cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alcoa: the alloy constraint analyzer

Alcoa is a tool for analyzing object models. It has a range of uses. At one end, it can act as a support tool for object model diagrams, checking for consistency of multiplicities and generating sample snapshots. At the other end, it embodies a lightweight formal method in which subtle properties of behaviour can be investigated. Alcoa's input language, Alloy, is a new notation based on Z. Its development was motivated by the need for a notation that is more closely tailored to object models (in the style of UML), and more amenable to automatic analysis. Like Z, Alloy supports the description of systems whose state involves complex relational structure. State and behavioural properties are described declaratively, by conjoining constraints. This makes it possible to develop and analyze a model incrementally, with Alcoa investigating the consequences of whatever constraints are given. Alcoa works by translating constraints to boolean formulas, and then applying state-of-the-art SAT solvers. It can analyze billions of states in seconds.
On the stability of a shear layer

The effects of density variation in the absence of gravity on the stability of a horizontal shear layer between two streams of uniform velocities is investigated. The density is assumed to decrease exponentially with height and the velocity is represented by U(y) = tanh y.The method of small disturbances is employed to obtain the neutral stability curve. It is demonstrated that disturbances with wave-numbers larger than the width of the transition layer are attenuated.Qualitative agreement with experimental evidence is obtained.
Predicting and measuring drift of Bacillus thuringiensis sprays

Drift of the pesticide Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner var. kurstaki (Bt) was measured downwind from a gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) treatment block in mountain terrain. The study was conducted in conjunction with a project to eradicate the moth along the Wasatch mountain range of Utah. Objectives of the study were to quantitate drift, to evaluate drift sampling methods, and to compare FSCBG (Forest Service Cramer-Barry-Grim) computer model predictions to field measurements of Bt based on colony-forming units. The treatment block was sprayed by helicopter three times, within a 12-d period during June 1991, which provided a study of three replicates. During each spray, downslope drainage winds carried the spray over an array of samplers that extended 3,150 m downwind. The FSCBG dispersion model, exercised after the treatments, used meteorological inputs measured during the treatments to predict spray deposition and airborne dosage of Bt. Results of the study demonstrated a correlation among dosage, deposition and total flux samplers; a potential of Bt drift of at least 3,150 m; and FSCBG model predictions that generally followed the field recovery data.
Rapid, high-resolution, whole-brain, susceptibility-based MRI of multiple sclerosis

Background:Susceptibility-based MRI offers a unique opportunity to study neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). In this work, we assessed a three-dimensional segmented echo-planar-imaging (3D-EPI) sequence to rapidly acquire high-resolution T2*-weighted and phase contrast images of the whole brain. We also assessed if these images could depict important features of MS at clinical field strength, and we tested the effect of a gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) on these images.Materials and methods:The 3D-EPI acquisition was performed on four healthy volunteers and 15 MS cases on a 3T scanner. The 3D sagittal images of the whole brain were acquired with a voxel size of 0.55 × 0.55 × 0.55 mm3 in less than 4 minutes. For the MS cases, the 3D-EPI acquisition was performed before, during, and after intravenous GBCA injection.Results:Both T2*-weighted and phase-contrast images from the 3D-EPI acquisition were sensitive to the presence of lesions, parenchymal veins, and tissue iron. Conspicuit...
Luminal localization of blood-brain barrier sodium, potassium adenosine triphosphatase is dependent on fixation.

SUMMARY Cytochemical data in the literature reporting localization of sodium, potassium adenosine triphosphatase (Na 1 , K 1 -ATPase) in the blood‐brain barrier (BBB) have been contradictory. Whereas some studies showed the enzyme to be located exclusively on the abluminal endothelial plasma membrane, others demonstrated it on both the luminal and abluminal membranes. The influence of fixation on localization of the enzyme was not considered a critical factor, but our preliminary studies showed data to the contrary. We therefore quantitatively investigated the effect of commonly used fixatives on the localization pattern of the enzyme in adult rat cerebral microvessels. Fixation with 1%, 2%, and 4% formaldehyde allowed deposition of reaction product on both the luminal and abluminal plasma membranes. The luminal reaction was reduced with increasing concentration of formaldehyde. Glutaraldehyde at 0.1%, 0.25%, 0.5%, in combination with 2% formaldehyde, drastically inhibited the luminal reaction. The abluminal reaction was not significantly altered in all groups. These results show that luminal localization of BBB Na + , K + -ATPase is strongly dependent on fixation. The lack of luminal localization, as reported in the literature, may have been the result of fixation. The currently accepted abluminal polarity of the enzyme should be viewed with caution. (J Histochem Cytochem 48:859‐865, 2000)
Comparison of contemporary CMOS ring oscillators

This work presents measured data and analysis, accurately comparing three, four-stage ring oscillators. The delay cell topologies considered here include the linear source coupled, and two saturating types. Each oscillator is fabricated concurrently in a 1.8 V, 0.18 /spl mu/m CMOS process and is characterized for phase noise, power consumption and tuning range.
Implementation and Metrics for a Trajectory Prediction Validation Methodology

At the heart of every air traffic decision support tool’s functionality is its trajectory prediction, where a trajectory is defined as the 4-dimensional path of an aircraft. This paper presents a comprehensive implementation for measuring the accuracy of a trajectory prediction in support of a validation methodology. The process includes four main processing areas: (1) parsing and checking the actual positional data of an aircraft (i.e., the aircraft’s actual trajectory), (2) parsing the trajectory predictions, (3) comparing the actual and predicted aircraft trajectory by sampling and measuring, and (4) analyzing the results. This paper presents detailed descriptions of the sampling process and metrics used to measure the accuracy of a predicted trajectory. Several aspects of the analysis and implementation are provided as well, such as inferential statistical approaches and graphical user interfaces to examine individual flights.
Stability of rigid-body dynamics with sliding frictional contacts

The use of rigid body models during frictional contact is often justified by proving the existence of a unique solution to the forward dynamic equations. The implicit assumption here is that the contact forces so obtained are stable. In this paper, the rigid-body assumption is relaxed and body-to-body contacts are modelled using springs and dampers. A singular perturbation analysis reveals additional necessary conditions to ensure contact force stability in the reduced rigid-body model. Furthermore, the analysis indicates that stability depends on a damping ratio associated with the rigid contacts.
Enhanced reducibility and conductivity of Na/K-doped SrTi0.8Nb0.2O3

Donor and acceptor co-doped SrTiO3 materials have shown interesting features in their conductivity and reducibility. In this work, 10 mol% Na+ or K+ as acceptor dopants have been introduced into the A-site of donor-doped strontium titanate, SrTi0.8Nb0.2O3, and the doping impact on their properties has been studied. By doping with Na or K, the sinterability of SrTi0.8Nb0.2O3 in reducing atmospheres has been improved. Na0.1Sr0.9Ti0.8Nb0.2O3 and K0.1Sr0.9Ti0.8Nb0.2O3 show metallic conduction behavior after being sintered at 1400 °C in 5% H2/N2. Electrical conductivity reaches 1180 S cm−1 at 400 °C and 272 S cm−1 at 800 °C for K0.1Sr0.9Ti0.8Nb0.2O3, which is higher than that of Sr0.99Ti0.8Nb0.2O3 prepared under similar conditions, indicating the improved reducibility of acceptor doped SrTi0.8Nb0.2O3. Such improvement may be attributed to the improved oxide ionic conductivity and cation mobility at high temperatures. Reduced polarization resistance is also observed using Na0.1Sr0.9Ti0.8Nb0.2O3 and K0.1Sr0.9Ti0.8Nb0.2O3 as anodes on YSZ electrolytes, suggesting improved catalytic activity by Na/K-doping.
Aβ toxicity in Alzheimer's disease: Globular oligomers (ADDLs) as new vaccine and drug targets

Over the past several years, experiments with synthetic amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta) and animal models have strongly suggested that pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves soluble assemblies of Abeta peptides (Trends Neurosci. 24 (2001) 219). These soluble neurotoxins (known as ADDLs and protofibrils) seem likely to account for the imperfect correlation between insoluble fibrillar amyloid deposits and AD progression. Recent experiments have detected the presence of ADDLs in AD-afflicted brain tissue and in transgenic-mice models of AD. The presence of high affinity ADDL binding proteins in hippocampus and frontal cortex but not cerebellum parallels the regional specificity of AD pathology and suggests involvement of a toxin receptor-mediated mechanism. The properties of ADDLs and their presence in AD-afflicted brain are consistent with their putative role even in the earliest stages of AD, including forms of mild cognitive impairment.
Real-time implementation of model predictive control

A real-time implementation of model predictive control (MPC) is presented in this paper. MPC, also known as receding horizon control and moving horizon control, is widely accepted as the controller of choice for multivariable systems that have inequality constraints on system states, inputs and outputs. For processes with slow dynamics and low sampling rates, MPC is typically implemented on a dedicated computer. For systems with fast dynamics such as those in MEMS, a hardware embedded MPC would be an appropriate controller implementation since the size and the application precludes the use of a dedicated computer. Recent manufacturing advances have opened the path for the fabrication of micromechanical devices and electronic subsystems under the same manufacturing and packaging process, thereby opening the path for the use of advanced control algorithms towards systems-on-chip applications.
Neosecularization and Craft Versus Professional Religious Authority in a Nonreligious Organization

At the same time many religious organizations are apparently becoming more internally secularized, other nonreligious organizations appear to be going through a countervailing process of “sacralization” (Demerath). This study explores this development through a case study of a state university hospital that attempted to created a more “holistic” corporate culture. Extending research on the declining scope of religious authority (Chaves) and professional systems (Abbott), this study suggests that secular settings may be fertile ground for craft versions of religious authority to develop. Implications of the latter during an age when authority structures and caring tasks in general are being downsized and devolved are discussed.
LIGHT REGULATION OF PHYCOBILISOME BIOSYNTHESIS AND CONTROL BY A PHYTOCHROME‐LIKE PHOTORECEPTOR

Ambient light quality changes dramatically affect the composition of light harvesting structures, the phycobilisomes, in many cyanobacterial species. In the cyanobacterium Fremyella diplosiphon, shifts in the ratio of red to green light lead to transcriptional changes and altered synthesis of several phycobilisome components. This process is called complementary chromatic adaptation (CCA). These two colors have opposite effects: red light activates an operon encoding the biliprotein phycocyanin (PC) and inactivates the operon encoding phycoerythrin (PE), whereas green light activates PE synthesis and shuts down PC synthesis. The effects of red and green light on CCA are photoreversible. Thus, CCA is similar to transcriptional processes that are controlled by phytochromes, a family of eukaryotic red/far red photoreversible photoreceptors. We are using molecular genetics to determine the mechanisms by which F. diplosiphon senses changes in the color of light of its environment. Initial mutant generation and complementation lead to the discovery of three CCA regulatory components that are part of a complex two component system. The most interesting of these is RcaE (regulator of chromatic adaptation), a histidine kinase-class protein containing a region in its amino-terminal half with similarity to the chromophore binding domains of phytochromes. Within this region, RcaE contains a cysteine residue in a similar location as that used for covalent attachment of the open-chain tetrapyrrole chromophore in phytochromes. We will present recent data characterizing RcaE, including in vivo analysis of the chromophore that is attached to RcaE, as well as results from our recent isolation of a new CCA regulatory component.
Cell Cycle and Glomerular Disease: A Minireview

Globally, glomerular diseases are a leading cause of chronic and end-stage renal disease. In the mature glomerulus, under normal conditions, glomerular cells have a low turnover rate. However, in disease, a variety of pathophysiological stimuli can lead to disturbances in glomerular cell biology, including toxins, immune-mediated stresses, metabolic derangements, drugs, infections, hemodynamic changes, growth factors, and cytokines. Not only does the form of injury govern the histologic and clinical manifestations of disease, but also the nature of the response to injury. This response to injury is largely cell-type specific, and the glomerulus represents a rare microcosm of the larger organism in which one can study the cellular responses of three very distinct cell types: mesangial cells, visceral epithelial cells or podocytes, and endothelial cells. These cells can undergo several cell fates in response to injury, including proliferation, de-differentiation, hypertrophy, senescence, apoptosis, or necrosis. The regulation of these responses occurs at the level of the cell cycle, coordinated by positive regulators, cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases, and negative regulators, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors. There is now a large body of literature confirming the importance of cell cycle regulatory proteins in the glomerular cellular response to injury. The recent advances in cell cycle biology in diseases of the mesangial cell and the podocyte are the focus of this minireview.
The Impact of Overreporting on MMPI-2-RF Substantive Scale Score Validity

This study examined the impact of overreporting on the validity of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) substantive scale scores by comparing correlations with relevant external criteria (i.e., validity coefficients) of individuals who completed the instrument under instructions to (a) feign psychopathology or (b) feign somatic complaints, with validity findings for a control group of individuals who completed the MMPI-2-RF under standard instructions. Validity coefficients for MMPI-2-RF substantive scale scores were much weaker for feigners than for controls. The authors also found mean profiles to be more elevated for feigners than for controls. Effects were more extreme for psychopathology feigners than for somatic feigners. The results demonstrate the detrimental effect that overreporting psychopathology or somatic problems has on the validity of MMPI-2-RF scale scores. The findings illustrate the need for validity indices in self-report measures of personality and psychopathology.
CLASH: a protocol for Internet-scale utility-oriented distributed computing

Distributed hash table (DHT) overlay networks offer an efficient and robust technique for wire-area data storage and queries. Workload from real applications that use DHT networks will likely exhibit significant skews that can result in bottlenecks and failures that limit the overall scalability of the DHT approach. We present the content and load-aware scalable hashing (CLASH) protocol that can enhance the load distribution behavior of a DHT. CLASH relies on a variable-length identifier key scheme, where the length of any individual key is a function of load. CLASH uses variable-length keys to cluster content-related objects on single nodes to achieve processing efficiencies, and minimally disperse objects across multiple servers when hotspots occur. We demonstrate the performance benefits of CLASH through analysis and simulation.
THE REGENERATION OF VISUAL PURPLE IN THE LIVING ANIMAL

1. The accumulation of visual purple in the retina after bleaching by light has been studied in the intact eye of the frog. The data show that duration and intensity of light adaptation, which influence the course of human dark adaptation as measured in terms of visual threshold, have a similar influence on the course of visual purple regeneration. 2. At 25 degrees C. frogs which have been light adapted to 1700 millilamberts and then placed in the dark, show an increase in visual purple concentration which begins immediately and continues for 70 minutes until a maximum concentration is attained. The increase, although beginning at once, is slow at first, then proceeds rapidly, and finally slows up towards the end. Frogs which have been adapted to 9500 millilamberts show essentially the same phenomenon except that the initial slow period is strongly delayed so that almost no visual purple is formed in the first 10 minutes. 3. At 15 degrees C. the initial delay in visual purple regeneration occurs following light adaptation to both 1700 and 9500 millilamberts. The delay is about 10 minutes and is slightly longer following the higher light adaptation. 4. The entire course of visual purple accumulation in the dark takes longer at the lower temperature than at the higher. The temperature coefficient for 10 degrees C. is about 1.8. 5. In contrast to the behavior of the isolated retina which has small amounts of vitamin A and large amounts of retinene immediately after exposure to light, the intact eye has large amounts of vitamin A and little retinene after exposure to light for 10 minutes. In the intact eye during dark adaptation, the amount of vitamin A decreases markedly while retinene decreases only slightly in amount. If retinene is formed in the intact eye, the change from retinene to vitamin A must therefore occur rapidly in contrast to the slow change in the isolated retina. 6. The course of visual purple regeneration may be described by the equation for a first order autocatalyzed reaction. This supposes that the regeneration of visual purple is catalyzed by visual purple itself and accounts for the sigmoid shape of the data.
Highly Stereoselective Total Synthesis of Fully Hydroxy-Protected Mycolactones A and B and Their Stereoisomerization upon Deprotection

Unprecedentedly efficient and highly (≥98 %) stereoselective syntheses of mycolactones A and B side chains relied heavily on Pd-catalyzed alkenylation (Negishi version) and were completed in 11 longest linear steps from ethyl (S)-3-hydroxybutyrate in 12 % and 11 % overall yield, respectively, roughly corresponding to an average of 82 % yield per step. The synthesis of mycolactone core was realized by using Pd-catalyzed alkenylallyl coupling and an epoxide-opening reaction with a trialkylalkenylaluminate as key steps. Fully hydroxy-protected mycolactones A and B of ≥98 % isomeric purity were synthesized successfully for the first time. However, unexpected 4:3–5:4 inseparable mixtures of mycolactones A and B were obtained upon deprotection.
Enhancing sensing of nitroaromatic vapours by thiophene-based polymer films

Optical sensing, via fluorescence quenching, of nitroaromatic vapours using polythiophenes has received limited attention due to their rather low sensory response. We hypothesized that a dipolar 1,2,3-triazole moiety can enhance the interaction of DNT and TNT with the polymer in thin films and bulky side chains can decrease the chain packing in thin films resulting in enhanced analyte diffusion. Herein we show that thin films of thiophene-based polymers containing 1,2,3-triazole with appropriate alkyl side chains show enhanced fluorescence quenching in the presence of nitroaromatic vapours.
The Road to Membership: The Role of Resilience in Seeking and Maintaining Membership in a Faith Community for Families of Children With Disabilities

The participation of children and adolescents with disabilities and their families in faith communities may be limited due to the various unique challenges that these families face. This qualitative study examines reports by 9 parents of their family's experiences in becoming members of a faith community while examining the role of family resilience throughout this process. Results indicate that parents who displayed resilient attitudes and behaviors were more likely to report positive experiences, a more positive outlook on negative experiences, and full membership in their faith community. Implications for faith communities and parents of children with a disability are shared.
Locating and Defining the Bio in Biofiction

This brief survey of criticism about biofiction clarifies how scholars have struggled to define the aesthetic form in relation to the historical novel and to biography. By citing some prominent aut...
The Relationship between Alumni and University: Toward a Theory of Discretionary Collaborative Behavior

This paper explores the long term relationship between alumni and universities. While alumni are not usually thought of as customers, the university’s continued dependence on them for financial and other resources makes them a useful relationship marketing example. This study examines discretionary collaborative behavior (DCB) performed by alumni and factors that lead to that behavior. DCBs are behaviors performed by a customer to help a vendor, company, or institution, which contribute to the effective functioning of the relationship, which are outside formal contractual obligations, and are performed. without expectation of direct reward. Findings show antecedents of DCBs are: satisfaction with performance, relational bonds, and individual attributes.
Experimental investigation of H2 transverse jet combustion in hypervelocity flows

This paper describes on-going research at Stanford on combustion and mixing enhancement concepts in high total enthalpy supersonic flows. The experiments, performed in an expansion tube facility, are designed to study the near-field mixing and autoignition process of an underexpanded transverse hydrogen jet injected into flight-Mach 13 total enthalpy flow conditions (M=4.7, T=1300K, V=3300m/s, P=0.75psi). Simultaneous OH-PLIF and schlieren imaging are performed to obtain information on the location of the shock waves, the jet penetration, and the region of combustion. Schlieren images show the shock structure around the jet and the periodically formed coherent structures in the jet/freestream interface. Overlaid OH-PLIF and schlieren images indicate the flameholding capability of a hydrogen jet in air crossflow for different jet-to-freestream momentum flux ratios. Experiments studying the interaction of on an oblique shock wave with the jet are also reported. The results demonstrate that the jet plume is bent towards the wall along with the OH radicals present along the jet/freestream interface.
AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON STRESS SENSITIVITY OF GAS RESERVOIR ROCK WITH IRREDUCIBLE WATER

By the experiment study, the stress-sensitivity of low-permeability gas reservoirs is being existed objectively. And the hurt for reservoir's permeability can't be ignored. The permeability descend by the effective stress ascend, and descend range in earlier period is most significantly and gently in later period. But the permeability can not restore by descend the effective stress, so the hurt for permeability is permanence. Compare to the dry rock samples, the samples with irreducible water have more significantly stress sensitivity, or more seriously hurt for permeability.
Modulatory effects on Drosophila larva hearts: room temperature, acute and chronic cold stress.

Ectothermic animals are susceptible to temperature changes such as cold shock with seasons. To survive through a cold shock or season, ectotherms have developed unique strategies. Our interest is focusing on the modulation of physiological functions during cold shock and prolonged cold exposure in the fruit fly. We use Drosophila melanogaster as a model system to investigate cardiac function in response to modulators (5-HT—serotonin, Ach—acetylcholine, OA—octopamine, DA—dopamine and a cocktail of modulators) in acute cold shock and chronic cold shock conditions. Semi-intact larvae are used to provide direct access to the modulators of known concentration in a defined saline. The results show that 10 µM 5HT is the only modulator which maintains heart rate for larva raised at 21 °C and then exposed to acute cold shock (10 °C). The modulators 1 µM OA, 10 µM 5HT, 1 mM Ach, 10 µM Ach and a cocktail of modulators (at 10 µM) increased the heart rate significantly in larvae which were cold conditioned (10 °C for 10 days). HPLC analysis indicated both OA and 5-HT decreased in chronic cold conditioning. The larvae maintain heart function in the cold which may be contributed by low circulating levels of modulators. The larval heart responds better to 5-HT, OA, and Ach in conditioned cold than for acute cold, suggesting some acclimation to cold.
Fabrication and Characterization of Superconducting Resonators

Superconducting microwave resonators are of interest for a wide range of applications, including for their use as microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) for the detection of faint astrophysical signatures, as well as for quantum computing applications and materials characterization. In this paper, procedures are presented for the fabrication and characterization of thin-film superconducting microwave resonators. The fabrication methodology allows for the realization of superconducting transmission-line resonators with features on both sides of an atomically smooth single-crystal silicon dielectric. This work describes the procedure for the installation of resonator devices into a cryogenic microwave testbed and for cool-down below the superconducting transition temperature. The set-up of the cryogenic microwave testbed allows one to do careful measurements of the complex microwave transmission of these resonator devices, enabling the extraction of the properties of the superconducting lines and dielectric substrate (e.g., internal quality factors, loss and kinetic inductance fractions), which are important for device design and performance.
Practical side of multistage clinical trials for screening new agents

Coordinating center operations are recommended for carrying out multistage phase II clinical trials in oncology. The relevant statistical issues in designing phase II trials are summarized. The predictive probability approach to multistage design is briefly described, along with an interactive computer program that facilitates design selection. A multistage trial monitoring form is described, along with data manager-biostatistician responsibilities for monitoring the trial for possible early termination. Procedures are recommended for dealing with patients who cannot be evaluated by response, for minimizing or eliminating selection bias introduced by clinician knowledge of interim results, and for minimizing clinician tendency to report responding patients sooner than those not responding.
A Theory of dynamics, control and optimization in layered architectures

The controller of a large-scale distributed system (e.g., the internet, the power-grid and automated highway systems) is often faced with two complementary tasks: (i) that of finding an optimal trajectory with respect to a functional or economic utility, and (ii) that of efficiently making the state of the system follow this trajectory despite model uncertainty, process and sensor noise and distributed information sharing constraints. While each of these tasks has been addressed individually, there exists as of yet no controller synthesis framework that treats these two problems in a holistic manner. This paper proposes a unifying optimization based methodology that jointly addresses these two tasks by leveraging the strengths of well established frameworks for distributed control: the Layering as Optimization (LAO) framework and the distributed optimal control framework. We show that our proposed control scheme has a natural layered architecture composed of a low-level tracking layer and top-level planning layer. The tracking layer consists of a distributed optimal controller that takes as an input a reference trajectory generated by the top-level layer, where this top-level layer consists of a trajectory planning problem that optimizes a weighted sum of a utility function and a “tracking penalty” regularizer. We further provide an exact solution to the tracking layer problem under a broad range of information sharing constraints, discuss extensions to the proposed problem formulation, and demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach on a numerical example.
Theatre as sacrament

All theatre is sacramental. A theatrical event establishes itself as theatre by setting aside a measured space as inviolable for a measured time. This framing effect of theatre is sacramental. Within the frame of theatre, other sacraments can be represented or performed. Part I of this paper develops conceptual distinctions necessary to understanding the sacramental in theatre, using an ethics-based theory of sacrament. Part II sets out to use the theory, applying it to open up new questions for the interpretation of ancient Greek tragedy, and using the theory to explain certain plot elements in Sophocles' 'Philoctetes' and other plays.
The ecology of tumor

No tumor is an island. Chemical and physical forces exerted by the diverse cellular populations that surround a tumor its so-called microenvironment - shape development and progression. Manipulating these 'ecological' factors is increasingly attractive therapeutically, as Mina Bissell and colleagues discuss in the following pages. And just as the cellular neighborhood is diverse, tumors enriched in these environments comprise a variety of cell types. In this heterogeneous mix, increasing evidence points to so-called cancer stem cells as the root of malignancy. Irving Weissman and Michael Clarke discuss the implications for leukemias on page 35, and on page 37 Peter B. Dirks discusses cancer stem cells in the brain.
Abstract B19: Short chain fatty acids suppress mTOR activation in colon cancer cells via the long noncoding RNA rhabdomyosarcoma 2 associated transcript

Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), derived from dietary fiber bacterial fermentation in the colon, exert multiple effects on colonic functions including tumor suppressing activities. Our previous studies found that SCFAs can induce autophagy in colon cancer cells via suppressing mTOR activities, but the mechanism involved is not well understood. Herein we identify rhabdomyosarcoma 2 associated transcript (RMST), a long non-coding RNA, and protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 7(PTPN7) as key mediators for SCFAs to suppress mTOR signaling. SCFAs induce the expression of RMST in colon cancer cells. RMST by itself is sufficient to suppress mTOR signaling and sensitize colon cancer cells to SCFAs induction of autophagy. Through profiling, PTPN7 was identified as an effector for both RMST and SCFAs to suppress mTOR signaling. RMST increases the expression of PTPN7 by recruiting RNAPII to its promoter region. The data delineate a novel RMST-PTPN7 cellular pathway, enlisted by SCFAs, to modulate mTOR activities. Citation Format: Jiuhui Wang, Daotai Nie. Short chain fatty acids suppress mTOR activation in colon cancer cells via the long noncoding RNA rhabdomyosarcoma 2 associated transcript. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Targeting the PI3K-mTOR Network in Cancer; Sep 14-17, 2014; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2015;14(7 Suppl):Abstract nr B19.
The use of X-ray CT for attenuation correction of PET data

This paper presents the results of evaluating the use of X-ray CT data for attenuation correction of PET data. This method of attenuation correction is intended for use with a combined volume-imaging PET/CT scanner for oncology, particularly of the thorax and abdomen. We discuss four possible methods of scaling the attenuation map from the CT energies of 70-100 keV to the required PET attenuation map at 511 keV. Results are presented on the testing of two of these methods (scaling and segmentation methods) with data acquired from separate PET and CT scans of a phantom with regions of different densities. We show that these two methods provide accurate results for the reconstructed PET emission scan. We also propose a hybrid scaling/segmentation method that is expected to work well in practice, based on the demonstrated results for the scaling and segmentation methods. >
Apple Pay & Digital Wallets in Mexico and the United States: Illusion or Financial Revolution?

Apple Pay and digital wallets have gained popularity since the fall of 2014. Perceiving Apple Pay & digital wallets as a financial revolution at this moment might be a mistake. The following study shows that it is just the evolution of a payment system in Mexico and the United States of America, a system that opened the door to a possible future financial revolution. Current financial regulation in Mexico and the United States of America is not accurately applied; therefore, proper guidelines or amendments in financial regulations should be issued by financial authorities in order to mend the loopholes in the law.
FDA Approval Summary: Accelerated Approval of Pembrolizumab for Second-Line Treatment of Metastatic Melanoma

On September 4, 2014, FDA approved pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.) with a recommended dose of 2 mg/kg every 3 weeks by intravenous infusion for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma who have progressed following ipilimumab and, if BRAF V600 mutation positive, a BRAF inhibitor. Approval was based on demonstration of objective tumor responses with prolonged response durations in 89 patients enrolled in a randomized, multicenter, open-label, dose-finding, and activity-estimating Phase 1 trial. The overall response rate (ORR) by blinded independent central review per RECIST v1.1 was 24% (95% CI: 15, 34); with 6 months of follow-up, 86% of responses were ongoing. The most common (≥ 20%) adverse reactions were fatigue, cough, nausea, pruritus, rash, decreased appetite, constipation, arthralgia, and diarrhea. Immune-mediated adverse reactions included pneumonitis, colitis, hepatitis, hypophysitis, and thyroid disorders. The benefits of the observed ORR with prolonged duration of responses outweighed the risks of immune-mediated adverse reactions in this life-threatening disease, and represented an improvement over available therapy. Important regulatory issues in this application were role of durability of response in the evaluation of ORR for accelerated approval, reliance on data from a first-in-human trial, and strategies for dose selection.
Testing the inference of creep on the northern Rodgers Creek fault, California, using ascending and descending persistent scatterer InSAR data

Author(s): Jin, L; Funning, GJ | Abstract: We revisit the question of whether the Rodgers Creek fault in northern California is creeping, a question with implications for seismic hazard. Using imagery acquired by Envisat between 2003 and 2010, we process two persistent scatterer interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data sets, one from an ascending track and the other from a descending track, covering the northernmost segment of the Rodgers Creek fault between the cities of Santa Rosa and Healdsburg. The two different viewing geometries provided by the two different tracks allow us to distinguish vertical velocities, which may reflect nontectonic deformation processes, from fault-parallel velocities, which can be used to identify creep. By measuring offsets in InSAR line-of-sight velocity from 12 fault-perpendicular profiles through both data sets, we identify seven locations where we have a high degree of confidence that creep is occurring (estimated creep rate is more than two standard deviations above zero). The preferred creep rates at these locations are in the range 1.9–6.7nmm/yr, consistent within uncertainty with alignment array measurements. Creep is probable (P≥0.70) at another three locations, defining a creeping zone ∼20nkm long in total, extending northwest from Santa Rosa. We also estimate the map patterns of fault-parallel and vertical velocities in the region covered by both data sets; these suggest that the Rodgers Creek fault immediately southeast of Santa Rosa remains locked.
Socioeconomic Factors Affecting Discharge Status of Patients with Uncomplicated Transsphenoidal Adenohypophysectomy.

Objectives The number of transsphenoidal adenohypophysectomies (TSAs) surgeries has grown significantly since 1993. While there has been an overall decreasing trend in length of stay (LOS), socioeconomic factors may impact hospitalization. This study explores the impact of socioeconomic factors on LOS and total charges in uncomplicated patients undergoing TSA. Design Retrospective cohort. Setting 2009 to 2013 Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Participants Patients undergoing TSA without medical complications. Main Outcomes Measures LOS and total charges. Results A total of 6,457 patients were identified, of which 17.2% had secreting tumors. Patients with secreting tumors stayed 2.95 days versus those with nonsecreting tumors stayed 3.26 days ( p < 0.001). Discharge to other than self-care was the largest contributing variable for both subsets, increasing both LOS and total charges. Patient factors that drove longer LOS and increased total charges for both subsets included metropolitan domicile, having a lower median income, Hispanic ethnicity, and having an increased amount of Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) comorbidity indices. Having private insurance predicted a shorter LOS and lower total charges. Conclusions These results demonstrate that, even without complications, patients can be delayed in their discharge. While several socioeconomic factors significantly predict LOS and charges, the discharge disposition ultimately has the greatest effect. This suggests that efforts should focus on improving organizational factors such as coordination with social work and outside facilities to decrease LOS and charges for this patient population.
Establishing radiogenic strontium isotope signatures for Chavín de Huántar, Peru

Abstract The current manuscript reports the first bioavailable radiogenic strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) data for Chavin de Huantar, a U.N.E.S.C.O. World Heritage site long recognized as one of the most important ceremonial centers of the Andean Formative Period. 87Sr/86Sr ratios were measured in local soil, vegetation, and archaeological and modern fauna from in and around the archaeological site. 87Sr/86Sr signatures from human tooth enamel from five Mariash-Recuay era (1–700 CE) individuals also were generated. Results indicate that 87Sr/86Sr values among soil, plants, and animals are relatively uniform, although the range of 87Sr/86Sr ratios within each category is broad. While in the present study, non-migrants and migrants were distinguishable based on their 87Sr/86Sr values, the wide range of Chavin's bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr signature might hinder the differentiation of local and non-local individuals in subsequent analyses. We caution that future 87Sr/86Sr applications at Chavin should consider both bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr signatures calculated from fauna, plants, and soil along with statistically analyzed human data when investigating evidence for residential mobility in the archaeological record.
Cost Estimation Framework for Optimal Retrofit Planning to Mitigate Residential Building Vulnerability to Wildfires

AbstractCommunities near forests are vulnerable to wildfires. Retrofit measures to reduce the vulnerability of residential buildings to wildfire include improvements that hinder, mitigate, or preve...
Intelligent System Approaches for Vehicle Power Management

This chapter first briefly discusses the theoretical fundamentals of fuzzy logic and neural networks, and then introduces and summarizes characteristics of intelligent system approaches applied to vehicle power management. After thorough review of the basic theory of fuzzy logic and neural networks, the application of these methods to various types of vehicle configurations are reviewed. Then, the fuzzy logic and slide mode control are demonstrated for the fuel optimization for series, parallel, series–parallel, and complex hybrid vehicles. Finally, the application of fuzzy logic and slide mode control are used to optimize the regenerative braking of a parallel hybrid vehicle.
The Economics of Banking Antitrust

The focus of this chapter is the application of antitrust policies to banking. Following an overview of the basic rationales for bank mergers, the theory of imperfectly competitive banking markets is applied to evaluate the fundamental trade-offs involving cost-efficiency gains from mergers versus deadweight social losses that result. The chapter turns next to a discussion of empirical evidence regarding effects of bank mergers on market power and measures of efficiency gains from bank mergers, It concludes with a detailed consideration and evaluation of real-world policies regarding bank mergers.
Phenotypic Plasticity in Bacterial Biofilms as It Affects Issues of Viability and Culturability

Microbiology is approaching a critical intellectual challenge, which is brought into focus by the discovery of viable but nonculturable organisms in nature. In a continuous operational sequence, beginning with Louis Pasteur one and a half centuries ago, we have been preoccupied by the planktonic bacterial cells that grow so rapidly and readily in our cunningly formulated media in vitro. Until very recently a bacterial cell was not considered to exist, if it could not make the very rapid transition from its phenotype in its natural environment to this stylized entity in the test tube. Modern direct observations of natural populations have shown hundreds of morphotypes of bacterial cells that yield no corresponding planktonic cells on culture, and even more modern nucleotide analyses have shown the presence of many organisms that have never yielded culturable cells. Microbiology is seen to have concentrated on the minority of bacteria that can be cultured from nature, partly because of our understandable preoccupation with organisms that cause specific problems such as acute diseases of ourselves or of our domestic plants and animals. For these special organisms we have always developed suitable media and culture methods, and many of these media and methods actually discourage the growth of “environmental” species. This approach has produced the vaccines and antibiotics that still control many bacterial diseases, but the science of microbiology has committed a grave intellectual error, and we know very little of the neglected organisms that didn’t happen to like to grow in our specialized media.
A Phase II, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study of CJC-1008--a long-acting, parenteral opioid analgesic--in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia.

Introduction: CJC-1008 is a chemical modification of the opioid peptide dynorphin A (1-13) (Dyn A) that promotes dynorphin’s covalent attachment to human serum albumin in vivo after administration, thus prolonging its duration of action. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the preliminary efficacy and safety of CJC-1008 as compared with placebo in patients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Methods: Patients with PHN were assigned 1:1 to receive active study medication or placebo. After dosing, measurements were made every 15 minutes for the first hour; at two, three, four, six, and eight hours postdose; and during return visits to the study site after two, seven, and 28 days (as necessary), as well as during precrossover and exit visits. These measurements examined: 1) overall pain intensity, 2) pain intensity for each individual PHN type, 3) categorical overall pain intensity, 4) categorical pain relief, and 5) adverse events (AEs). When PHN pain intensity returned to baseline and/or at patients’ first request for rescue analgesia other than acetaminophen (typically around 28 days after dosing but sometimes as soon as two days postdose), patients were to cross over to the alternative treatment and be monitored on the same schedule. Results: A substantial placebo response was observed, but the analgesic effect observed in the active group was greater than that in the placebo group for the first eight hours. By 24 hours, the difference was not significant. A total of 29 out of 30 patients (96 percent) experienced at least one treatment-emergent AE during active drug treatment, while 14 of 27 patients (52 percent) reported such AEs during placebo treatment. Of the AEs occurring within the first eight hours after dosing, 97 percent were reported during treatment with active drug and 3 percent were reported during treatment with placebo. The majority of these AEs were mild in intensity. Discussion: This study provides evidence of a greater analgesic effect when using CJC-1008 compared to placebo in patients with PHN. However, the effect only lasted through eight hours postdose and diminished by 24 hours. This study provides evidence of a peripheral action of dynorphin, since CJC-1008 does not cross the blood-brain barrier.
Machine Learning-Based System Optimization and Uncertainty Quantification for Integrated Systems

Increasing complexity and higher integration of electronics leads to new challenges in system optimization. This is because modern systems contain structures with multi-scale geometries whose responses are determined by multi-physics simulations and often times contain components that are electromagnetically coupled. In practice, the use of optimization algorithms in the design cycle of such systems is limited to fine-tuning an already good design, which requires substantial human intervention and CPU time to arrive at an optimum solution. This is mainly due to lack of methods capable of handling high dimensionality at the same time converging to the global optimum regardless of the initial point selection. We therefore present a new, EDA oriented method, utilizing machine learning techniques to perform black-box optimization that starts with zero training data and ensures convergence to global optimum in the minimum amount of CPU time. In order to consider uncertainties in fabrication that are likely to cause deviations in the final design from the optimal design parameters, we present a ML-based uncertainty quantification (UQ) methodology. Although the combination of optimization and UQ algorithms presented in this chapter are fully automated and generic, we demonstrate these methods on an emerging application in system integration and power delivery, namely integrated voltage regulators (IVR). The IVR considered here is based on system in package (SiP) technology.
New Directions for Theory and Practice

This chapter discusses the results of a comparison across industries, introduces a model for the implementation of online diversity communication, and tackles the limitations of the current book. Finally, the chapter gives directions for future research.