuscatus from Pennsylvania are not capable of individual recognition. Pennsylvania P. fuscatus do not learn and remember individual conspecifics during social interactions or during training. The Michigan and Pennsylvania populations are genetically differentiated, but the differentiation is driven by geographical distance, not adaptive differentiation based on recognition differences. Overall, both signals and receiver responses vary across populations of P. fuscatus. Our results suggest that recognition systems may rapidly evolve to produce variation in signals and receiver responses across a species’ geographical range.
Cushing's Syndrome Due to a Functional Thymic Neuroendocrine Tumor in Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 Syndrome

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN 1) syndrome is characterized by endocrinopathies and could be associated with thymic neuroendocrine tumors (NET). On rare occasions, they can be functional adrenocorticotropic hormone-secreting thymic carcinoid leading to Cushing's syndrome. In this report, we describe a case of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-dependent Cushing's syndrome due to a thymic NET associated with MEN type 1 syndrome. We highlight its aggressive clinical course, the premise for a high index of suspicion for an ectopic ACTH secretion, and the need for early surgical resection combined with medical therapy and alternative treatments.